Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

For anyone outside the Liberty High locker room it was easy to single out the offensive line as a question mark entering the season.

The Lightning returned just one full-time starter on the offensive line in senior tackle Caleb Burnett.

Two games into the season the Lightning front five have more than answered those preseason questions.

The Liberty High offensive line has paved the way for a pair of impressive wins to open the season helping the Lightning average 52.5 points and better than 518 total yards in wins over City High and West High.

A question mark for some, the early offensive line play hasn’t been a surprise to those at Liberty High.

“I’ve played with them at the lower levels and all summer they put in great work and they are great players so it hasn’t surprised me that much,” Liberty High junior quarterback Reece Rettig said. “I didn’t think we’d run the ball for 350 yards but they’ve been great so I wasn’t surprised they’d be good.”

Burnett, a 6-foot-4, 255-poun senior left tackle returned as the anchor of the Liberty High line.

He has been excellent early but has gotten plenty of help.

Senior left guard Chase Schroeder (5-10, 225) junior center Jaryn Sertterh (6-0, 220), senior right guard Cole Peden (6-1, 230) and senior right tackle Eric Arzu (6-2, 225) have meshed quickly while helping Liberty High to the third 2-0 start in program history.

“It hasn’t been a surprise to me at all,” Burnett said. “We worked hard all summer long and we’ve taken huge steps. I feel like our scheme really helps us out too.”

The Liberty High offensive line paved the way for the Lightning to rush for a staggering 365 yards and five touchdowns on 6.6 yards per carry in a season-opening win over West High.

“I think that first game boosted our confident for the rest of the season knowing we may not be the biggest but we can run the ball,” Burnett said.

Liberty High may have been ever better up front on Friday.

The Lightning offensive line was huge in helping the Lightning execute screen passes to perfection in a 49-20 win over City High.

Liberty High finished with 472 yards of total offense, including 180 on the ground, and averaged 8.4 yards per play against the Little Hawks

“They are a group that has really committed themselves this offseason to one getting bigger and stronger and but then coming off the ball and now they are really starting to understand,” Liberty High coach Scott Chandler said. “We spent a lot of time watching film and they are really starting to understand our concepts.”

On the season Liberty High is averaging 8.5 yards per play.

That starts with the play of the guys up front.

“They are playing with such confidence right now,” Burnett said. “That helps so much and the rest of the season we want to do the same thing and run the ball.”

News and Notes

Johnson Ties School Record: Solon senior tailback Eddie Johnson continued his strong start to the season matching the Solon single game school record with five touchdowns in a 42-14 win over Clear Creek Amana.

Johnson rushed for 138 yards and four touchdowns on 24 carries and had two receptions for 28 yards and a score.

The two-way standout also had four tackles, including a tackle for loss as Solon improved to 2-0.

Manson Matches Record: Julian Manson had the best game of his career on Friday while matching the West High single game record with three touchdown catches in a 34-28 win over Urbandale.

Manson caught seven passes for 135 yards and three scores and also had 3.5 tackles as West High improved to 1-1.

Liberty High Makes History With Strong Start: A week after picking up the first win over West High in program history Liberty High continued its historic start to the season with a 49-20 win at City High.

The win was the third straight for the Lightning over City High and marked the first time in the seven-year history of the Liberty High program that the Lightning have wins over City High and West High in the same season.

Players of the Week

Offensive player of the week: With apologies to his quarterback Reece Rettig this weeks award goes to Liberty High senior running back Sutton Koller. The 5-foot-11, 180-pound Koller scored five touchdowns (three receiving, one rushing and one on an interception return) in a 49-20 win over City High. Koller had four receptions for 150 yards, rushed four times for 22 yards and had five tackles to go with his 70-yard interception return for a score.

Defensive player of the week: West High senior linebacker Declan Bunn came up big on Friday in an important win for the Trojans.

Bunn had a team-high 10 tackles including six solo stops and a tackle for loss as West High overcame an early deficit to earn a 34-28 win over Urbandale.

Special teams player of the week: West High junior place kicker Adam Salem hit a pair of field goals, including a 31 yarder and converted all four of his extra point attempts in a 34-28 win over Urbandale.

Helmet Stickers

Offense: Regina sophomore running back Savion Miller rushed for 103 yards and two touchdowns, caught three passes for 24 yards and had a 51-yard kickoff return in a 28-17 win over Mid-Prairie.

Offense: West High senior quarterback Jack Wallace completed 28-of-38 passes while throwing for 321 yards and three touchdowns and also rushed for a touchdown in a 34-28 win over Urbandale.

Offense: Clear Creek Amana junior Conlan Poynton rushed for 110 yards and two touchdowns and also passed for 65 yards in a 42-14 loss to Solon.

Offense: City High senior tight end Parker Sutherland caught five passes for 86 yards and a touchdown in a 49-20 loss to Liberty High.

Defense: Liberty High senior defensive lineman Korbin Howard had four tackles including a sack in a 49-20 win over City High.

Defense: Clear Creek Amana junior Dylan Schrock had a team-high 8.5 tackles including two for loss in a 42-14 loss to Solon.

Defense: Solon junior cornerback Eli Kampman had two tackles and returned an interception 46 yards for a touchdown in a 42-14 win over Clear Creek Amana.

Defense: Regina senior defensive lineman Noah Clark had a team-high seven tackles and 1.5 sacks in a 28-17 win at Mid-Prairie.

Defense: West Branch junior Lincoln Naber had a team-high eight tackles including half a tackle for loss and recovered a fumble in a 27-0 loss at Dike-New Hartford.

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