Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

NORTH LIBERTY – If there were any linger questions about the viability of Liberty High as a legit Class 5A title contender the Lightning answered those last season.

Liberty High followed up its first double digit win season and state semifinal appearance in 2024 with an 11-win, state-runner-up finish last fall.

Not only did last season’s success cement the status as a rising 5A power for Liberty High it elevated the already high expectations in the Lightning locker room.

“That puts everybody in the mentality that we should be there every year,” Liberty High senior Pryor Reiners said of last season’s success. “I think a lot of us know the expectation and feel like we should be in that spot every year.”

With 10 starters returning from last year’s squad that fell to West Des Moines Dowling 27-10 in the 5A title game last season the optimism for the Lightning this season is obvious.

Former assistant coach Mitch Wieland takes over at head coach for Scott Chandler who departed after lead the Lightning to a 21-4 mark and two consecutive trips to the UNI-Dome.

Liberty High must replace 5A player of the year Reece Rettig at quarterback and it’s top tackler in linebacker Landon Bell but the list of returners is long and talented.

“We aren’t losing a lot but the guys we did lose like Reece Rettig and Landon Bell those are dudes,” Wieland said. “You look at the guys that played in the state championship and we bring a lot of them back and some of these guys have played a lot of football.”

Talent returns across the board on both sides of the ball.

Liberty High brings back its second leading rusher, four of its top five receivers and five of its top seven tacklers from last year’s team that set the program record for wins.

“We have a lot of mouths to feed this year,” Wieland said. “Across the board I think we will be able to hop into a lot more personnel (groups) that we were last year and we have a wider range of skill set and that’s been a cool chess piece to play with this year.”

Senior Emerson Berner (6-2, 185) is set to take over at quarterback and will look to continue an impressive string of quarterback play at Liberty High.

The Lightning have had a 2,000-yard passer each of the past four seasons, a string that started with Graham Beckman in 2022.

Berner completed 19-of-29 passes for 236 yards and three touchdowns in a backup role last season including going 8-of-12 for 54 yards in the title game loss to West Des Moines Dowling.

In his first season as the starter Berner will be surrounded by an experienced group of skill position players led by Reiners and senior tailback Brody Beaver.

“We all can help Emersen in a lot of ways because we’ve been playing with him for years,” Reiners said. “He might not have been the starter last year but he throws really well and he’s confident.”

Beaver rushed for 648 yards and six touchdown last season while averaging 7.2 yards per carry and caught 30 passes for 217 yards and a touchdown.

Reiners headlines a strong receiving corps after catching a team-high 55 passes for 631 yards and seven touchdowns.

Senior Adrian Clerry caught 40 passes for 357 yards and four touchdowns and senior Leo Rozz had 28 receptions for 299 yards and three touchdowns last season.

“It’s kind of similar to when Reece came in his junior year he was new but there were guys around him that were primed for big senior years and I know Emerson is just chomping at the bit,” Wieland said. “He’s smart, he knows who his dudes are and how to get them the ball so there will be a big reliance on those guys.”

On defense Liberty High returns five of its top seven tacklers from last season, a group led by senior linebackers Alex and Eric Strunk who combined for 85 tackles and tied for the team lead with 4.5 sacks each last season.

Wieland expects sophomore Carter Lester to step in at middle linebacker in what has become an attacking Liberty High defense.

“It’s awesome, I love playing linebacker in this defense,” Eric Strunk said. “Whether you are blitzing or dropping back in coverage. We love to fly around and we are able to do that in this defense.”

Seniors Cash Hennings (26.5 tackles, 6 TFL) and Hank Thompson (23 tackles, 9 TFL) return on the defense line and Reiners, Clerry and junior Cooper Lester all return in the secondary.

Clerry had 28 tackles and two interceptions last season, Lester had 24 tackles and Reiners had 19 tackles.

“We have people that love to fly around and hit people,” Reiners said. “They love sticking their noses in there and we have something to show a lot of people this year on defense.”

After allowing 331 total yards and 26.6 points per game in 2024 the Lightning gave up just 267 total yards and 19.4 points per game last season.

“I think our defensive coordinator (Chuck) Benda does a great job of just leaning into our personnel,” Wieland said. “We aren’t the biggest, we aren’t the fastest, we aren’t the strongest so at the end of the day the goal is to stop the run and just always staying plus one in the box and making sure we put guys in the best spot.

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