The Liberty Hill Panthers will challenge the Bastrop Bears at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Liberty Hill is headed into the matchup after thoroughly thrashing Crockett: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that the Panthers blew the Cougars out of the water with a 63-6 final score. Winning may never get old, but the Panthers sure are getting used to it with their seventh in a row.
Liberty Hill's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Pierre Dylan Belinga led the charge by rushing for 76 yards and one TD. The bulk of those rushing yards came from one huge play: a run that gained an incredible 50 yards. Bryce Muchaw was another key back, rushing for 54 yards and one score.
Liberty Hill's defense stepped up as well, laying out Darnell Osaigbobo three times. The team can thank three different players for their defensive prowess: Grey Hargrove, Kaden Cockburn, and Alex Merino, who each picked up one sack apiece. Another thorn in Crockett's side was Hargrove, who picked up a sack and made ten total tackles.
Meanwhile, Bastrop blew past Pflugerville, posting a 70-6 win. The game was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 56-6.
Liberty Hill better focus on containing Weston Nielsen and Gary Jefferson Jr. as the pair were huge in Bastrop's win. Nielsen threw for 252 yards and six touchdowns while completing 72.7% of his passes, while Jefferson Jr. gained 211 total yards and three touchdowns. The dominant performance also gave Nielsen a new career-high in rushing yards (78). Diego Rangel was Nielsen's top target, picking up 80 receiving yards and a pair of TDs.
Bastrop didn't let much get past them through the air: they limited Pflugerville to a completion percentage of just 45.7%. Given Nielsen's standout performance, it's clear the Panthers' secondary just wasn't on the same level.
Bastrop's victory bumped their record up to 9-0. As for Liberty Hill, their win bumped their record up to 7-2.
Liberty Hill came up short against Bastrop when the teams last played back in November of 2024, falling 35-31. Will the Panthers have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other football content.
