With a playoff game on the line, the Liberty Hill Panthers rose to the challenge on Friday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Pioneer 62-35 on the road. Given Liberty Hill's advantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 277th, while Pioneer is ranked 558th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Ben Carter continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 223 yards and six touchdowns while picking up 13.1 yards per carry. Carter was no stranger to the big play, taking off on a dash that went for 66 yards. Noah Long also helped out as he racked up 137 rushing yards.
Several Diamondbacks players turned in solid performances, despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Dylan Tijerina, who rushed for 117 yards and two touchdowns on only 12 carries. Tijerina is on a roll when it comes to rushing touchdowns, as he's now punched in two or more in the last seven games he's played. Julian Valdez was another key contributor, throwing for 200 yards and two touchdowns while completing 76% of his passes.
Liberty Hill has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven contests, which provided a nice bump to their 8-4 record this season. As for Pioneer, their defeat dropped their record down to 10-2.
Liberty Hill will face off against Flour Bluff at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Flour Bluff is coming into the game hot, having won their last eight games. Pioneer does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
