Jasper and Liberal squared off in some playoff action on Friday, but Jasper had to settle for second. They came up short against the Liberal Bulldogs, falling 60-38. The Eagles' loss continues a trend for the team, making it nine in a row.
Jasper's loss came despite strong showings from Carson Lehman and Waylon Ritchhart. Lehman rushed for 145 yards and two touchdowns, while Ritchhart gained 138 total yards and three touchdowns. The dominant performance also gave Ritchhart a new career-high in rushing yards (67).
Even though they lost, Jasper was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 204 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 160 rushing yards in three consecutive matches.
A big part of Liberal's win came down to the chemistry between Elam Beaman and his top target Bentley Moore. Beaman rushed for 78 yards on only 11 carries while Moore picked up 47 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Moore also deserves a shoutout for his performance on D, making seven total tackles and defending a pass in addition to snagging an interception. Ben Dingman got in on the action as well, returning a kick for a touchdown.
Jasper's record now sits at 1-9. As for Liberal, the victory snapped their losing streak at four games and leaves them with a 2-8 record.
Jasper does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for Liberal, they didn't take long to hit the field again: they've already played their next matchup, a 70-0 defeat against Lockwood on the 8th.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
