United they stand

LIBERTY -- Liberty High football coach Jeff Whittaker met with his team in the days after the biggest win in school history.
The Leopards had just defeated Ursuline of the Steel Valley Conference in the Division IV regional semifinals last Friday, and the 10th-year coach had a point to make.
The focus? Team unity.
"On Friday night they reached a pinnacle that a lot of teams don't ever achieve," said Whittaker of his team's 6-0 win over the Irish. "Everybody wants to be a team, but a lot of times people can't put away themselves long enough to be a team.
"It's very difficult to take the 'I' out of team. But they were able to reach that level, which is what this game is supposed to exemplify -- team unity."
Next challenge
Liberty (11-1) will look to remain unified in the coming days as it prepares for another SVC juggernaut in Cardinal Mooney (9-2). The teams will play in the regional final Friday at Falcon Stadium in Austintown.
"Each week gets a little tougher," said Whittaker, whose team had never won a playoff game before this season. "The way it's supposed to work -- the closer you get to the state championship, the harder it is and the better the teams are."
To support his claim, Whittaker points to the challenge his defense will face Friday night. Last week, Liberty had to key on one primary running back in Ursuline's Alex Allen. Mooney's offense, however, employs numerous running backs.
To slow that attack, the Leopards will need another consistent game from their defense.
But they will also need to keep the ball out of Mooney's hands by driving against the Cardinals' stubborn defense.
"Our focus is to constantly improve our game," Whittaker said. "One of the big factors last week was that [Ursuline] only had the ball for 15 plays in the second half. We controlled the ball on offense, and we need to maintain that control [this week]."
Liberty also showed the ability to adjust on the fly last week, when junior fullback Chris Harden went down with a knee injury in the first half.
In came junior Dania Gillam, who had also been recovering from a knee injury, to rush for 107 yards on 24 carries.
Gillam will return to the field against Mooney, and the Leopards hope Harden can too. He was being examined by a doctor Monday, Whittaker said.
Home away from home
For the second straight week, Liberty will play on Fitch's home field, something that can only benefit the Leopards, Whittaker said.
"It gives us a certain amount of comfort there," he said.
"We had excellent community support there, an excellent fan base. Our fans really helped to ignite and inspire our team. That atmosphere at Fitch is good for us. We feel comfortable back there."
Comfort, however, doesn't mean much in the public's eyes. Don't be surprised if Liberty is perceived as the underdog Friday night, much like it was last week against Ursuline.
"I guess it really doesn't matter," Whittaker said. "Mooney's got a strong tradition. They play a tough schedule, and that lends itself to us being the underdog.
"But we don't mind being the underdog. The underdog is a good spot to be in."
richesson@vindy.com