43
Lines lead Liberty’s football team
Experience in trenches should serve Leopards
By BOB ETTINGER
Liberty football coach Chet Allen is trying to teach the Leopards that everything that comes their way is earned, for better or worse. The team won seven games a season ago but missed the Division VI, Region 21 playoffs and are looking to rectify that in 2019.
“We tell the kids all time that everything is earned,” Allen said. “Whether it’s good or bad, everything is earned. If we win the big games, we don’t have to rely on anybody else. Some of the kids have had a taste of Week 11. If we go out and earn everything, if we take care of ourselves, win the games we’re supposed to win, everything takes care of itself. If we don’t do that, we have to rely on everyone else and that’s something we just don’t like to do.”
Allen will have to figure out the solution to that puzzle with a large number of new pieces.
“All of our offensive line is back, as well as our down four on the defensive side,” Allen said. “We’ve got new people at almost all of the skill positions on both sides of the ball.”
Offense
Allen isn’t exaggerating the Leopards’ situation. The offensive front, led by three-time letter-winner Simi Moananu at right guard, returns six players with a combined nine letters. The backs and receivers have just one returning letterman in Donte Venters.
Jaime Melton and Daveyon Williamson are battling to take the reins of the offense at quarterback. Venters, Zack James, Chris Cunningham and David Thompkins are the running backs and Jahmel Wallace, Bralen Stredrick, Tyler Austin, Landon Charles, Landon Charles, C.J. Myles and Jovan Brown make up the receiving corps.
Along with Moananu, the line will consist of left tackle Tremendous Watson, left guard Carter Coman, center Tyler Mowery and right tackle John Boulton. Micah Dukes is the H-back.
Given the load of experience in the trenches and the lack thereof elsewhere, the Leopards will rely heavily on the men of the line.
“It all starts up front,” Allen said. “Our center has started the last couple of years and the guy to his right was the there last year. All five of our linemen have been in the trenches together almost two years. They should know the ins and outs.”
“There are times the line will dictate what we’re doing in the scheme,” Allen said. “If they’re successful or confident, they want to run that scheme all day long.”
Defense
Allen’s mindset on the defensive side of the ball has been slightly altered, at least for the time being.
“We’ve changed our mentality,” Allen said. “I’m a blitz-from-every-direction guy, but the guys re better moving gaps. We’re better when we establish the line of scrimmage and let the linebackers stop that run. The front four don’t have to think. They can pin their ears back and go hit somebody. They’ll be run first and pass second and the guys in the secondary will be pass first and run second. We have to have the mentality that somebody is trying to get into our house and we have to protect it.”
The defensive front of Dukes, Moananu, Watson, Coman and La’Breilyn Wilson will be tasked with controlling the line of scrimmage while linebackers Mowery, James, Cunningham and Derek DeMattia will have to close down the holes in the running game. Wallace, Stredrick, Austin, Charles, Myers, Brown, Melton, Venters and Williamson will provide the coverage from the secondary.
Special teams
Dukes will be pulling quadruple duty as he will also be the kicker and punter.
Outlook
Allen and his crew will not have an easy go of it out of the gate with East and Lakeview in successive weeks to open the campaign. Chaney, Brookfield and Campbell follow while LaBrae looms in Week 6. The Leopards will close the season with Champion, Crestview, Newton Falls and Beaver Local.
“We wouldn’t want 10 cupcakes,” Allen said. “We want to play the tough teams. We want it to be a 10-round fight and with every round our playoff life will be on the line. We want to play the tough guys.”