The 2018 Missouri Class 5 boys state track champions looked like they hadn't set down their batons Friday night at Lee's Summit North.
The Broncos continued where they left off in the spring with a flurry of lightning-fast dashes to the end zone to bury visiting Liberty North early in a 40-13 dominant win at Bronco Stadium.
Lee's Summit North head coach Jamar Mozee says the opening win is gratifying after patiently watching his team grow entering his fourth season.
"It's hard to explain to people the process," Mozee said. "People want immediate change. You're seeing a senior-laden team like the rest of our conference. I can't say I was trying to wait on this, but I knew this time was coming."
The Broncos wasted no time scoring early on. In fact, they gashed the Liberty North defense for three touchdowns in their first five touches - it could've been four, but one prompted a penalty and got called back. Bronco senior quarterback Christian Carter had a 67-yard touchdown on the second play of the game, and after the Eagles answered, senior running back Ontario Russell juked his way to an 85-yard score.
Liberty North was able to record a field goal on their next drive to pull within 14-10 with 1:20 left in the first quarter, but 12 seconds later junior running back Keyon Mozee burned the defense with an 80-yard slash.
"Everybody was doing their jobs," Carter said. "Our team was going hard into their blocks with all effort."
Liberty North head coach Greg Jones says his team needs more experience to shore up their struggles defensively.
"[Lee's Summit North] has a lot of returning starters, and they've got a ton of speed," Jones said. "We're still young, but we'll get better. I'm extremely proud of us because our guys kept fighting."
