With a chance to clinch a pivotal victory, Liberty’s Kaden Rottjakob kept his nerves in check and his focus simple.
A soccer standout playing football for the first time, the Blue Jays’ senior delivered his biggest kick yet on the gridiron when he drilled a 37-yard field goal in double overtime, lifting Liberty to a 23-20 victory against Lee’s Summit West.
A perfect 3-for-3 on field goal attempts in the game, Rottjakob was swarmed by his teammates after making the game-winning kick that put the Blue Jays back on the winning track.
“All I know is it’s a blessing that we got the win,” Rottjakob said. “We’ve been fighting for it all game, all season. We needed it.”
Defense and special teams play made the difference throughout the contest for both teams, who combined for six takeaways and three blocked kicks. That made for a low-scoring contest all the way until the final minutes of regulation, with the Blue Jays leading 10-9.
Liberty’s ferocious defense had already produced two red zone stops in the second half. And sophomore Caden Dennis added another one with a 90-yard interception return for a touchdown with less than two minutes left.
It was the third interception of the game for the Blue Jays – senior Drake Smith snagged the other two – and looked to be the game-clinching score.
“We played great, always hustling to the ball, always being there,” Dennis said.
But the Titans (4-3) had other ideas. Lee’s Summit West drove the length of the field in spectacular fashion, even converting a fourth down, and scored with 3 seconds left on a touchdown pass from Sammy Cooper to Grant McAtee.
Needing a 2-point conversion to tie the score, Cooper reeled off a breathtaking scramble to tie the game at 17-17 and send it to overtime.
Liberty (3-4) and Lee’s Summit West traded field goals in the first overtime, and once again, the Titans drove inside the 10-yard line in double OT. But they came up just short of a first down and saw their ensuing field goal attempt blocked.
The Blue Jays didn’t pick up a first down in the second overtime, leading to a lengthy field goal attempt by Rottjakob. Despite near-freezing conditions, the hold was sound, and his kick split the uprights to snap a three-game losing streak.
“We’re just excited,” Liberty coach Chad Frigon said. “Our kids all year have been fighting hard on staying in these games. A lot of the games we’ve lost have come down to that last bit, and we’re happy we came out on the right side.”
Junior quarterback Jackson Corf threw for 116 yards and a touchdown, while Wentric Williams III returning from an early injury to finish with 61 rushing yards against a tough Titans’ defense.
Lee’s Summit West running back Taylor Wilson ripped off several big runs on the way to 192 rushing yards, while receiver Trevor Kardell proved the biggest difference maker in the passing game with 89 receiving yards on nine catches.
After notching one of Liberty’s most significant wins in recent memory, Frigon said he believes the team’s best football is yet to come with just two weeks remaining in the regular season.
“We’ve just got to keep building on it and get going,” Frigon said. “Hopefully, some of those trials and tribulations we had in the first six weeks of the season will help us get tougher down the stretch.”
