Locked in a battle of wills, Liberty North produced a gutsy defensive performance against one of the city’s all-time coaching legends.
The Eagles forced three turnovers and continued their remarkable, undefeated season during a 17-14 victory against Rockhurst in the Class 6 District 4 semifinals on Friday. Of course, the Hawklets’ loss marked the final game for Hall of Fame coach Tony Severino, whose career at Rockhurst spanned nearly four decades and featured seven state championships.
But Rockhurst’s ferocious comeback effort fell short against Liberty North (11-0), which will play for a district championship next week against Raymore-Peculiar.
“I’m extremely happy and proud of this group,” Liberty North coach Greg Jones said. “The defense was lights out all night, just battled and battled in the fourth quarter.
“... I’m just proud of our kids for staying in there and staying tough.”
In a matchup of state-ranked teams, both programs had displayed outstanding defense and special teams throughout their respective seasons. But those two phases, in particular, helped the Eagles build an early lead.
Liberty North forced a fumble on Rockhurst’s second play from scrimmage, which led to a field goal. And on the very next drive, the Eagles blocked a punt and needed just two plays to tack on a touchdown thanks to a pass from Jake Van Dyne to Warren Bennett III.
The Eagles soon tacked on another touchdown from Tyler Jenness and built a 17-0 lead against one of the state’s perennial powerhouses by the second quarter.
“It was huge, especially playing big teams like Rockhurst,” said Eagles’ senior Austen Hoss, who blocked the punt. “You’ve just got to take what you can get and grind out everything you can take.”
But Severino’s squad had no intentions of going down without a fight.
The Hawklets clawed back into the game with a 15-play drive that include two fourth-down conversions. It resulted in a touchdown pass from Nick Smrt to Luke Beshoner and put them right back in the contest.
“I feel for those kids,” Severino said. “Those kids gave everything they possibly could give.”
Rockhurst gained even more momentum by taking the first drive of the second half and pulling within three points, 17-14, after Cashius Howell fought off a defender for an impressive touchdown catch.
After forcing a three-and-out, the Hawklets looked to be on their way to another score when Hoss made one of the plays of the game with an interception on his own 1-yard line.
“We have to stick together. That’s always been our motto,” Hoss said. “Everyone was making plays, and it got tipped up to me.”
On its next possession, Rockhurst fumbled it away and couldn’t regain its momentum against an Eagles’ defense that stepped up down the stretch.
“We always have a theme of the week, and the theme of the week this week was ‘Be calm in the storm,’” Jones said. “It’s going to get rocky and going to get ugly, but we’ve got to do what we do.
“And that’s what the defense did.”
Liberty North took possession with 2:35 remaining and needed just one first down to clinch the game. On 3rd and 1, senior running back Keshawn Turner followed his blockers, picked up three yards and guaranteed the Eagles a place in the district title game.
“I just knew my family up front was going to push the pile,” Turner said. “I knew I just had to duck my head and go.”
The Eagles mustered just 112 yards of offense against an imposing Rockhurst defense. Smrt threw for 153 yards and two scores, and Max Williams led the team with 48 rushing yards.
For Severino, the game marked the end of a historic run at Rockhurst that started in 1983 and produced seven state titles. After the game, he reflected on his career, expressing gratitude for everyone who took part in the journey alongside him.
“I’ll remember all the great kids I’ve had. All the people I’ve worked for,” Severino said. “All the great coaches and my family. I’ve got so many memories.”
