Photo Credit: David Smith/Special to PrepsKC 
Lee's Summit North began last season with a loss at Liberty North. The Broncos wouldn't lose again until the Class 6 state title game.
So, what does it mean for Lee's Summit North to kick off this season with a win against its fellow Class 6 superpower?
"It means we're 1-0," Lee's Summit North coach Jamar Mozee said early Saturday morning, after his Broncos held off Liberty North 27-20 in front of an overflow crowd at Bronco Stadium. "It means we took care of a team we hadn't beaten in a while. So next week, it won't matter no more."
Coachspeak? Of course. But this was a game that lived up to all the hype surrounding the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in many polls. Two teams that finished as runner-up in the last two Class 6 finals.
And for Lee's Summit North to overcome early hiccups to trade haymakers on offense and defense with the talented Eagles on a blazing hot evening demonstrated how truly special this Bronco team can be.
And Lee's Summit North did flounder offensively most of the first half thanks to a stout Liberty North defense and a slew of penalties.
Liberty North led 3-0 after the first quarter and was on the march midway through the second when Broncos defensive back Isaac McIntosh picked off a pass by Eagles quarterback Martin Tillman. A late hit penalty on the Eagles placed the ball on the Liberty North 31-yard line.
One play later, Lee's Summit North quarterback Elijah Leonard found a wide-open Tanner Howes, who made a fingertip catch for a 21-yard TD pass and a 7-3 Broncos lead.
"To see our kids adjust, it was really fun to watch," Mozee said. "They really fought back and no matter what happened they kept fighting. I was proud of that."
And Liberty North kept up the fight, even as it struggled against the Broncos stifling defense. The Eagles regained the lead on Tillman's 1-yard TD on a quarterback sneak and they appeared ready to go into halftime leading 10-7 when Lee's Summit North regained possession with 23 seconds left in the half.
That was enough time for Leonard to find Isaiah Mozee, who shook off an Eagle defender and sprinted into the end zone with nine seconds left before halftime. Leonard's second of three TD passes gave the Broncos a 14-10 lead they wouldn't relinquish.
"Isaiah Mozee was hard to handle tonight," Mozee said of his junior son. "When he got his hands on the ball, they couldn't tackle him."
Lee's Summit North appeared ready to put it away at the start of the second half. Linebacker Alex Block scooped up a fumble on an Eagles pass play on the first play of the third quarter, and that set up a 6-yard Leonard-to-Crey Burnes TD pass for a 21-10 lead.
But on the ensuing kickoff, Liberty North running back Jacorey Love sprinted almost 90 yards untouched, and the Eagles were back within 21-17.
Leonard scored on a 2-yard keeper early in the fourth quarter, but a bad snap thwarted the extra point. Liberty North pulled within 27-20 on Bleu Renfrow's second field goal, and the Eagles drove into Broncos' territory with two minutes to play. But the Broncos stopped them on their 24 with 37 seconds to play.
"We just gave up too many big plays," Liberty North coach Andy Lierman said. "We handled the run game good tonight, but we have a little inexperience in the secondary. But that's not excuse, they've got good players."
