Liberty North went into Blue Springs and came away with a solid 31-21 victory Friday night, ending the season with some positive momentum going into the Class 6 playoffs.
Senior quarterback Tillman Martin has been searching for a primary target this season, and he appeared to find one against Blue Springs, hitting junior wide receiver Trashundun Neal for two touchdowns on the night. First, Neal caught a 32-yard touchdown pass with two minutes left in the first half to give Liberty North a 21-14 lead at halftime. Then, late in the third quarter, Neal went up over a Blue Springs cornerback in the corner of the end zone, displaying his athleticism as he made an incredible catch for his second touchdown.
“We know what Tillman is. He’s a great quarterback,” Liberty North coach Andy Lierman said. “We’ve had a couple of rough games this year, kind of getting pieces moved around. He’s got a whole new receiving core. Really just been working to find a groove with that passing game, and we found it tonight.”
“Trashundun’s done a great job playing both sides of the ball. He’s a weapon out there. He’s a long, fast, athletic kid that can go catch the football, and he did that tonight.”
Blue Springs started the game with a touchdown on its first possession as James Fike lined up at running back with Wyatt Erickson at quarterback. Fike pitched the snap to wide receiver Maliek Lewis, who threw it to Erickson for the touchdown. Liberty North then drove down the field and handed it off for a rushing touchdown by Zemar Cheatam. Blue Springs blocked the extra-point attempt.
With the score tied at 7-7, Liberty North forced a fumble on the next rushing play by Blue Springs running back James Fike, and the Eagles recovered. That set up a rushing touchdown by running back River Therrien to give Liberty North the 14-7 lead, following a rushing two-point conversion run from Tillman Martin.
After a kickoff return to midfield, Blue Springs went 49 yards in 12 plays, capping it with a goal-line touchdown run by James Fike.
Out of halftime, Liberty North went on a long drive lasting nearly six minutes, ending in a field goal. That gave Liberty North the first two possession leads in the game. The Eagles defense stepped up again, causing a three-and-out by Blue Springs. Neal’s impressive grab then made it 31-14.
James Fike gave Blue Springs its last chance as he rushed for his second touchdown of the night in the fourth quarter, bringing the Wildcats to within 10 points. But Liberty North managed to stop the next Blue Springs drive before ending the game with an interception by Jordhon Strawn.
Liberty North is 6-3 as the regular season is over. They finished 4-1 over the last five games. Now, they wait to see how the Class 6 District 7 state playoffs will come together.
“We’ve put some good football together here in the back half of the season,” Lierman said. “We’re just really excited where we’re going and keeping that growth mindset. Each and every week trying to get better. Hopefully, we earned the bye this week. We find out in a little while.”