Liberty Football kept their playoff hopes alive by beating the undefeated Fort Madison on the road on Friday, October 8.

After starting the season 0-5, Liberty playoff hopes were dim. The football team would need to win out their remaining four to have any chance of making the playoffs. After demolishing Mt. Pleasant last week, with this win, they are one step closer to a playoff berth. 

Both teams got to work very early, as the score after the first quarter was 14-13 in Liberty’s favor. Jacob Adam, senior, had an interception early in the first, giving great field position to the Liberty offense. Darius Willis-Newell, senior, ran the ball in for a touchdown to give the Bolts a 7-0 lead. Fort Madison answered with two quick touchdowns of their own though. Willis-Newell ran the ball in once more for a touchdown in the quarter, giving the Bolts the 14-13 lead. 

There was not a whole lot of action in the second quarter of the game. James McKinney, senior, threw a touchdown on a trick play to Christian Barney, junior, and Fort Madison kicked a field goal to make the score at halftime 21-16. 

Defense was the clear theme during the second half. There was only one score in the third quarter, which was a field goal by Liberty’s Emerson Bennett, senior. The score following the third quarter was 24-16. 

The impressive defense of both sides kept up for the fourth, as the 24-16 third quarter score would eventually wind up to be the final score of the contest. Liberty’s defense had many clutch stops in the fourth quarter. As Fort Madison turned the ball over on downs many times. Final score, 24-16, Liberty wins. 

With the ball on the ground a lot, Tye Hughes finished with 57 passing yards and 8 rushing yards. McKinney threw a 33 yard touchdown on the trick play. Willis-Newell ran for a total of 159 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. Luke Meyers, senior, led the way on the receiving end with two catches for 40 yards. Jacob Adam had himself a day on defense finishing with seven total tackles, two solo tackles and an interception. Gage Gingerich, senior, added three solo tackles, a sack and two tackles for loss. Wyatt Williams, junior, and Meyers each had an interception and David Brusegaard, senior, had a fumble recovery. Emerson Bennett continued his streak of consecutively made kicks, making all three PATs and splitting the uprights on his lone field goal attempt. 

Liberty, with two games left in the regular season, needs to win both to make the playoffs. They play Burlington at home this Friday, October 15, and then will cap off their regular season on the road against Clinton on October 22.