Liberty football gets postseason revenge with 30-20 win over Barlow

A long offseason later, Liberty football exorcised postseason demons with a rousing Columbia Cup vengeance win to open the 2024 season.

All it took was a new man at the helm to bring renewed sense of belief and energy into the program. Oh, and some bone-crushing runs and heroic pass completions.

“This was a great comeback to what happened last year to Barlow in playoffs,” said Liberty junior quarterback Jaxon Rekow. “That (loss) was the main focus of this game.”

The quarterfinals of the 2023 Columbia Cup was a back-and-forth classic. Falcons graduated senior Tanner Steinback had punched in a touchdown with just a minute on the clock, taking a seemingly back-breaking lead. Then came that play — a tricky kick return that had the Bruins sling the ball across the field for a game-winning 80-yard touchdown by graduated senior Sentori Martino.

This time Liberty left no room for miracles.

The Falcons beat Barlow 30-20 on the road in a week one nightcap Friday, Sept. 6.

“It feels great, it has been a long summer and a lot of hard work with these boys,” said first-year Liberty coach Dustin McGee. “I’m the only new guy here, but they have embraced me.”

“Coach has created an extremely good offense, and he is really humble and knows what he is doing at all times,” Rekow said.

In his first win at the helm, McGee not only shined the spotlight back onto his talented players, but all the people who supported them in the stands and afar.

“This is as much about all of them as it is for us,” he said. “We are a family at Liberty.”

It is a new tradition for Liberty football. The postgame huddle is for everyone, and McGee delayed his speech after downing the Bruins to wave over family, fans and cheerleaders, who all packed in around the players.

“We came out and dominated in the second half,” McGee said.

“It also helps we didn’t turn the ball over,” he added with a laugh.

For Liberty, senior Maliq Smith had 3 catches for 166 yards and a TD and rushed for 45 yards; Rekow threw for 163 yards and a TD and rushed for 56 yards and a TD; and junior Ethan Hopper rushed for 135 yards and 2 TDs.

For Barlow, junior running back Caleb Meyer rushed for 108 yards and 2 TDs; junior quarterback Daniel Nelson threw for 143 yards and a TD; senior receiver Kellen Collins had 4 catches for 57 yards and a TD; and senior receiver Eli Shamoon had 3 catches for 48 yards.

“Liberty came at us with everything they had,” said Barlow’s first-year coach Steve Andreen. “Every time they landed a big punch we were able to counter and get back into it, but ultimately they landed one too many.”

“We played good as a team, and the line blocked well, we just didn’t get the result we wanted,” added Meyer.

The first quarter felt like it was going to be a Liberty runaway win. The Falcons were firing on all cylinders, especially after overcoming down-and-distance on the opening drive.

A rash of penalties had the Falcons backed up on 2nd and 22. Rekow connected with Smith for a massive 51-yard gain, setting up Hopper to rumble in for the one-yard score a few plays later.

Then it was déjà vu — a Rekow to Smith jaw-dropper, this time for 73-yards, with Barlow senior Deondre Rea-Hill making a touchdown-saving tackle; and then another one-yard scoring dive up the gut by Hopper to take a 14-0 lead.

Smith is another new face for the Falcons, after transferring from Glencoe, and another weapon in Rekow’s ever-growing arsenal.

“Maliq is just extremely fast and tall,” Rekow said. “We are still getting used to playing with each other.”

Then Barlow answered by forcing turnovers. First senior Trevor Thielke had the ball punched out, with Shamoon recovering it. That set-up a 5-yard touchdown scamper from Meyer to cut into the lead.

One play later Liberty had the ball hit the turf again, this time lost by Hopper and recovered by sophomore Drew Miller. That led to a 33-yard touchdown between Nelson and Collins to tie it 14-14 going into the break.

“We gave them three possessions inside the 20 in the first half,” McGee said.

There was a bit of drama in the waning moments. Rekow was under pressure in the shadow of his own endzone and was flagged for intentional grounding. The Barlow coaches roared it should have been a safety, the officials instead granted a generous spot at the one-yard line.

The turnover game swung back toward the Falcons in the second half, with sophomore Luke Newport intercepting a Barlow throw. That set up a four-play, 71-yard scoring drive punctuated by a 42-yard touchdown catch from Smith. A failed two-point try had the score 20-14 Liberty.

Then the Falcons added to it by forcing a safety. Barlow got backed up with a sack by senior linebacker Matt Jones. On the punt, a high snap sailed over the head of senior Brighton Jacobsen, who smartly kicked it out the back of the endzone to prevent a defensive touchdown.

With 4:47 left in the third quarter, Barlow had a 14-play, 65-yard grueling scoring drive that took everything it had to get into the endzone. On a fourth down run, Meyer clawed his way through the defense for the touchdown.

Because of the safety, the Bruins were forced to go for a two-point try. The first attempt appeared to be a success, with a huge scrum pushing Meyer into the endzone. But that play was flagged by the officials for aiding the runner, forcing a second attempt. Nelson passed it to Miller, but he was tackled short.

The Falcons got the ball back, and burned the clock on a long drive that ended with Rekow running in a 17-yard touchdown.

“It was pretty amazing,” he said. “I didn’t think I was going to get in.”

That score would hold.

“Tonight was a great matchup, they were beating us with the run inside and we countered some of their defensive schemes by spreading the ball out a little bit,” Andreen said. “It is sad to lose, but I am happy the kids played this hard.”

For Liberty the Bruin boogeyman is settled.

“You roll with this, take the energy, feeling, and build,” McGee said. “There is so much we could have done better, need to hone that in and correct those mistakes.”

Barlow next hits the road for a game against Lakeridge 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13. Liberty hosts Jefferson (Portland) at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13.