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By Jordan Burton (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Brock Kenaga’s first season at Liberty was one of resurgence. For the first time since 2016 the Eagles won double digit games and walked away with a district championship.
The run restored the legacy of a program that went 78-11 from 2010 to 2016 and made five Elite Eight appearances and Kenaga was there for all of it.
But last season was still a unique experience for the man that bleeds red, white and blue. Particularly because of how it all came about.
“I think what really stands out in my mind about last year is how resilient our kids really are,” said Kenaga. “I had resigned as football coach and was going to focus on being the head basketball coach due to Coach Acklin leaving and going to Mountain Home. At this time Liberty hired a coach from North Dakota so the kids were in limbo because they did not know what they were going to get because this was a new coach and he was in North Dakota. Then the last week of May this coach from North Dakota resigned leaving the kids not having a coach again. I took the head coaching job on June 1 the same day we started the off-season.
“So then we got Jansen Acklin, got Justin French (former SBU QB and the QB that gave us our first district title in 2006), then we moved Chris Holland to the varsity level from our middle school program to be the new offensive coordinator. All this happened in about two days’ time. Then COVID hits and we don’t even think we were going to get a season. But the kids pressed on and kept working… It was a new system and a new staff so we looked rough to say the least, losing two of the first three games. Some kids would have started to doubt and point fingers but these kids didn’t sway from the path. By doing this we won our next 10 games before finally losing to the eventual state champion Lamar.”
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Liberty will look to build off last year’s success and has nine starters back in the mix to do so. And there’s certainly no shortage of talent.
Senior quarterback Tyler Watts is back after passing for 1,873 yards and 22 touchdowns, while adding another 1,059 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. Classmate Noah Jester was one of the area’s most productive receivers, totaling 818 yards and 10 touchdowns on 64 receptions.
Seniors Tanner Ripko and Jentry Acklin also return to the receiving corps and secondary. All four players were All-SCA selections.
Juniors Lucas Frazier and Kal Acklin return after seeing reps at receiver last year while also starting at linebacker. Classmate Drew Ripko also saw time at receiver but started in the secondary.
Carter Pruett and Brody Rutledge were both All-SCA picks as freshmen last year. Pruett, who will line up all over the field and Rutledge will anchor the offensive and defensive lines.
This Liberty group will be one of the most explosive offenses in the area yet again.
“Tyler and Carter are going to have a lot of very good weapons this year,” said Kenaga. “With a year under their belt with this two-quarterback system, they are poised to do great things. Noah, Jentry, Kal, Tanner and Drew Ripko are having a very good off season and their bodies really show it. We are excited to see what they can do.”
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Kenaga is also excited about the development of junior Blake Martin and sophomore Eli Moore. Martin (5-9, 260) will add some beef to the offensive and defensive lines while Moore is yet another athlete that will stretch defenses vertically and horizontally, as well as see time in the defensive backfield.
The defensive side of the ball is where Liberty will also try to progress.
The Eagles allowed 117 points in their three losses last year. While those teams were all elite units, which is the level that Liberty expects to compete at.
With Strafford and Fair Grove again on the schedule and a potential date with powerhouse Lamar looming in November, the Eagles are retooling a defense that will look a little different from a personnel standpoint.
“Last year our defense was the biggest I have ever coached while here at Liberty,” said Kenaga. “Our middle backer was 260 and our defensive line averaged 270. This group is not like that. They are going to be smaller and faster. We will have to rely on more team speed to get the job done for sure.
“Tanner Ripko has had a great off season and we will rely on him early to lead our defense and help set the tone. He is a fast downhill player that isn’t afraid to mix it up and our team will have to follow his lead.”
Liberty opens the 2021 season with one of the toughest schedules in Missouri. A trip to Strafford followed by a visit from Fair Grove – a rematch of last year’s district championship – will serve as a non-conference buffer before the Eagles trip to Thayer (Sept. 10) and showdown with Ava (Sept. 17).
The Eagles will visit Mountain Grove (Oct. 1) and Cabool (Oct. 8) in consecutive weeks.
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That early gauntlet will dictate Liberty’s chances of winning the SCA and having home field advantage throughout the postseason.
“The SCA is always a meat grinder and I expect this year to be no different,” said Kenaga. “Mountain Grove is going to be good with a great line and a very good QB. Thayer still has plenty left in the cupboard to make another run. Ava runs that flexbone as good or better than anyone in the state, so all they do is plug in another set of great athletes and keep rolling. Cabool now has Acklin to call the offense and help Coach Spittler and Joel Wyatt has come back to where it all started for him in Willow Springs. The SCA is going to be up. Every week will be a dog fight.
“In order for us to have a good season and even have a sniff of the SCA and district title we will have to grow up quickly up front. They are going to have to really gel and learn to work together quickly because our schedule is tough from the get go. We are excited to see what this team can do and we have some great leaders to bring our young kids up to speed.”
