Liberty takes down Mountain Grove 27-13

Friday night's game between the Liberty Eagles and Mountain Grove Panthers promised to be an intriguing battle. It did not disappoint.

The biggest matchup of the game featured the tenacious defense of the Eagles against the high-flying offense of the Panthers. The Liberty varsity defense had allowed only one touchdown in the first five games of the season. In the same number of games, the Panthers had scored at least 28 points in every game, with four out of five games breaking the 40 mark. Something had to give.

The beginning of the game proved to be a feeling-out process, as each team moved the ball a little, but eventually punted. 

The contest's first score came on Liberty's second possession. Facing a fourth down from the 24-yard line, Kal Acklin snagged a Gavin Reese pass in between two Panther defenders for the touchdown. The Drew Ripko kick made it 7-0 with 4:57 left in the first quarter. 

Mountain Grove was not to be outdone, and they answered with an 80-yard scoring drive of their own. Quarterback Tyson Elliott cashed in the score from one yard out early in the second quarter. The Ty Gardner kick knotted the score at 7-7. 

With time winding down in the first half, the Panthers got a huge play from defensive back Drew Vaughan. The Eagles were driving to take the lead with under a minute remaining, when Vaughan picked off the pass and returned it 75 yards for the Panther score. At the half, Mountain Grove held a 13-7 lead. 

The Eagles looked like a determined team coming out of the locker room. Midway through the third quarter, Ripko tied the game on a three-yard plunge. The kick gave Liberty a 14-13 lead. 

 The Liberty defense then began to take the game over. Eagle defenders Brody Rutledge, Skyler Rogers, and Kaden Farrell, among others, started wreaking havoc on the Panther offense. The Eagles controlled the rest of the game.

Liberty quarterback Carter Pruett punched in a pair of short touchdowns, and the Eagles were able to put a little distance between themselves and the Panthers. 

In the end, it was a 27-13 win for the Liberty Eagles, as they moved to 6-0 on the season.

Up next, the Eagles try to keep their undefeated season alive as they host the Cabool Bulldogs.