Pruett's big night sends Liberty past Catholic

Friday night's district quarterfinal matchup between the Liberty Eagles and the Springfield Catholic Fighting Irish came down to the wire. The muddy field and periods of heavy rain that fell throughout the game forced the often-potent Eagles offense to be one dimensional. Carter Pruett used his legs to take over the game, and the record books, for that matter. His 45 carries for 381 yards were the most in Liberty history. In the meantime, he also broke the career rushing record for the school. In the end, he needed every last yard to hold off the scrappy Catholic squad.

The first quarter came and went with no scoring. Both teams moved the ball, but the wet conditions wreaked havoc on the ball handlers, causing turnovers. 

It wasn't until the second quarter when Pruett found the end zone on a fourth-and-11 run from the 19-yard line. With the failed two-point conversion, Liberty led 6-0. The game stayed that way until late in the first half. 

With 1:02 on the clock, Liberty was driving deep inside Catholic territory, looking to go up by two touchdowns. That's when the Irish came up with the biggest play of the first half. 

Defensive end Sam Brown picked off a Pruett pass at his own 16 and returned it all the way to the Eagle 10. The very next play, Catholic QB Clayton Stuhlsatz punched it in from ten yards out. The kick was no good and knotted the game 6-6 at halftime. 

Catholic received the second half kick and chewed up nearly six minutes of the clock, scoring on a 28-yard pass by Stuhlsatz on fourth-and-six. The two-point conversion jump pass from Jack Schoen to Brown was good and Catholic held its first lead 14-6. 

Pruett used his legs to lift Liberty once again. This time, with only 8:53 left in the game, from three yards away. The failed conversion left the Eagle's trailing 14-12. 

A minute later, after a Catholic fumble at their own 38, Pruett plunged in a five-yard touchdown run and conversion to give the Eagles a 20-14 lead. 

The teams went back-and-forth the rest of the game. With 2:21 remaining on fourth-and-one, Pruett pushed ahead just enough to gain the first down and the Eagles victory.

This Friday, Liberty travels west to face the undefeated and Class 2 #9 ranked Fair Grove Eagles in a district semi-final bout.