Liberty Eagles Football Preview
Wed, 08/17/2022 - 2:36pm
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By:
Andrew Snider, sports correspondent
The 2021 season for the Liberty football team was one with many ups and downs. The Eagles struggled with injuries all season long and had to rely on some young guns to mature quickly on the gridiron. Toward the end of the regular season, they put things together and reeled off several nice wins before falling in the district championship to the Ava Bears. Their overall record was 7-5.
For 2022, the Eagles will lean on six returning All-SCA conference players. One of those key players expected to make an impact will be senior Drew Ripko. Although officially he was an All-Conference player as a receiver, don't be surprised to see Drew lined up all over the field. His combination of speed and agility will be turning heads this fall.
Lining up at quarterback will be junior Carter Pruett. Carter fought through injuries last year and looks to take a step forward in leading the team. Pruett was an all-conference selection from his defensive linebacker spot.
It wouldn't be Liberty football without an Acklin flying around the field. This year, it will be senior Kal Acklin. Kal was another All-Conference choice at linebacker. He looks to be a major player in the offense this year at receiver also.
All-SCA selection Lucas Frazier (Sr.) will be an important member from his DE/LB position. Much like Kal, Lucas will look to expand his role on the offensive side of the ball at receiver.
Anchoring the offensive line will be All-SCA pick Brody Rutledge (Jr.) Brody looks to pull double duty on the defensive line too.
The final returning award winner from the Eagles will be senior defensive lineman Skyler Rogers. Skyler will see some playing time on the offensive line also.
Liberty will rely on a group of guys to solidify the line of scrimmage including; Blake Martin (Sr.), Kaden Ferrell (Sr.), Luka Vandevort (Sr.), Noah Hendricks (Sr.), Ashton Stanley (Sr.), Wyatt Honeycutt (Jr.), and Jaren Rutledge (Fr.)
Some other players looking to make some noise on Friday nights include QB Gavin Reese (So.), WR/LB Eli Moore (Jr.), WR/DB Sam Antrim (Sr.), and RB Eddie Rodriguez (Fr.)
The Eagles hope this group can learn from the experience and adversity of last year. They will look to build off their late season momentum when they kick off against the Strafford Indians on August 26.