The Liberty County Panthers defeated the Pierce County Bears Friday night by a final score of 56-46 in an offensive shootout in Blackshear. The win gave the Panthers the Region 2-AAA championship, the first in the team's 24-year history. 

It was a back-and-forth offensive battle for the two teams that saw the Panthers trail the Bears, who were celebrating Senior Night, at the half, 32-29. However, the strong arm of Liberty County senior quarterback Jaalon Frazier helped them pull away in the second half, twice going up by 17 over their region foes. 

Frazier finished the night with over 300 yards through the air with six touchdowns, three of which found the hands of senior athlete Richard LeCounte. The Panthers also had to step on defense and deal with Pierce quarterback Stetson Bennett, who was averaging 300 passing yards per game coming into the contest. 

The Panthers built a three score lead in the fourth quarter and their depth was too much for the Bears. They won by a final score of 56-46, moving them to 9-1 and 5-0 in the region, guaranteeing them two home games in the first two rounds of the state playoffs, if they are to advance. 

Liberty County will now host Pike County on Friday, Nov. 11 in the first round of the AAA state playoffs. Look for a full recap of this game in Sunday's edition of The Coastal Courier.