Liberty County High School managed one defensive touchdown in the first quarter of play Friday before being denied any other scoring opportunity in a 27-7 loss in Albany to Westover High in the first round of the state playoffs.
Five-star recruit Raekwon McMillan took advantage of a Patriot mistake, converting it into a 20-yard defensive touchdown.
In an attempt to correct that mistake, the Patriots drove downfield, but the Panthers maintained a brief lead, holding Westover to a field goal.
After that, however, the Panthers offense was held and the Patriots pushed the ball, methodically consuming the clock and adding up touchdowns to advance to the next round of play.
In the second quarter, Patriots’ quarterback Ta’Keevian Harris tossed a 15-yard touchdown pass to Tanner Stumpe.
Just before the half, Stumpe kicked a four-yard field goal to send the home team into the locker room up 13-7.
Late in the third quarter, the Patriots scored on a four-yard run. The Westover team locked down the win with a 55-yard touchdown run by Shannon Saunders.
The Liberty squad finished the season at 8-3 overall and 2-2 in Region 3-AAAA.
Final stats had not been posted by press time. Read the full report in Wednesday’s Coastal Courier.