While the game had no bearing on the standings, Liberty County and Bradwell Institute didn’t approach the annual clash between the two any differently.

The homestanding Tigers wrested possession of the Commissioners Cup, given to the matchup’s winner, Friday night with a 35-21 decision in the final preseason scrimmage for both at Olvey Field/Hokey Jackson Stadium.

“I think we have a long way to go,” Tigers first-year head coach John Adams said, “but I saw some good things. I saw some guys make some plays tonight.”

Cameron Keeve’s 90-yard touchdown dash with 8:06 left to play in the matchup sealed the Tigers’ win. He had a whirling, spinning 59-yard touchdown run in the second quarter called back on a holding penalty, one of nearly two dozen infractions called upon the Tigers.

Noah Best’s pickup of a first down on a fourth down led to Aaron Brown’s 1-yard scoring plunge with 10:07 left in the first half, giving the Panthers a 7-0 lead.

But Bradwell’s special teams, which for years had been a detriment, were a factor against Liberty County. Most scrimmages don’t have punt returns, kickoff returns or any kind of defense against field goals or punts. Bradwell and Liberty County decided to treat each special teams unit as a live game instance. The Tigers opened the game with a successful onside kick, blocked a field goal and blocked a punt for a safety. Kicker Darren Dudley connected on all four extra point attempts, plus a 31-yard field goal.

“I thought we played really well on special teams,” Adams said. “We had times when we executed in all phases but we have a lot to improve on. We had too many penalties, stuff we had put a lot of time in and was uncharacteristic of us.”

The blocked punt cut Liberty’s lead to 7-2, and Bradwell took the lead on a 1-yard sneak with 1:06 to go in the first half.

Bradwell was whistled for six penalties in the first five minutes of the game, but a Liberty penalty backed up the Panthers on a goal-to-go possession. It ended in a blocked field goal attempt.

“We put ourselves in some bad situations,” Panthers coach Tony Glazer said. “We had some key penalties – we get down there to the 3-yard line and get a penalty. That can’t happen.”

Jaylen Brown’s 22-yard catch and run to cap the Tigers’ first possession of the second half extended the lead to 16-7, and Trey Milner brought down Aaron Brown for another safety to push the lead to 18-7. Bradwell started a possession on the Panthers 5 following a bad punt snap, but a penalty and tackle for loss led to a fourth-down stop for the Liberty defense.

Damarius Ford broke a couple of tackles on his way to a 7-yard TD run late in the third quarter, pushing Bradwell’s advantage to 25-7.

“They obviously found some stuff they like and we made adjustments to stop it,” Glazer said. “They went from the run to short passes. Hats off to them – they did a good job.”

Brown’s grab of Jack Jacobson’s 20-yard scoring pass brought Liberty within 25-13, and Brown tacked on a two-point conversion.

Twenty-six seconds later, Keeve was in the end zone on his long touchdown dash. Dudley added a field goal for the Tigers’ final points with his field goal, following a Tigers interception, and Carlito Savea added another pick in the end zone with 3:03 to go.

“It was really good,” Adams said of his team’s effort. “I thought we had a good crowd. I thought the boys put on a show for them. I’m excited for what’s to come and I’m excited for this program.”

The Panthers got an interception on a batted ball with 2:02 remaining, and Jamarion Morris turned that into a 2-yard TD run with 54.6 seconds left.

“I thought we ran the ball well,” Glazer said. “We need to get better stopping the run. We need to figure out where our holes are, because they definitely found something.”

Maj. Gen. John Lubas, commanding general of the 3rd Infantry Division, delivered the pregame coin toss.

The Tigers will be home again August 21 to open the 2026 season, hosting New Hampstead. The Panthers open the slate August 21 in Jesup against Wayne County. While the results of the scrimmage won’t affect their overall record, what the teams can learn from it will be invaluable, the coaches said.

“The good thing is it’s on film now, so we’re going to look at it and hopefully get it fixed,” Glazer said. “It was a hard-hitting, physical game but it was clean. I think both teams are better than they were last year. They got us tonight and hopefully it’s a blessing for us going forward. We have to get ready for the next one.”