A Competitive History

Liberty High School (Peoria, AZ) is on everyone’s radar as the 2024 season kicks off due to a freshly acquired 2023 open division state title, and building a 2024 team that might top the previous year’s in terms of on-field talent. In order to be the best, you have to be doing everything right in coaching, players, etc. Liberty is a legacy program that isn’t new to the scene of high skill football with competition that gives other teams a run for their money. Liberty built their football program up starting in the 4A conference back in 2009, making it to the state championship, but losing 40-17 in the state championship. Since then, Liberty had climbed up the divisions, eventually entering 6A and facing bigger and tougher opponents starting in 2018. Since 2018, Liberty has made a playoff appearance every single year up to the current year. Fast forward to 2023, Liberty was not only ranked as the #1 football team in Arizona throughout the season, but even managed to break the country’s top 30 list of best high school football teams. Last year’s team was no short of amazing talent, led by Navi Bruzon (currently enrolled as a QB at Arizona State University who threw for 3287 passing yards and 32 passing touchdowns. This team had multiple division 1 commits and was grabbing attention of colleges all around the country.

New Faces

A new year means a new look. With the previous year’s seniors graduating and passing the torch to many juniors, many new faces stepped up into adding an explosive offense and defense. Some of these new attributes includes: Drace Wadlington (Sr) at receiver who racked up a total of 35 yards per 2 receptions against Desert Edge, Dominic Lombardo (Sr) who had 10 carries for 91 yards and 3 touchdowns against Desert Edge, and Broday Johnson who had 9 total tackles with 6 being solo tackles against Desert Edge. Liberty had a rushing scheme that worked well against Desert Edge, a mismatched division game, at their 2024 opener at Desert Edge. Putting up 22-0 against a talented 5A team, proved that with new talent and the same coaching, another run at the open-division is likely.

Expectations

Having one of the most challenging roads ahead of them, Liberty is believed to dominate in most matchups, and tested in some. Liberty is scheduled to host a highly ranked Centennial High School (CA) on 9/21. The Centennial Huskies came off of a 9-3 run last year, losing to St John Bosco (CA) in the playoffs. The Centennial Huskies are currently ranked #43 in the nation as compared to Liberty at #46 in the nation. This matchup is posed as Liberty’s biggest threat throughout their schedule, with other tough competition including: Pinnacle, Centennial, and Salpointe Catholic. Kicking off the season with an unanswered win against the 5A division front-runners is an indicator of much success to come. Led by returning head coach Colin Thomas, this Lions team will have a coaching staff that knows and has experience of winning against tough opponents at the highest level. Liberty will face an undefeated O’Conner (Phoenix, AZ) this Friday at home, showcasing what should be a more confident team in the Lions being it’s their home opener. With a tough road ahead and many challenges to come, I pose the question: can anyone challenge Liberty for the #1 Spot in Arizona?

Story: Weston Inners