Liberty players warm up for their game against Bishop Gorman in the 2015 Division 1 State Football Championships on Saturday, Dec. 5, 2015, at Sam Boyd Stadium.
Wednesday, April 6, 2016 | 2 a.m.
Everything’s bigger in Texas, they say. And during high school football Friday nights, there’s nothing more important in the Lone Star State.
The Liberty High Patriots, a perennial Nevada power and last season’s state runner-up, will experience the madness next fall.
They open the season Sept. 2 at Westlake of Austin, taking on a powerhouse team that last season lost in the 6A state championship game. The game will mark the first time Westlake, one of Texas’ storied programs, will play an out-of-state opponent. It officially announced the game last week.
“(High school football) is definitely on another level there. Let’s take a shot at it. Why not?,” Liberty coach Rich Muraco said.
Liberty’s scheduling philosophy is simple: Take on notable teams nationally to prepare to beat the best team — local power Bishop Gorman. Not only is Gorman the seven-time defending state champion, the Gaels have also won back-to-back mythical national titles. Liberty lost to Gorman in the state championship game last fall, 62-21.
“Everything we do is to narrow the gap between Bishop Gorman and us,” Liberty coach Rich Muraco said. “The only way the kids can believe they can beat Gorman or hang with Gorman is by playing teams on the level of Gorman.”
Liberty, in taking a page out of Gorman’s playbook in building its program, started scheduling national opponents in 2012. Gorman is also playing a game in Texas in the fall, facing Cedar Hill of the Dallas area in late August.
Last season, Liberty played two teams from Hawaii, including traveling to the islands for a game at Aloha Stadium. They went 1-1 against the Hawaii teams, gaining confidence to win a sixth straight Sunrise Regional championship.
The Patriots will also play Sept. 23 at Centennial of Corona, Calif., which last season lost in California’s version of the state championship game. Anything to get better for Gorman.
“Each team has a set of goals. For some, the max might be to make the playoffs. For some, it’s to win the region championship,” Muraco said. “We have done those things. Our only next thing is to win a state championship.”
The game with Westlake was initially booked as part of a showcase at the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium. But a scheduling conflict forced the event to be canceled. Westlake coach Todd Dodge agreed to keep the game on the books, moving the contest to its home field.
“I think this will be a really good event for us, Liberty and our fans,” Dodge told the Austin American-Statesman newspaper. “I’ve done some research, and Liberty is a lot like us. They’re a quality program, they’re a public school about our size, and it will be a good test for us.”
The Liberty offense, led by quarterback Kenyon Oblad and receivers Ethan Dedeaux, Marquez Powell and Darion Acohido, should be high-scoring and up to the Texas challenge. It’s defense, though, has to replace multiple contributors from last season and will be a work in progress.
“With the players we have coming back on offense, we are an elite, national level program,” Muraco said.
And, in one night in September, will be on the sport’s biggest stage. Yes, everything’s bigger in Texas.
“We excited to travel there and represent Nevada,” Muraco said.
Ray Brewer can be reached at 702-990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21
Join the Discussion:
Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.
Full comments policy