Liberty-Eylau Gets Scrimmage Win over the Wildcats in Texarkana Thursday Night
The Liberty-Eylau Leopards broke open a tight scrimmage game with two second half touchdowns against Wildcats backup defenders to get a 23-7 win at Liberty-Eylau Thursday night (August 22). The Leopards led only 9-7 at the half. Wildcats Football Coach Greg Owens said he saw some good things during the three quarter scrimmage. Among the bright spots, kickers Brandon Zavala, a senior, an Joshua Tavera both had touch backs on kickoffs. Wildcats defenders forced L-E to punt on their first three drives. The Wildcats scored their lone touchdown on their first drive. A long pass completion from junior quarterback Kaden Wallace to senior Kylan Wade gave the Wildcats a first and goal from the three yard line. Wallace later threw a six yard TD pass to junior receiver Bryant Sanchez who caught the ball in the end zone. Zavala’s extra point kick was good and the Wildcats led 7-0. On the next Leopards’ drive, defensive lineman D’Andre Peoples sacked the Liberty-Eylau quarterback. On the third L-E drive, linebacker Wade tackled a Leopard receiver for a loss after a completion. The Leopards tied the game on their fourth drive on a 65-yard pass, catch and run as well as a successful extra point kick. Wildcats senior defensive back Noe Ponce intercepted an L-E pass on their fifth drive. The Leopards took their first lead of the game when a Wildcats’ deep snapper sent the ball over the head of punter Zavala and through the end zone for a safety. L-E led 9-7 with 3:35 left in the first half. The Wildcats also had another bad snap the next time they had to punt. On the next Leopards’ drive, senior defensive lineman Nick Atkinson got a sack of the L-E quarterback. During the second half, the Leopards scored on their first two drives in the third quarter against Wildcats’ backup defenders. The first TD drive covered 51 yards and was all done on the ground. The TD came on a 10-yard run/ The next L-E TD drive ended with a 4-yard touchdown run. Right before the game was declared over, Wildcats defensive back Colby Albritton played good defense in the end zone to keep a taller Liberty-Eylau receiver from catching the ball. Wildcats coaches are expected to break down the game tape and go over it with Wildcats’ players on Friday. The Wildcats will be off Friday and Saturday. They will return to practice Monday as they prepare for their season opener against Frisco Wakeland at Gerald Prim Stadium on Friday, August 30 with kickoff at 7:30 p.m.
