Banged-up Liberty Hill stumbles in Class 5A state semifinals

KATY — As Liberty Hill senior Jackson Harrison left his team’s postgame gathering for the last time, he couldn’t hold back the tears.

The Panthers' season ended Friday night with a 42-14 loss to a talented and tenacious Port Neches-Groves team in a Class 5A Division II state semifinal at Legacy Stadium. All of the achievements and accolades for the Panthers during Harrison’s three varsity years couldn’t ease the pain of the season-ending loss.

“It hurts because I know that we could have won it all,” Harrison said. “At this point, it doesn’t matter how far we went. It’s a loss, and it hurts. I know we could have won it all. I’m going to be honest; I don’t care that we got to the fifth round, I just care that we lost.”

A 6-foot-1, 275-pound fireplug in the interior of the offensive line, Harrison emerged as one of the team’s leaders on and off the field. His raw emotions testified to the high standards at a program that has played in four state championship games in the past 16 years, including last season. The Panthers haven’t let a rapid move up in classification diminish their success, either; they’ve reached the state semifinals every season since joining Class 5A Division II in 2020.

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“It was state or bust for these kids,” Liberty Hill coach Kent Walker said. “They feel like they busted. They feel like they let people down. But I told them, lay this one on me; blame it on Coach Walker. Because they played with everything they had. To be at this level three years in a row and with all the adversity, I’m just so super proud of our kids. It’s a great group of young men.”

The adversity that Walker mentioned included injuries to star running backs Noah Long and Joe Pitchford, who combined for more than 3,000 rushing yards and 30 touchdowns this season. Neither played against Port Neches-Groves (13-2), and their absence was noticeable against a fast, physical and disciplined defense. Liberty Hill (13-2) entered the game averaging almost 500 rushing yards and 53 points but couldn’t consistently move the ball.

Take away an 83-yard touchdown run from fullback Ben Carter, and Liberty Hill’s slot-T offense cranked out an unofficial 163 yards.

First-year Port Neches-Groves coach Jeff Joseph grew up playing for his father, Katy coaching legend Gary Joseph, next door at Rhodes Stadium. With a defensive background that included a stint as defensive coordinator at Westlake under Darren Allman, Joseph understood the challenges of stopping Liberty Hill’s offense regardless of the running backs.

“What they do on offense is hard for any defense,” Joseph said. “They can pop one at any moment. Everything about them, they put you in a situation where you have to make one-on-one tackles. If you miss one tackle or one assignment, they’re off and running. It showed up a few times, but our defense kept battling and fighting.”

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An efficient offense that racked up more than 500 yards and controlled the clock complemented the Indians’ defensive effort. Port Neches-Groves ran an unofficial 73 plays and limited Liberty Hill to just 38 snaps. For an offense that relies on tempo and rhythm, that lack of plays proved too much to overcome.

“Credit to them, because they had a great game plan, and we didn’t play as well as we wanted to play,” Walker said.

The Panthers should remain a force for the foreseeable future despite the graduation of several key linemen such as Harrison and the four leading tacklers on defense. Carter, Long and Pitchford will all return to the backfield next season, along with youngsters such as freshman Jack Pitchford, who ran for 56 yards Friday.

More important, Liberty Hill boasts a winning culture that has taken deep root in every aspect of the program. That, said Harrison, will help keep the Panthers in contention for a state title.

Liberty Hill’s younger players “have seen it time and time again, that it’s possible,” Harrison said. “We’ve made a statement over these past three years that we will walk into any door and kick anyone’s ass any year. You just have to have that heart.”