The homecoming crowd that packed Lion Stadium was treated to an old-fashioned slugfest, as Livingston found a way push its win streak to four in a 21-14 triumph over Liberty. Ground games, defense, and some special teams would be the difference Friday.
With a little over five minutes remaining, the Lions held a seven-point lead. Liberty (3-3, 1-1) began its final offensive drive buried deep in their own territory after a Victor Negrete punt was driven out of bounds at the eight-yard line.
On the sixth play of the possession, Liberty quarterback Braiden Darter, who did not complete a pass in the game, dropped back from the 40. The play-action pass was high and hung in the air. Livingston cornerback Jaydon Jules got position and snagged the interception that would seal a one-score victory, giving Livingston its first district win since 2023.
“It was tough. They're a heavy run team, but I have faith in everybody,” Jules said. “I have faith in my whole defense, and when we work together, we can get it done. (The receiver was) a lot taller than me, but I play with heart, and I just try my hardest. I remembered everything I was taught. To be honest, I was playing the run first, but I saw him pull it, so then I started playing the receiver. And then, the ball was kind of – it was a bad ball, so I tracked the ball. The receiver kind of pushed me a little bit, but I got it anyways.”
The Lions (4-1, 1-0) looked like they would roll early, with two of the first three offensive drives resulting in seven points. The first possession was a five play 59-yard march that produced an end zone visit in a little less than two minutes. Taylor Haynes ended it with a 17-yard scamper. Near the end of the first quarter, the Lions needed just four plays to go 45 yards, and Haynes again would cap it with a 9-yard run.
“We jumped on them early, and didn't take as many chances offensively as we probably should,” Lion coach Tucker Carter said. “But, we knew how much they wanted to run and possess the football and we did not want to go three-and-out and give them the football back.
“Sometimes that's hard to stomach as the play caller and not be super aggressive. I was proud of the way we just stayed in the fight. Last year, in the same type of game going into half, we got physically pushed around in the second half. I thought we rose to the challenge tonight and really battled and showed some resiliency.”
All of Liberty's 287 yards were accumulated via the rushing attack on 53 attempts. Three rotating backs were patient behind pulling offensive linemen who often led with downfield blocks. They would answer on the next possession, as Tra Watley got loose for 37 yards to cut the Livingston advantage in half. Near the end of the third quarter, it would be La'Damyion Wilson for 39 yards and a score to even the count at 14-14.
“They're a really good team that runs the football. They've been effective on everyone they've played all year long,” Carter said. “We really had to stay with it and try to just get the ball down if we could.”
Liberty's run game began to fatigue the Lion defense, and momentum was squarely with the Panthers. However, Uriah Tatum fielded the next kickoff and sprinted to the Panther 25. Zyleer King took three handoffs before getting in the end zone to give Livingston a lead they would not relinquish.
Lion quarterback Jax Ruiz was 9-for-14, good for 90 yards. Homecoming king Zayden Martin had four catches for 49 yards and Jules snared a pass for 31 yards. King saw an increase in carries, taking 10 attempts for 83 yards and a score. Taylor Haynes added 55 yards on the same amount of carries, scoring two touchdowns.
Martin, Jules, Cade Randolph and Haiden Davis were a few of the many standouts on a defense that likely produced double digit tackles for loss. After its many struggles last year and the early part of 2026, the mean green defenders may have been the best unit on the field Friday.
Following a night of upsets in District 9-4A Div. I, there is just one undefeated team in league play. The Lions have taken part in just one contest, but are at the top after breaking a streak of 15 district losses.
“The kids are well aware of that, and I want them to understand where we feel like we have come from, really, since I got here last year, and where we were trying to go,” the coach said. “When you have buy-in and kids that have put a lot of effort in behind the scenes a lot and it's starting to pay off, it's very rewarding for them.”
