The Lions spent the off week diving back into fundamentals, while also holding lift and film study days. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday were shorter practices in hopes of getting healthy again.
“Blocking, tackling, ball security, throwing and catching a bunch,” Livingston coach Tucker Carter said of the time. “We kind of (introduced) Liberty a little bit, but that was more of a week for us to better us, if you will.”
On a three-game win streak, Livingston may have been better served with the off week falling differently on the calendar. The team was playing some of its best ball in years, but the staff used the time off to their advantage.
“I think it's a pretty good split for us with essentially two scrimmages and four games, so six weeks worth of action, a break, and then six weeks worth of action. We needed to get a few kids healthy and get them kind of a mental break last weekend.”
The focus this week is Liberty. At least, that is where the coaches want the focus. It is also homecoming week, which has its own distractions.
The Panthers are coming off a win over Huffman Hargrave, almost in the same manner they defeated the Lions last season. A field goal of over 30 yards sealed the victory as time expired.
“We've been so concerned week to week, but kids definitely remember what happened last year, and felt like that was kind of one of those games where we did not play how we wanted to down the stretch,” Carter said of the 2025 Liberty match. “That's a challenge for us coming into this year, sustaining two halves going into the first district game, and how important that is to set the tone for the next five after that.
“I think there's a sense of urgency with the kids as far as getting prepared for this week. It's different getting back into a game week with a super early morning, but the good part about that is the kids know the routine, so it's just getting them right back to the routine we had prior to the bye week.”
The Panthers are 3-2 on the year. They opened the season with a victory over Coldspring, then dropped consecutive contests at Splendora and Anahuac. They also defeated Tarkington by one point.
Liberty will operate from a spread offense, yet the running game is their priority.
“They've got several backs that are very impressive on film. I was very impressed with their offensive line and how physical they were up front. They are going to run the football until you make them not run it, essentially. It's a physical attack, and they have an identity. We have to stop the run if we want to win the game.”
Carter pointed out quarterback Braiden Darter, who adds to the ground game, picking up key first downs with his legs. Leland Watley III leads the rushing attack with well over 100 yards per game.
“They're physical and they're nasty. They play the game the way you should up front, and they're trying to move people and be violent. It allows them to have a good running attack with multiple kids back there.”
On defense, look for the Panthers to change looks from one down to the next. They hope to confuse offenses by attacking in several ways.
“They are going to move their D-line and linebackers quite a bit. They're not scared to bring pressure and play man coverage, or roll to some cover three. The pre-snap and post-snap presentation is different quite a bit. They've been able to create some negative plays, create some turnovers. They're very aggressive, grabbing and trying to rip the ball out, so we've got to protect it. They're good on defense. I feel like the kids fly to the ball well. We've got to sustain blocks and sustain some drives and create some explosives.”
