The Liberty football team made the state playoffs in 2005 after an 18-year drought. Head coach Steve Valach is determined to not let that happen again.
The team isn’t letting anything go to its head. After a season-opening 43-7 win over Ballard, the Patriots made an appearance as the No. 9 team in the state in The Seattle Times’ rankings.
When a player approached Valach and told him about the ranking, Valach responded simply, “Who was number nine last week?”
The player didn’t know, and the point was made: Don’t take anything for granted, especially this early in the season.
The past four years have been somewhat strange for the Patriots. In 2004, the team went 8-2 and still didn’t make the state playoffs. The team made the state tournament in 2005, winning a game over Timberline and falling to eventual state champion Ferndale in the quarterfinals.
With a new-look KingCo this season, Liberty has a strong chance of returning to the state tournament. Liberty’s league has three playoff spots with just six teams at the 3A level. Perennial power Bellevue will likely occupy one of those spots, leaving Liberty, Juanita, Mercer Island, Mount Si and Sammamish to battle for two spots. Valach said he expects his team to earn a state berth.
Offense
The offense starts under center with sophomore quarterback Trey Wheeler. Wheeler grew up in the area, but his family moved away before he played for the Patriots. Valach and the team then got a pleasant surprise before this season as Wheeler and his family moved back and Wheeler won the starting quarterback job.
“He’s not just a good player, he’s a good kid and he works hard,” Valach said. In the first two games of the season Wheeler has completed 18 of 39 passes for 289 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He’s also rushed six times for 39 yards.
Running backs Greg Ericksen and Chandler Jenkins combined with Wheeler to form what Valach called a “three-headed monster” in the backfield. Ericksen, a senior, has rushed for 114 yards and three touchdowns through two games. Jenkins, a sophomore, has rushed for 111 yards and two touchdowns.
Joseph Yea, Marcel Bell and John Law will also pick up some carries for the offense’s versatile attack.
Senior wide receiver Richard Crespo should be the Patriots’ top weapon on the outside. Crespo has seven receptions for 94 yards on the season. He also returns kickoffs and punts.
“We’ll play some fly, some shotgun and spread stuff,” Valach said. After falling to Woodinville 34-17 in the second game of the season, Valach did see some adjustments that need to be made on offense.
“There are some things we need to clean up,” he said. “We have to get better at the basics and better at in-game adjustments to run the ball better.”
Defense
The Patriots have a solid defense with a good amount of experience returning from last season. Seniors Malcolm Dike and Alec Ernst form the base of the team’s rebuilt linebacker group. Ernst moved from free safety and Dike converted from cornerback. Junior Cameron Tally will start at the other linebacker spot.
Ericksen and Turner Chatterton return to the secondary. Tyler Phillips, Ca Do, Kylan Marlow and Josh Spurgeon will return to the defensive line and also form much of the offensive line.
The defense shut out Ballard in the opener (Ballard scored one touchdown on a fumble return) and gave up 34 points to Woodinville in the second game.
Experience should be an advantage for the Patriots this season. The team has 22 seniors and most of them have a lot of varsity experience.
“We have 19 four-year players, so that’s always a good thing,” Valach said.
Liberty (1-1) gets started in its conference schedule next week starting at Mercer Island (1-1) on Sept. 19. The Patriots then have their first conference home game against Sammamish (0-2) Sept. 26.
Adam McFadden can be reached at amcfadden@reporternewspapers.com or 425-255-3484, ext. 5054.
