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THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT Thursday, February 6, 2020 Section B Page 1
Adjusting to a change in shape
By SCOTT AKANEWICH Sports Editor After an appearance in the Class 4A state championship game last season, one might think Liberty Hill head girls’ soccer coach Darren Bauer would be happy to stand pat. Think again. Coming into this season, Bauer wanted to introduce an entirely new system for his players in order to not only match last season’s accomplishments, but eclipse them. The Lady Panthers have gone from a traditional back four on defense and three midfielders to only three defenders with an extra player in the middle of the park. According to Bauer, the reason behind the change was a numbers game. “Usually, when we would be up against a good team, it would be three against three in the midfield and whoever was better on the day would win out,” said Bauer. “So, we decided to add an extra midfielder in order to outnumber the other team and gain an advantage by overloading the middle and putting stress on them with something they couldn’t handle.” At the halfway point of the season entering district play, suffice to say it’s worked like a charm. Liberty Hill has scored 45 goals though the first 11 games of the season, while conceding only five, with its only loss against perennial Class 5A powerhouse Highland Park of Dallas in a 1-0 affair at the Grizzly Classic in Leander. Junior midfielder and team captain Abbey Janicek said she
Lady Panthers find success with new formation
SHANNON HOFMANN PHOTO
Freshman Kaylie Fowler (#9) has seven goals on the current campaign, using a combination of speed and skill in creating scoring opportunities. was initially apprehensive of two which can stay back and ly what we know she can, but to operate, while conversely, the new formation. help the defense,” she said. it’s really due to the success of subtracting a defender results “At first, I was nervous about “Most teams aren’t used to everyone around her because in having more ground to covit because we’ve never played seeing four in the midfield.” when others bring pressure, it er for the defense. three at the back before,” she Janicek anchors the Liberty opens things up and allows her But, his squad has indeed adsaid. “So, I’m surprised at how Hill midfield, along with soph- to have space to work in and justed well in both areas, said well it’s worked out. At first, it omore Emma Stephens and when that happens, they pull Bauer. seemed as if there were wide- juniors Mykenna Russo and defensive pressure off each “In the middle of the field, open gaps in our defense and Madi Fuller, a combination other.” there’s not as much room there was more space out wide that gives his side a bit of evRusso and Janicek provide where they move, so they can because our defenders were erything, said Bauer. the perfect compliment to really only take one or two more centralized.” “Emma is the more at- Stephens’ playmaking ability, touches on the ball,” he said. Having two pairs of midfield- tack-minded of the group said Bauer. “But, I think the biggest chalers provides the Lady Panthers – she’s a perfectionist and I “Mykenna is more about con- lenge for us was for our dewith more flexibility both at- don’t see her slowing down,” trol,” he said. “While Abbey fenders getting used to it.” tacking and defending, said he said of Stephens, who has possesses the ball very well.” Junior Bryden Bourgeois, Janicek. a team-leading 10 goals and However, adding an extra along with sophomores Alys“Now, we have two midfield- eight assists on the current player in the midfield means sa Lee and Katie Wilson form ers who can go forward and campaign. “She’s doing exact- each has less space in which the trio tasked with carrying
Setting the example Call to Leadership to ready next year’s seniors
By SCOTT AKANEWICH Sports Editor Next season will present a brand new challenge for the seniors on the Liberty Hill football team. The Panthers will be competing in Class 5A for the first time in school history, which means the going could very well get rough for the Purpleand-Gold as they navigate the seas of a higher, more rugged classification. So, a group of Liberty Hill football parents put a plan in motion to make sure the newest batch of Panthers is ready. According to Aaron Amsler, who is part of the group, the idea for the Senior Call to Leadership event on Feb. 13 was carefully conceived before being brought to fruition. “This idea spawned from conversations over the past 18 months by several of the dads in our community. A few months ago, we formed a committee of seven and held a breakfast meeting to gauge the interest level to move forward,” said Amsler. “The positive response was overwhelming, which ultimately led to conversations with Superintendent (Steve) Snell, Coach (Jeff) Walker and finally the Class of 2021 football parents. The committee included two parents of incoming juniors for next year, with the thought process these two parents could have a role in the planning of this event and hopefully continue the tradition forward in years to come.” Liberty Hill head football Coach Jeff Walker is convinced the concept will help his squad move forward. “I think it’s a great idea to help our seniors,” he said. “We need to get our players motivated to become the leaders we expect them to
be – it’s the kind of thing we want our culture to be about.” For now, the football team is the focus, but that doesn’t mean other sports won’t be involved in the future, said Amsler. “Simply put, our kids play football -- almost exclusively -- among the 32 incoming seniors,” he said. “We have no idea to what degree this event can grow in future years. Down the road, we would be delighted to see as many school organizations as possible participate in events for incoming seniors.” Walker said the reason now is the time to host an event such as this is due to the fact the new season will roll around in the fall before anybody realizes. “Six months will come and go really fast,” he said. “So, if we don’t have enough of a buy-in from our seniors, it could be difficult. You win games in the spring – we just can’t show up in August.” Amsler pointed out the time line next year’s seniors are already on is a catalyst for the event to happen sooner rather than later. “Our young men who are juniors this school year essentially became seniors when the scoreboard clock read 0:00 in the regional final loss to Lampasas,” he said. “Offseason is in full swing in getting ready for next fall. Once August arrives, these young men begin their final campaign as Liberty Hill Panthers.” There will be 32 seniors next season compared to only 14 this year, so a focus on properly developing them is of the utmost importance, said Walker. “We have a lot of talented
See SENIORS, Page B4
ALEX RUBIO PHOTO
Bobby Mundy (#11) worked his way up to the varsity from the JV squad.
Players must prove they’re worthy of varsity
By SCOTT AKANEWICH Sports Editor One look at the Liberty Hill varsity roster these days and there are plenty of players who worked their respective ways up the ranks. Kadin Knight, Hunter Clayton, Collin Lyons and Bobby Mundy are some of the current Panthers who played for varsity assistant and head junior varsity Coach Blake Boren. According to Boren, players must prove themselves in a number of ways before being promoted to the varsity. “They have to keep getting better as their bodies are going through changes,” said Boren. “Also, we look for who has good leadership qualities.” One aspect of coaching and bringing along budding varsity players is a tolerance level when things don’t go exactly as planned on the court, he said. “I think at the junior varsity level, you have to allow for more mistakes,” said Boren. “Things like taking a bad shot, for example – it’s something you might get taken out of the game at the varsity level.” How the players carry themselves at all times is also taken into consideration, he said. “We believe all our players are good kids,” said Boren. “They have to make sure everything’s right in the classroom and stay out of trouble.”
On the court, as the players progress through the system, more and more responsibility is placed on their shoulders to ready them for what lies ahead, he said “We add more plays into what we’re doing,” said Boren. “The ultimate goal is still to win.” A meritocracy exists within the framework of the team, which means if you find yourself on the court, you’ve certainly earned the right to be there, he said. “We’re never going to lose a game just to play everybody,” said Boren. “Once you get to the high school level, you always play to win.” Recently, junior guard AJ Garza was recalled from the JV and will remain on the varsity squad for the balance of the season. “AJ was the only junior on the JV,” said Boren. “He’s going to be our point guard on the Gold Squad – up until now, we’ve had a makeshift point guard, so this will add to our depth.” Aside from the Xs and Os, perhaps the most critical aspect of assessing whether a player is ready for varsity is psychological, he said. “You have to be bought-in to our program,” said Boren. “No matter what your playing time is. Sometimes, it’s hard to get them to buy in, but we want players who believe in our program.”
out the new strategy and are all ironically, converted midfielders, which also means they’re more versatile than your typical defense and mesh perfectly with his on-field philosophy, said Bauer. “I look at defense differently than most coaches,” he said. “Of course, they need to be good defenders, but I also want them to be good all-around players who can be creative going forward.” Expanded vision of the field and a grasp of where to be at the right time is also critical to the back line’s success, said Bauer. “They need to have an understanding and be able to see the game and focus on different areas because we leave a lot of space for the other team to move in knowing we have the capability to close it down,” he said. Sam Carter has been a rock in goal for Liberty Hill, as the dependable junior shot-stopper has posted seven shutouts on the season and carries a sparkling 0.50 gaols-against-average. Currently, the Lady Panthers have a record of 7-1-3 and have certainly met their coach’s preseason expectations, if not exceeded them, said Bauer. “We’re at about where I hoped we would be,” he said. “Sometimes, we play better than others, but with the new tactics and formation, that’s to be expected.” Included across the first half of the season has been the buyin process his squad needed to go though before they could
See CHANGE, Page B4