WOODROW — Lubbock-Cooper Liberty's Talon Wilcox figured a Week 9 matchup of unbeatens would garner the attention of many around the state. With that in mind, the senior running back wanted to make sure the Patriots made a lasting impression.
Suffice to say everyone left Patriot Stadium on Friday knowing Liberty is a serious threat. Estacado got the brunt of a 63-18 pummeling that removed any question of the Pats' stature.
"We wanted to send a statement across Texas," Wilcox said, "and this was the way to do it. It felt great."
Wilcox ran for 66-yard touchdown on the game's first snap, and there was little drama after that. Up 35-12 at halftime, Liberty extended it to a 37-point lead less than five minutes into the third quarter.
Fueled by 393 yards
on the ground, the Patriots (8-0, 2-0) turned the South Plains' marquee matchup into a demonstration. The performance ranked among Liberty's best wins. That's a positive sign with two games left in the regular season.
The Patriots will need to continue in top form if they're to reach the ultimate goal of a 16th game. Friday was certainly evidence Liberty is in that conversation.
"You hate to speculate on things like that," Patriots coach Joe Sexton said. "Teams that can run the ball, when it's cold, when it's rainy, when it's snowing, they always seem to have a pretty good chance."
How far can Liberty go in the playoffs?
Sexton complimented the atmosphere Friday, but it was far from his team's first big game of the year. Liberty butted heads with Midland Greenwood and Canyon West Plains in consecutive weeks in September. Both are expected to win their districts and compete for region titles.
That big-game experience showed early in the Week 8 contest, the Patriots' seventh win by at least 31 points.
"I don't think we played our best game tonight," Estacado coach Eric Ward said. "It was just one of those days. I just feel like we didn't play our best game, and they capitalized on our mistakes. That's what you get."
Friday was likely Liberty's toughest test for a few weeks, although Levelland (6-2, 2-0) rides a four-game winning streak into their Week 10 meeting. The Patriots are favored by 44-plus points in the first two playoff matchups projected by Pigskin Prep.
Then things get interesting.
In all likelihood, Thanksgiving week will pit Liberty against the District 4-4A Division II champion: Brock or Graham. Those state-ranked squads get their moment in the spotlight Friday. If it's Brock, that'd be a matchup of top-five teams.
With the intrigue of that potential showdown, it's easy for those on the outside to begin breaking down that duel. That's where Sexton comes in. It's up to him to keep players focused on the task at hand. So far, he's done that well.
"Coach reminds us that we just need to do our job," Wilcox said. "Do our job week to week and just go beat the guy in front of you. The biggest game is the game you're playing this week. Coach reminds us about that, and that's how we stay focused."
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Lubbock-Cooper Liberty dominated Estacado. How far can the Pats go?
