Liberty Hill senior Andon Thomas did his best impression of Baylor’s Abram Smith during Friday’s 43-40 win against Alamo Heights in the Class 5A Division II quarterfinals at Texas States Bobcat Stadium in San Marcos.
Thomas, a standout linebacker since his sophomore season with the Panthers, showed he can also carry the mail on offense if needed. The senior ran for a team-high 110 yards, including a key 33-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, to help Liberty Hill (14-0) fend off the Mules 43-40.
In a back-and-forth battle, Alamo Heights (13-1) took a 19-14 lead into intermission thanks to three first-half TD passes from James Sobey to Rett Andersen. The Panthers countered with rushing scores of 22 and 60 yards from Reese Vickers and Logan Dyer, respectively.
Second Half
Liberty Hill vaulted ahead in the third quarter thanks to a TD run from Noah Long that was followed by a successful 2-point conversion from Thomas that gave the Panthers a 22-19 edge.
Sobey and Anderson connected for their fourth score of the game to put Alamo Heights back in front at 26-22, but Thomas capped a quick drive with a 1-yard TD that gave the Panthers a 29-26 lead.
Liberty Hill finally got a bit of breathing room after its defense recorded a stop that led to another scoring march. This time, Vickers plunged into the end zone from 1 yard away as the Panthers extended their advantage to 36-26 with 10:12 to go in the fourth quarter.
4th Quarter
The Mules answered back once again with a 1-yard TD run by Sobey, but Thomas broke loose for a 33-yard rumble across the goal line with 3:44 left to play that iced the win and helped head coach Kent Walker’s team advance to the state semifinals.
Long finished with 80 yards and a score on the ground for the Panthers, and Dyer added 79 yards on five carries. Liberty Hill’s Slot-T attack struck for 416 yards on 54 rushing attempts during the contest.
The Panthers are now set to take on Crosby (12-2) in the 5A-DII semifinals.
PHOTOS BY: STAN MARTIN
CLICK HERE to see all final scores.
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