Liberty Hill Marching Band at the football game between the Liberty Hill Panthers and the Mercedes Tigers at the Area Playoffs at Gustafson Stadium in San Antonio, Texas

Liberty Hill Marching Band at the football game between the Liberty Hill Panthers and the Mercedes Tigers at the Area Playoffs at Gustafson Stadium in San Antonio, Texas on November 18, 2022. (Photo: Ralph Arvesen)

Liberty Hill traveled south to San Antonio to face Mercedes in a second-round Class 5A Division II playoff contest on Friday night, but by evening's end, it was the Panthers who looked more like a luxury automobile running on all cylinders.

Noah Long, Joe Pitchford and Ben Carter each scored a pair of touchdowns in a 63-14 victory over the Tigers at Gustafson Stadium that now propels them into a regional matchup with Alamo Heights next week.

Pitchford, in particular, stood out in his return following a five-game absence due to an injury suffered in Week 6 on his first carry of the game during a 70-10 road win over Cedar Creek and Liberty Hill head coach Kent Walker was happy to have the burly halfback once again rumbling through and over tacklers.

“Joe got cleared this week and it's exciting to have him back,” he said. “He's a big part of this program and a big part of this team, so having him back is huge – especially for this playoff run.”

However, it was Mercedes that struck on the scoreboard first in taking the opening kickoff and promptly marching down the field for a 6-0 lead – an occurrence Walker attributed to his defense not being ready.

“We came out flat defensively,” he said. “I don't know if I need to get on them a little more before we come out. We let them have a little here and there, but then guys stepped up and played a lot better.”

One of those who upped his level of play was senior defensive lineman David Morris, who recovered a pair of fumbles in the game, including one of which he returned 20 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter to increase the Panthers' lead to 21-6 following a pair of Long scoring runs from 25 and 31 yards, respectively. Morris said once he scooped up the loose ball on the run, he was certain he would find the end zone for six points.