At the 8:23 mark of the first quarter, Austin Regents took a 3-0 lead over Liberty Christian in the TAPPS Division II State championship game.
It would be the last time they led in the game, as Jason Witten’s Liberty Christian captured it’s first state title since 2007, defeating Regents by a score of 52-10.
Chase Garnett scored on a 36-yard run with 6:32 to go in the first quarter to make it 7-3 Liberty.
Jett Haire then intercepted a pass for the Warriors, and Liberty capitalized when Cole Welliver hit Brady Janusek on a 1-yard pass to make it 14-3 LCS heading into the second.
Welliver and Janusek hooked up again, this time on a 10-yard pass to make it 21-3 Liberty Christian, and then Welliver connected with Quinton Brown on an 9-yard touchdown pass to give the Warriors a 28-3 lead.
Michael Stump then booted a 25-yard field goal, and Liberty Christian led 31-3 at halftime.
Janusek came up big on defense in the third quarter, returning an interception 50 yards for a touchdown.
Garnett then increased Liberty’s lead to 45-3 on a 19-yard touchdown run, before Regents scored its first touchdown of the night to make it 45-10 going into the fourth quarter.
With 5:10 to go in the fourth, Garnett scored on a 35-yard run to make it 52-10 Liberty Christian.
Garnett rushed for 187 yards and three touchdowns in the game and Janusek caught two touchdown passes and scored again on a pick six.
The Warriors (14-0, 4-0) are the TAPPS Division II state champions.
The Final Chapter has been written…State Champions. pic.twitter.com/OusTvo90to
— Warrior Football (@LCS__Football) December 2, 2023