Football moves to 5-0 with Homecoming win
September 24, 2021
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Standing at midfield, the Redhawk captains (Ford Shippy #11, Chris Johnson #21, Jack Bryan #24, and Keldric Luster #12) get ready to walk to the center of the field at the Ford Center. Facing off against Lake Dallas in District 7-5A action, the Redhawks earned their 5th straight win 41-24.
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On the side at the Ford Center, junior Allie Elgin and the rest of the Redhawk cheerleaders try to get the crowd fired up at the Homecoming game on Thursday, Sept. 23, 2021. The Redhawks moved to 5-0 with their 41-24 win over Lake Dallas.
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Mums and garters are now available for purchase for the Homecoming season. “We love encouraging everyone to buy a mum or garter because it’s a really great way to be school spirited and to get students involved,” cheer captain, senior Malia Willingham said.
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Cheering on the Redhawks, seniors Hunter Butler and Nick Quiroga, and most Redhawks fans filled the student section at the Ford Center for the Homecoming game on Thursday, Sept. 23 against Lake Dallas.
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Flute player, sophomore Samuel Kim, and the rest of the Redhawks marching band performed numerous numbers throughout the game against Lake Dallas. The Redhawks win is the 5th straight to start the season.
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The Redhawks moved to a 5-1 district record following Friday’s District 7-5A match against Princeton High School. With only two games left, the team is making their final pushes before playoffs after securing a spot.
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Pom pom in hand, senior cheerleader Reily Reid and the rest of the Redhawks cheerleaders lead the crowd in cheers at the Ford Center on Sept. 23, 2021. The Redhawks faced off against Lake Dallas in a District 7-5A game with the Redhawks winning 41-24.
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Dressed all in white for White Out night at the Ford Center, Redhawk fans watch the team as they take on Lake Dallas. The Redhawks won 41-24 to improve to 4-0 on the season.
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Playing the trumpet, senior Jack Pyatt and the reset of the Redhawks band play during the Homecoming football game at the Ford Center on Sept. 23, 2021.
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In a battle of birds, the Redhawks won their Homecoming game 41-24 on Thursday against the Lake Dallas Falcons in a District 7-5A contest at the Ford Center.
Last season the Redhawks pulled out a seemingly easy 63-21 win against the Falcons, however, this season was a different story according to quarterback, junior Keldric Luster.
“The first half we were there but I feel like coming out in the second half we just weren’t there mentally,” Luster said. “You know, we were kind of slow in the second half. Everybody’s head was kind of everywhere. With me being a leader, it was my job to try and calm everyone down and get everyone on the right page.”
In the first half alone, Luster passed for 217 yards, but that was almost nothing compared to his second half. After senior Chika Ugoh forced a fumble recovered by Sam Wenaas, Luster took over on the next play as he burst down the sideline 80-yards into the end zone for a touchdown with 8:37 left in the fourth quarter.
“After I got that 80 yard touchdown I feel like we were going somewhere; we were on the right track,” Luster said. “A few of our guys were still a little bit bummed because we weren’t playing Liberty football the way we usually play, but we are going to regroup and get ready for next week.”
However, Luster did not stop there.
Just a minute later, Luster recovered a fumble by the offense, and ran another 62-yards for a touchdown with 7:34 left in the final quarter.
“It really wasn’t a designed play,” Luster said. “I just kind of saw that the ball was loose, picked it up, and did what I could for the team and we were in for 6.”
With the Redhawks rushing for 217 yards, the offensive linemen were not the only ones being kept on their toes, as junior Preston Meally felt the defense was pushing just as hard to turn the ball over to the Redhawks as soon as the opportunity presented itself.
“From a defensive standpoint we really just want to keep the momentum going and keep hitting hard which helps with offensive highs when we get the ball back,” Mealy said. “It just gets everyone on the sidelines hype and everyone’s ready to go, next play.”
Between back-to-back touchdowns from Luster and getting other players involved, the absence of 5-star recruit senior Evan Stewart was not resting too heavily on the minds of the team.
“I was just taking what the defense was giving me,” Luster said. “With Evan being a big part of the offense, it’s just next man up. We really have a lot of great athletes on the team, especially the offensive league which can really step in and make a big impact on our offense when making plays.”
