Shawn Richmond is already looking forward.
The Liberty Christian Academy football coach said that while over the weekend he “soaked it in,” following the Heat’s 28-16 home victory Friday over Berean Baptist Academy, he and the team are now ready to for their next game.
“Now it is time to get ready for the next opponent,” Richmond said. “It’s time to get back to work. We still had some hiccups and left some points on the field, but we are moving in the right direction.”
The Heat certainly have, and it showed last week when Liberty recorded its first win in the two-year history of the program.
It was a win that saw senior Dominic Pierre score three touchdowns and sophomore Logan Potting also score as the Heat avenged last year’s 84-34 defeat to Berean.
Liberty went 0-8 in last year’s inaugural eight-man season. The Heat kicked off this season with a 34-0 loss to public school Jones Senior and a 64-8 defeat to Faith Christian.
But on Friday, the Heat earned the fruits of its labor with its first victory. The key to the Heat’s progress has been improving fundamentals such as proper tackling and blocking and players continuing to have a solid work ethic.
“We are trying to bring a football culture to the school, and people, from the staff to the kids and the parents, realize what it takes,” Richmond said. “It shows that people are buying in and that is a good feeling. Now, the kids know what it takes to win.”
Pierre brings experience at running back and defensive back while senior quarterback/defensive back Kiwan Oliver made key plays in the victory. Potting also contributes while senior Landon Shiffert has done well at linebacker and sophomore defensive Caleb Malpass has also performed well.
The win, however, took a total team effort, Richmond added.
“Our offensive linemen stepped up and opened some holes for Dominic to run through,” he said. “And our defense did really well by making several fourth-down stops.”
But like Richmond said, the Heat are now looking ahead to Friday’s game at Father Capodanno (0-3), which has been outscored 132-0 this season. Richmond stressed that the game will not be easy against Father Capodanno, which downed Liberty 56-0 last year.
“We always tell the guys not to focus on the scores, but to focus on what they need to do,” Richmond said. “Even though we won, there are still a lot of things we need to learn. I think the guys will practice this week with open eyes and open ears.”
And with some more confidence as the Heat continues taking steps to become more competitive in its second season.
“I think they will be more motivated and they will have more confidence,” Richmond said. “Our team realizes that when opportunities come, we have to take advantage. Now we know that we are capable. There is no reason why we can’t continue to improve. If we play a clean, fundamental game, we will be Ok.”
