STEFAN MODRICH | Staff Writer
LA FERIA– The venue for tonight’s area round University Interscholastic League Class 4A Division I playoff battle between La Feria and Liberty Hill is 266 miles from Lion Stadium.
But come 7:30 p.m., when tonight’s game is set to kickoff from Heroes Stadium in the Thousand Oaks neighborhood of San Antonio, La Feria coach Oscar Salinas and his players will be ready.
In fact, as well as the Lions (11-0, 4-0 16-4A DI) have played at home this season, they have become quite comfortable playing outside of those friendly confines.
“We’re road warriors,” Salinas said. “We had to go on the road a lot this year because of our stadium situation. I think it’s an advantage to us sometimes to get away from this whole environment and get us focused and away from people and ready to play.”
The Lions were driven all season to push for a chance to play La Vernia again, and they got the best of their playoff nemesis in a 63-42 win last Friday.
“We didn’t play our best against them last year,” Salinas said. “There was always that hunger to come back and play better against them and prove that we can play against these teams. We came in with a chip on our shoulder to show La Vernia that we were a better program than the one we faced last year.”
And now comes yet another test, in the form of a a battle-tested traditional power in Liberty Hill.
The La Feria coach said his team will need to have the same discipline and attitude that the Panthers (6-5, 2-3 14-4A DI) used to carry them to the state championship game last season. Sneaking into the playoffs as the fourth seed from District 14-4A Division I, Liberty Hill is a much different team than the one that lost 35-21 to Waco La Vega in the 2018 title game, having graduated 36 seniors.
But the Lions are approaching the Panthers and their run-first slot-T offense with caution and respect nonetheless.
“We were able to get to the third round last year,” Salinas said. “We were trying to get over that hump. A lot of times it’s about matchups and how you matchup. They’re not going to be any bigger than us and they’re not going to be any faster than us. They’re a good, disciplined team with a lot of tradition.”
Salinas said one of the key factors he believes will redound to his team’s benefit will be the health of the Lions’ defensive line, which will be at full strength for tonight’s game.
“We don’t feel like we’re going to be (outmatched) by their size,” Salinas said. “We matchup well there. Our size is comparable to their size. We have the quickness to match their offense.”
From Dorian Hernandez and his top targets Caleb Flores and Dereck Perez, to the committee of Aaron Treviño, Dario Sanchez and Chris Diaz, La Feria’s offense will be a handful for a Liberty Hill defense that has allowed 22 points per game.
“We do create some matchup nightmares for defenses,” Salinas said. “We’ve just got to be consistent and have a game like we had last week.”
After clinching the District 16-4A Division I championship against Hidalgo, Salinas allowed his players to enjoy a Thursday and Friday off from football practice during their bye week, a much-needed break for a team that had gone without one since August.
“I just felt like we needed that,” Salinas said. “Because of the stress of being undefeated, and we had just been beat up.”
Players to watch for on the Liberty Hill side are junior running backs Trey Seward (9.5 yards per carry and 1,438 total yards) and Blake Simpson (7.3 yards per carry, 1,248 total yards).
“We cannot back down from them at all,” Salinas said. “We have to come in with the attitude that we can play with them and believe that we can win.”