LIBERTY CENTER, Ohio — Liberty Center overview:
2023 Record: 15-1 (Division V State Runner-Up)
Head Coach: Casey Mohler (8th year)
Top Returning Players:
Zander Zeiter, Senior OL (Honorable Mention All-Ohio)
Cam Kahle, Senior DB (Honorable Mention All-Ohio)
Max Walker, Junior P (Honorable Mention All-Ohio)
2024 Schedule:
WEEK 1 8/23 vs. Tinora
WEEK 2 8/30 vs. Napoleon
WEEK 3 9/6 @ Otsego
WEEK 4 9/13 vs. Archbold*
WEEK 5 9/20 vs. Swanton*
WEEK 6 9/27 @ Bryan*
WEEK 7 10/4 @ Patrick Henry*
WEEK 8 10/11 vs. Evergreen*
WEEK 9 10/18 @ Delta*
WEEK 10 10/25 @ Wauseon*
*Denotes Northwest Ohio Athletic League game
The preseason Northwest Ohio Athletic League coaches poll projected Liberty Center to finish in first place for the upcoming season.
And reasonably so. The Tigers claimed the NWOAL title and finished state runner-ups in Division V last season.
"Going into this year that was part of what we looked at; our last game was a little disappointing, so how can we learn and grow from that?" said head coach Casey Mohler. "But really what it does is it just raises the standard for this team in knowing we've got really high expectations and we have a lot to live up to and these guys I think are up for the challenge and they're willing to put the hard work in."
The program welcomes in one of its biggest teams with over 70 players and about 50 returning from last year's squad.
Senior defensive back Cam Kahle said having a deep veteran presence and firsthand taste of what a championship appearance feels like gives the team motivation to climb back.
"We preach a lot, last year didn't just happen, it wasn't easy," he said. "We had a lot of great guys go and we come back here in the summer and we're not a state runner-up team right now. We've got to put all the work in to get back to where we were last year."
The seniors said their motto this season is "rise above the rest." Senior offensive lineman Zander Zeiter defined what that means to the Tigers.
"Overall, being better than the situation being presented, play the best hand with the cards you're dealt," he said. "We're not the biggest, we're not the fastest, we're not the strongest. But in order for us to acheive our goals we need to rise above the rest. We don't have any big guys or D-1 talent but we gotta play as one and rise above as one."