rockdale80
12-24-2004, 09:17 AM
Liberty Hill running backs kept running and running and running
Record-setting Panthers trio Lawhorn, Kociuba and Escamilla this year's All-Central Texas Players of the Year
By Rick Cantu
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Friday, December 24, 2004
Ryan Lawhorn, Casey Kociuba and Matt Escamilla -- the three record-smashing Liberty Hill running backs who led the Panthers to the brink of a Class 3A state football championship -- might be household names if they were playing in Dallas, Houston or Austin.
Instead, they settle for being familiar names at the local diner and gasoline station, or at the local sandwich shop in downtown Liberty Hill.
Then again, few in the three-stoplight town of 1,500 people located about 26 miles northwest of Austin have even bothered them for an autograph. At least not yet.
Lawhorn, Kociuba and Escamilla rushed for 6,552 yards this season, a big chunk of Liberty Hill's team rushing total of 7,221 yards. To put the team rushing total in perspective, that ranks as the third-best single-season total in the history of high school football. A 1925 team from Pine Bluff, Ark., and the Ken Hall-led Sugar Land team of 1953 are the only two that have rushed for more yards than what Liberty Hill accomplished this season.
"We don't really think much of what we've done," Kociuba said. "We know it's been in the papers, but we're humble, I guess."
The Panthers' threesome that flirted with national records and a state championship have been named this year's All-Central Texas Football Team's collective Player of the Year, voted upon by the Austin American-Statesman's sports staff.
Choosing the Liberty Hill trio wasn't easy. Quarterbacks Korey Washington of Cedar Park, Todd Reesing of Lake Travis and Jordan Peterson of Lexington had incredible seasons, too. But when a group of players from a tiny dot on the Texas map runs for the equivalent of 3.7 miles. . . .
"I never saw any egos with these kids, and that's the beauty of high school football," said Liberty Hill Coach Jerry Vance. "Kids who are 16, 17, 18 years old are playing for the love of the game, not for the glory and the me-me-me attitudes you'll see in college and pro football."
In 15 games, Kociuba rushed for 2,401 yards and 26 touchdowns. Lawhorn rushed for 2,175 yards and 44 touchdowns. Escamilla came up 24 yards short of 2,000 -- 1,976, on fewer carries than the others -- and scored 27 touchdowns.
They're hardly physical specimens. Kociuba (6-feet, 0-inches) is the tallest of the three while Lawhorn (190 pounds) is the heaviest. They won't be found on any lists of blue-chip athletes destined for big-name college football teams.
"If you lined them up with a 5A team, you could look and look and look and never find them," Vance said.
But on Friday nights this fall, they played like giants, running over and around opponents with speed and precision. Thriving in an offense that confuses defenses with sweeps and misdirection plays, the Panthers averaged 481 rushing yards a game. By contrast, the next-closest team in Central Texas this season -- San Marcos -- averaged 336.
Of the three, Lawhorn turned in the most surprising season. When former Panthers fullback Ryan Sims graduated in May, leaving a big gap in the offensive backfield, Vance turned to Lawhorn, who had been a fierce defensive end with minimal experience on offense.
It was a gamble, the coach conceded, but Lawhorn -- a first-team selection to the Class 3A All-State team -- responded. His 44 touchdowns led all of Central Texas.
"He runs so hard," Vance said. "He doesn't go down easily. You just can't arm-tackle him."
Kociuba and Escamilla, both juniors, already had proven themselves as talented running backs, combining for 3,000 yards rushing last year. With nine offensive starters returning for 2004, Vance knew his Panthers might be special.
They were; Liberty Hill didn't stop running until time ran out in a state semifinal game at Kyle Field in College Station. The Panthers were beaten by Jasper, 35-27, as they were stopped a yard short of the goal line with 13 seconds left on the scoreboard.
In that game, Escamilla rushed for 107 yards and Kociuba had 147.
"I keep thinking about that final yard," Kociuba said. "If I'd had 148 yards instead of 147, maybe we would have gone to the finals. I keep having flashbacks."
Kociuba and Escamilla said Vance's arrival in 2001 sparked a change in Liberty Hill football. Vance is a no-nonsense leader who expects his players to have success.
"He'll say it's 'embarrassing' if we don't get 400 yards (rushing) in a game," Escamilla said.
Escamilla is humble when reminded of his personal accomplishments -- 1,976 yards rushing and 27 touchdowns.
"I don't really see myself as being that good," he said.
Not that good?
"When we're watching game film, I don't look that amazing," Escamilla said. "(Lawhorn and Kociuba) look pretty good. I'm not sure how I'm able to keep up with them."
Escamilla was hardly second fiddle, leading Liberty Hill in receptions (13) and receiving yards (231) -- impressive totals for a team that averaged just two complete passes a game.
That's Vance's offensive system in a nutshell: keep the football on the ground, follow outstanding blockers like first-team All-Central Texas tackle Chris Luckey, and throw the football only if the moon is blue.
Vance often tells his players the story of a helpless man dangling from the top of a cliff, clutching a rope.
In that life-or-death moment, two men put their own lives on the line by pulling him back to safety with their half of the rope. It's the ultimate sacrifice, Vance says, staring at his players in a crowded locker room.
A bit extreme, perhaps, but that's the coach's example of teamwork in the face of adversity. A football player, no matter how gifted, needs to know that his teammates are around when he gets into trouble.
That's the way the three running backs feel about each other, Kociuba said.
What would happen if he were put in such a situation?
"I'd hold the rope until my arms fall off," he said.
rcantu@statesman.com; 445-3953
Putting Liberty Hill on the national map
Liberty Hill's backfield of Matt Escamilla, Casey Kociuba and Ryan Lawhorn helped the Panthers become the third-most productive rushing team in national high school history this year.
Collectively, the trio rushed for 6,552 yards. That's the equivalent of running the length of a football field 65 1/2 times — or making a 3.7-mile run from the State Capitol building all the way south on Congress Avenue until you stop at Ben White Boulevard.
Most rushing yards, season
Yards School Year Games
8,081 Pine Bluff (Ark.) 1925 16
7,274 Sugar Land (Tex.) 1953 12
7,221 Liberty Hill 2004 15
6,940 San Diego Morse 1990 14
6,713 Shiloh Chr. (Ark.) 1997 15
Most rushing TDs, season
TDs School Year Games
120 Albemarle (N.C.) 2001 16
114 Big Sandy (Tex.) 1975 14
101 Liberty Hill 2004 15
96 Stephenville (Tex.) 1994 16
89 Stephenville (Tex.) 1993 16
The big three
A look at the individual rushing seasons for Liberty Hill running backs Matt Escamilla, Casey Kociuba and Ryan Lawhorn:
Att. Yds Avg./carry Avg./game TDs
Casey Kociuba 209 2,401 11.5 160.1 26
Ryan Lawhorn 294 2,175 7.4 145.0 44
Matt Escamilla 186 1,976 10.6 131.7 27
Totals 689 6,552 9.5 436.8 97
Record-setting Panthers trio Lawhorn, Kociuba and Escamilla this year's All-Central Texas Players of the Year
By Rick Cantu
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Friday, December 24, 2004
Ryan Lawhorn, Casey Kociuba and Matt Escamilla -- the three record-smashing Liberty Hill running backs who led the Panthers to the brink of a Class 3A state football championship -- might be household names if they were playing in Dallas, Houston or Austin.
Instead, they settle for being familiar names at the local diner and gasoline station, or at the local sandwich shop in downtown Liberty Hill.
Then again, few in the three-stoplight town of 1,500 people located about 26 miles northwest of Austin have even bothered them for an autograph. At least not yet.
Lawhorn, Kociuba and Escamilla rushed for 6,552 yards this season, a big chunk of Liberty Hill's team rushing total of 7,221 yards. To put the team rushing total in perspective, that ranks as the third-best single-season total in the history of high school football. A 1925 team from Pine Bluff, Ark., and the Ken Hall-led Sugar Land team of 1953 are the only two that have rushed for more yards than what Liberty Hill accomplished this season.
"We don't really think much of what we've done," Kociuba said. "We know it's been in the papers, but we're humble, I guess."
The Panthers' threesome that flirted with national records and a state championship have been named this year's All-Central Texas Football Team's collective Player of the Year, voted upon by the Austin American-Statesman's sports staff.
Choosing the Liberty Hill trio wasn't easy. Quarterbacks Korey Washington of Cedar Park, Todd Reesing of Lake Travis and Jordan Peterson of Lexington had incredible seasons, too. But when a group of players from a tiny dot on the Texas map runs for the equivalent of 3.7 miles. . . .
"I never saw any egos with these kids, and that's the beauty of high school football," said Liberty Hill Coach Jerry Vance. "Kids who are 16, 17, 18 years old are playing for the love of the game, not for the glory and the me-me-me attitudes you'll see in college and pro football."
In 15 games, Kociuba rushed for 2,401 yards and 26 touchdowns. Lawhorn rushed for 2,175 yards and 44 touchdowns. Escamilla came up 24 yards short of 2,000 -- 1,976, on fewer carries than the others -- and scored 27 touchdowns.
They're hardly physical specimens. Kociuba (6-feet, 0-inches) is the tallest of the three while Lawhorn (190 pounds) is the heaviest. They won't be found on any lists of blue-chip athletes destined for big-name college football teams.
"If you lined them up with a 5A team, you could look and look and look and never find them," Vance said.
But on Friday nights this fall, they played like giants, running over and around opponents with speed and precision. Thriving in an offense that confuses defenses with sweeps and misdirection plays, the Panthers averaged 481 rushing yards a game. By contrast, the next-closest team in Central Texas this season -- San Marcos -- averaged 336.
Of the three, Lawhorn turned in the most surprising season. When former Panthers fullback Ryan Sims graduated in May, leaving a big gap in the offensive backfield, Vance turned to Lawhorn, who had been a fierce defensive end with minimal experience on offense.
It was a gamble, the coach conceded, but Lawhorn -- a first-team selection to the Class 3A All-State team -- responded. His 44 touchdowns led all of Central Texas.
"He runs so hard," Vance said. "He doesn't go down easily. You just can't arm-tackle him."
Kociuba and Escamilla, both juniors, already had proven themselves as talented running backs, combining for 3,000 yards rushing last year. With nine offensive starters returning for 2004, Vance knew his Panthers might be special.
They were; Liberty Hill didn't stop running until time ran out in a state semifinal game at Kyle Field in College Station. The Panthers were beaten by Jasper, 35-27, as they were stopped a yard short of the goal line with 13 seconds left on the scoreboard.
In that game, Escamilla rushed for 107 yards and Kociuba had 147.
"I keep thinking about that final yard," Kociuba said. "If I'd had 148 yards instead of 147, maybe we would have gone to the finals. I keep having flashbacks."
Kociuba and Escamilla said Vance's arrival in 2001 sparked a change in Liberty Hill football. Vance is a no-nonsense leader who expects his players to have success.
"He'll say it's 'embarrassing' if we don't get 400 yards (rushing) in a game," Escamilla said.
Escamilla is humble when reminded of his personal accomplishments -- 1,976 yards rushing and 27 touchdowns.
"I don't really see myself as being that good," he said.
Not that good?
"When we're watching game film, I don't look that amazing," Escamilla said. "(Lawhorn and Kociuba) look pretty good. I'm not sure how I'm able to keep up with them."
Escamilla was hardly second fiddle, leading Liberty Hill in receptions (13) and receiving yards (231) -- impressive totals for a team that averaged just two complete passes a game.
That's Vance's offensive system in a nutshell: keep the football on the ground, follow outstanding blockers like first-team All-Central Texas tackle Chris Luckey, and throw the football only if the moon is blue.
Vance often tells his players the story of a helpless man dangling from the top of a cliff, clutching a rope.
In that life-or-death moment, two men put their own lives on the line by pulling him back to safety with their half of the rope. It's the ultimate sacrifice, Vance says, staring at his players in a crowded locker room.
A bit extreme, perhaps, but that's the coach's example of teamwork in the face of adversity. A football player, no matter how gifted, needs to know that his teammates are around when he gets into trouble.
That's the way the three running backs feel about each other, Kociuba said.
What would happen if he were put in such a situation?
"I'd hold the rope until my arms fall off," he said.
rcantu@statesman.com; 445-3953
Putting Liberty Hill on the national map
Liberty Hill's backfield of Matt Escamilla, Casey Kociuba and Ryan Lawhorn helped the Panthers become the third-most productive rushing team in national high school history this year.
Collectively, the trio rushed for 6,552 yards. That's the equivalent of running the length of a football field 65 1/2 times — or making a 3.7-mile run from the State Capitol building all the way south on Congress Avenue until you stop at Ben White Boulevard.
Most rushing yards, season
Yards School Year Games
8,081 Pine Bluff (Ark.) 1925 16
7,274 Sugar Land (Tex.) 1953 12
7,221 Liberty Hill 2004 15
6,940 San Diego Morse 1990 14
6,713 Shiloh Chr. (Ark.) 1997 15
Most rushing TDs, season
TDs School Year Games
120 Albemarle (N.C.) 2001 16
114 Big Sandy (Tex.) 1975 14
101 Liberty Hill 2004 15
96 Stephenville (Tex.) 1994 16
89 Stephenville (Tex.) 1993 16
The big three
A look at the individual rushing seasons for Liberty Hill running backs Matt Escamilla, Casey Kociuba and Ryan Lawhorn:
Att. Yds Avg./carry Avg./game TDs
Casey Kociuba 209 2,401 11.5 160.1 26
Ryan Lawhorn 294 2,175 7.4 145.0 44
Matt Escamilla 186 1,976 10.6 131.7 27
Totals 689 6,552 9.5 436.8 97