The Open Division playoff stage has been set for nearly two weeks.

For Liberty, it’s probably felt like two years. For coach Colin Thomas and veteran players like quarterback Navi Bruzon, maybe two eternities.

It’s likely that no other team feels more anxious or prepared to finally cash the big check in December. 

Over the last several years, Liberty has played at an elite level in Arizona, at times seemingly invincible. This will be the second straight season the Lions enter the Open playoffs with the No. 1 seed, after earning the No. 2 spot in 2021, and No. 5 in 2020. Liberty has won 29 games in the last three years.

But the postseason has been fraught with nightmares and anguish. Specifically in the semifinals, where the Lions have been on the wrong end of three instant classics.

Let’s rewind to the 2020 semifinal: The underdog Lions trailed Chandler 28-7 before staging a furious comeback and forcing overtime, only to fall 35-34.

2021: Liberty led Chandler 21-7 and were 12 minutes from reaching the title game. But the Wolves rallied and sent the game to overtime, before for a 27-21 overtime win.

Last year, with a perfect record, Liberty held a 42-28 lead over Saguaro with under nine minutes to play. The Sabercats staged a dramatic comeback, complete with a late two point conversion, handing the Lions another gut wrenching semifinal loss, 43-42.

The 2023 postseason has once again arrived. And in the words of Captain Obvious, “Liberty is overdue.”

Arizona QB-1?

Liberty quarterback Navi Bruzon (front, center) leaves Centennial defenders in his wake during the Lions 36-17 victory two weeks ago. Photo by Christine Andert

After winning the Arizona Player of the Year awards from various outlets last year, Navi Bruzon has composed another brilliant season on the field. The senior has passed for nearly 2,700 yards, run for another 700 and accounted for 41 touchdowns.

“He’s been an amazing leader no doubt,” fellow senior Braylon Gardner said two weeks ago.

But neither Bruzon, Gardner, or anyone on Liberty’s current roster or staff is satisfied. It’s obvious the Lions are out for blood in 2023. They have played like a team on a mission since week one, when they jumped out to a 49-7 halftime lead over Hamilton, the same Husky team that will visit Liberty tonight in a quarterfinal rematch.

The Lions are fully aware of what's now at stake. “It’s been another great season, so now we just have to prepare for each game and opponent one at a time,” Bruzon said after a Herculean performance against Centennial two weeks ago.

“Nothing in the past matters, none of the regular season games matter, all we can do now is focus on the next game ahead of us.”

The Team to Beat Has Something to Prove

Liberty is clearly the state’s best team entering the postseason. The manner in which the Lions have steamrolled through some of Arizona’s top heavyweights this year is almost fascinating:

Hamilton: 56-20 

Pinnacle: 57–19

Salpointe: 49-0

Saguaro: 31-3

Liberty’s 36-17 win over previously unbeaten Centennial might have been the most impressive, even if not by score. Bruzon called Centennial's defense ‘one of the best’ he’s gone against, yet he and the Lion offense flattened the Coyotes for 626 total yards. Bruzon calmly threw for 371 yards and three perfectly placed scoring passes, while running for 134 yards. At this point it’s almost mind boggling that major Division 1 schools aren’t clamoring for his college services.

“That’s certainly one of the best football teams I’ve seen, and I still think we have a pretty good group ourselves,” longtime Centennial coach Richard Taylor said after the Liberty game. It was significant praise considering Taylor’s resume includes seven state titles and 11 title game appearances in Arizona.

“Liberty knows what they’re doing. (Navi Bruzon) has been running that show for a while now, and he’s a tough customer.”

Lest we forget, it’s this same nucleus of Liberty players that handed Basha its only loss of 2022, a 35-7 thumping on the Bears‘ home field.

But in the end, it was Basha holding the championship trophy.

“We’ve learned a lot, been through alot, and one thing about this team is we always pick eachother up,” Gardner added after the Centennial game in which he caught two second half scoring passes.

“(Centennial) game was a perfect example for me. I cost us a touchdown with an early fumble, but my team never hesitated going back to me. We stick together.”

 

Liberty is ranked 23rd in the country, but the Lions season has not passed without bitter disappointment. Earlier in the season, Liberty traveled to play Corona Centennial in Southern California, where it saw a 35-21 lead slip away into a 42-35 loss against then 22nd ranked Centennial. Coach Thomas was proud of his team, but admitted “we have to find a way as a staff and team to finish the job.”

Perhaps that loss and experience will come in handy for Liberty’s 2023 adventure?

Open Competition: Fierce

On the big-school football stage of Arizona, championships and legacies are forged in early December, when the weather cools off and the pressure heats up. The Lions would love nothing more than to hoist the championship trophy in two weekends at the Stadium formerly known as ‘Sun Devil’. Coach Thomas helped Liberty to the 2019 6A title as the offensive coordinator. In true Liberty fashion, the game went to overtime before the Lions prevailed against Red Mountain.

December 2nd will be the first time Mountain America Stadium hosts the Open state title game, and Liberty is well-equipped with the personnel to finally clear that hurdle, but it won’t be easy. Don’t expect other Open teams to lie down for Liberty. There’s no sympathy at this level, only elite competition. Maxpreps.com rated Arizona’s Open Division as the No. 7 most difficult postseason bracket in the country. It shows how far Arizona has come in terms of talent, depth and national respect. It’s also a reminder of the fierce competition that awaits.

Tonight’s opponent, Hamilton, has waited all season to prove itself after getting run out of Liberty’s home field 12 weeks ago. The Huskies have nothing to lose and proved themselves capable when they took Basha to overtime a month ago. Speaking of Basha, would anyone feel comfortable betting against Demond Willliams Jr. at this point?

I sure wouldn't.

The Chandler program is seasoned on this big stage, and the No. 4 Wolves seem to have elevated their game in the last three weeks, averaging 46 points against Basha, Perry and Hamilton. But Chandler is also hosting a hungry Highland team making its Open debut, and seeking revenge on a 24-22 loss to midseason. 

Wild Wild West?

As the past always seems to demonstrate, there is no postseason algorithm determining playoff outcomes. But if Liberty and No. 3 Centennial are able to make it out of their respective brackets, it would make for a somewhat historic Open Championship game on Dec. 2, at least for the westside. Not since 1982 has the big school title game featured two schools located West of the I-17 (Moon Valley beating Trevor Browne).

In that same span of 41 long years, only one westside team has won the big school championship: Centennial in 2015. Six of Taylor’s seven state titles have come on the 5A or lower equivalent, but 2015 was a rare exception, and the Coyotes took down Mesa Desert Ridge, 28-6.

If there is such a thing as football karma in Arizona, it would only seem fitting. Taylor’s Centennial Coyotes have long been the westside’s flagship program from its Peoria campus. 

“We’ve had a great run over the years and we still have a great team going into the postseason,” Taylor said.

“I’m anxious to see how this group responds to losing. I can only imagine they’d love nothing more than another shot at (Liberty).”

As for Liberty, there’s no denying its recent ascension as a dominant football force has also made it a valiant yet tragic figure. This should only provide further drama in a title game showdown, no matter who the opponent.

The curtain rises tonight.

 

Ben Stapley is a staff reporter for AZPreps365. Follow him on 'X' @AZPreps365Ben. For human interest story ideas, contact him at bstapley@azpreps365.com