ACH falls to Liberty Christian in 1B semifinals

RICHLAND — After holding a six-point advantage at halftime, the No. 4 seed Almira/Coulee-Hartline Warriors were outscored 22-8 by No. 1 Liberty Christian in the 1B State Football Tournament semifinals Saturday, falling 36-28 to the Patriots. 

All 22 of Liberty Christian’s second-half points came in the third quarter, as the Patriots capitalized off Warrior turnovers.  

“In order to win those kind of games between two evenly-matched teams, you have to win that turnover margin,” ACH head coach Brandon Walsh said. “That was even, so we didn’t win that part of the game and obviously the results are what they are.” 

ACH received the ball to begin the second half but turned the ball over on downs; the next two Warrior possessions ended with lost fumbles.  

During that stretch, Liberty Christian scored on touchdown runs of 29 and three yards, adding another score on a 29-yard reception to take a 36-20 lead. 

“Those three possessions were the difference in the game; we needed to score in there and not turn the ball over,” Walsh said. “We did a great job of that in the first half, it just didn’t go our way in the third quarter.” 

The Warriors got back within one possession on a two-yard touchdown run by junior Caden Correia, who also scored on the ensuing two-point conversion to make it a 36-28 ballgame in the fourth quarter. After turning the Patriots over, ACH had the ball and was driving late in the final frame but failed to convert on a fourth-and-short attempt that gave the ball back to Liberty Christian. 

“We just came up inches short and stalled our drive out, and they were able to run out the clock on us and couple it with a couple of first downs,” Walsh said. “It was kind of too little, too late. The turnovers in the third quarter hurt us.” 

The Warriors ran the ball 72 times in Saturday’s loss; Walsh said the game plan was to attack the Patriots with inside runs, something they used in their prior matchup against Liberty Christian on Sept. 20 and saw other teams find success with on-game film. 

“We wanted to try and exploit that, and for the most part we did a great job with it,” Walsh said. 

Senior Carter Pitts led the way with 39 carries for 203 yards and a touchdown, followed by Correia with 162 yards and two scored on 28 attempts. Junior Brady Roberts had three carries for 33 yards and a touchdown. 

Altogether, ACH ran for 402 yards on Saturday. 

ACH opened the scoring with an 18-yard run by Roberts in the first quarter, which was later answered by the Patriots to cut the lead to 8-6 in favor of the Warriors. Correia and Pitts both reached the end zone in the second quarter to bring a 20-14 lead into the halftime locker room. 

“Our defense came out early in the game, we got a couple of stops. They were flying around and making plays,” Walsh said. “Offensively, we got the run game going early. We went into the game with a game plan of trying to control the tempo by running the ball and keeping the ball out of their hands. We were able to do that very effectively in the first half.” 

ACH finishes the season with a 10-3 record, reaching the state semifinals for the second time since 2021. The Warriors will have eight players graduate off this season’s roster; Pitts, Jameson Conley, Grayson Beal, Kayden Casimir, Kayle Casimir, Paul Stout, Denim Kenney and William Allsbrook. Pitts, Beal, Conley and Kayle Casimir all received all-league honors this fall. 

“They’re good kids; they’re fun to coach, and it’s been a pleasure having them in our program,” Walsh said.  

On the other side, ACH has 25 players eligible to return next season, including all-league talents in Correia at quarterback, junior Harvest Parrish and Roberts at running back and sophomore Noah Butler at defensive line. 

“I want them to understand how good we can be moving forward; we have a lot of talent coming back, and I think, number two, I hope they remember the sting of defeat in that big moment. That’s always a motivator,” Walsh said.  

Liberty Christian moves on to play Wilbur-Creston-Keller in the 1B title game Friday. 

Box Score 

ACH: 8-12-0-8 28
L-C: 6-8-22-0 36 

    ACH junior Brady Roberts (21) carries the ball during a game against Dayton on Nov. 8. Roberts scored the first touchdown of the game against Liberty Christian on Saturday, reaching the end zone on an 18-yard rush.
  

    Almira/Coulee-Hartline junior Caden Correia, left, pitches the ball during an option play against Dayton on Nov. 8. Correia ran for 162 yards and two touchdowns during Saturday’s loss against Liberty Christian.
  

    ACH senior Jameson Conley, left, runs with the football during a game against Wilbur-Creston-Keller on Oct. 25. Conley is one of eight seniors that will graduate off of this season’s roster.