The Liberty-Eylau Leopards got off to an optimistic start to their season with a 26-22 win over the Henderson Lions Friday night at Lion Stadium.
Liberty-Eylau got on the board with J.J. Hampton throwing a 7-yard touchdown pass to W.T. Jones late in the first quarter.
Henderson’s Caleb Tate, who finished with 15 carries for 184 yards and two touchdowns, got most of his stats on an 86-yard scoring burst in the second quarter to tie the game 6-6 ahead of the break.
However, Liberty-Eylau was able to lead 13-6 at halftime with Greg London scoring a 3-yard touchdown.
Tate’s second touchdown of the game came late in the third quarter with a 3-yard run to tie the game.
The Leopards would dash back in front on the next drive with Cal Jones throwing a 65-yard touchdown pass to freshman Dequane Prevo late in the third quarter.
The Lions tied the game early in the fourth quarter with Jacobe Robinson throwing a 35-yard touchdown to Jamal Robinson.
Cal Jones scored an 8-yard touchdown to give Liberty-Eylau a 26-20 lead before the point-after attempt. However, the Lions blocked the point-after and returned it to make the score 26-22.
The Leopards’ first home game at Harris Field is against the Paris Wildcats next Friday.
