8 Player – Class 1 District 1
Western Missouri Conference
School Colors: Red and White
Head Coach: Garrett Zoucha (0-0, 1st season)
Assistant coaches: Jared Hibbitts
“I took this job to be closer to family. I have been in Nebraska. I enjoy the area and am ready to get to work. I love 8-man football and it’s all I’ve played and coached.”
It’s a new era for Liberal football. Head coach Garrett Zoucha comes from Nebraska to take over the Bulldogs program. Liberal went 6-3 in 2020, stringing together a five-game winning streak in the middle of the season. “The biggest challenge was injuries,” Zoucha says. “Kids were not able to get into normal workouts due to COVID.”
OL/DL A.J. Bauwart 6’2”, 210 lb
OL/DL Sam Weaver 6’0” 190 lb
LB/TE Gavin Cox 5’11”, 180 lb
WR/DB Payton Marrow 5’8”, 135 lb
WR/DB Chase Ray 5’7”, 130 lb
WR/DB Matt Boehne 5’6” 130 lb
OL/DL George Haggerman 5’9”, 185 lb
8/27 vs. Archie
9/3 @ Concordia
9/10 @ Drexel
9/17 vs. Greenfield
9/ 24 @ Jasper
10/1 @ Lockwood
10/8 vs. Osceola
10/15 vs. Appleton City
10/22 @ Rich Hill
The Bulldogs are going to be learning under a new head coach this season. Garrett Zoucha is eager to work with his new team. “These guys are competitive as heck,” Zoucha says. “I’m looking forward to see them battle adversity on the field.” On-field leadership is expected to come from Matt Boehne, who has proven his athleticism and aggressiveness, Payton Marrow who is known to command the huddle and Chase Ray. “Ray hasn’t missed weights and leads by example in everything he does.” To be successful this season, Zoucha says the team’s speed needs to improve.
