'Something special clicked' for Liberty Bell in defense of WIAA 1B football championship

Paz-powered Mountain Lions give up first touchdown and not much else in 68-22 victory over Wilbur-Creston-Keller at Husky Stadium

SEATTLE – The top-seeded Liberty Bell Mountain Lions gave up the first score in the Class 1B state football championship game against second-seeded Wilbur-Creston-Keller on Friday at Husky Stadium.

The Mountain Lions answered that score with 24 unanswered points to end the first quarter and rolled to a 68-22 victory over the Wildcats to win the WIAA championship for the second consecutive season.

“This year has been more mental than physical,” Liberty Bell coach Jeff Lidey said. “We brought it physically. We’ve been working all year on the mental game. These guys are stingy. When we would get scored on early in the season, they’d break down and fall apart. Even if we’re up 30 points, I’m like, ‘What are you guys so upset about? You’ve got to give a little. You’re fine.' I’m very impressed. They’ve come a long way to let it just roll off their back like that.”

Junior quarterback Lucien Paz completed eight of nine passes for 187 yards, and rushed for 127 yards on five carries and added three more touchdowns to account for seven touchdowns in the game.

And Paz did it on a field he’s dreamed of playing on since he was a little kid.

“I said I wanted to play here since I was 6 years old,” Lucien Paz said. “To finally be able to do it was unbelievable. Something special clicked today. I felt like there was no way we were going to lose.”

Sophomore Remi Paz - Lucien’s brother - added 88 yards rushing on eight carries and scored two touchdowns for the Mountain Lions, who finished the season with a 10-0 record. It was Lidey’s first perfect season as a coach.

Junior Bodie Thompson caught three passes for 83 yards for Liberty Bell. All three receptions went for touchdowns.

“He hasn’t played since he was in third grade,” Lidey said. “He’s a great athlete. To have him come out this year was just an addition to our team. Last week, he got burned for a couple of touchdowns (on defense) and got really upset in the Neah Bay game. He wanted me to put someone else in for him, and I told him I wasn’t going to give up on him. I said, ‘I don’t do that as a coach. You need to find it in your heart and make it work on the field, but you’re not coming off the field.’ After that game last week, I think he got it together, obviously.”

The Wildcats, who were in the state title game for the first time in school history, were held to a season-low 22 points after scoring at least 36 points in all their previous games.