Cy Leach Leads Lubbock-Cooper Liberty to 29-28 Statement Win Over Canyon West Plains

FINAL: Lubbock-Cooper Liberty 29, Canyon West Plains 28

Lubbock-Cooper Liberty stunned Canyon West Plains with a late touchdown and gutsy two-point conversion, securing a 29-28 road win in a game junior quarterback Cy Leach called a “statement win.”

Lubbock-Cooper Liberty may have just earned the statement win it was looking for.

Trailing Canyon West Plains 28-21 with less than two minutes remaining, junior quarterback Cy Leach and the Liberty offense took the field needing a touchdown.

For Leach, it was exactly the type of moment quarterbacks dream about.

“Those are the drives you live for as a kid,” Leach told Lone Star Sports. “We practice two-minute every day in practice, and we knew that was the time.”

Liberty marched down the field and eventually found the end zone, cutting the West Plains lead to 28-27.

Then came the biggest decision of the game.

Instead of kicking the extra point and sending the game to overtime, Liberty kept its offense on the field and went for two — and the win.

It worked.

Liberty converted the two-point attempt to take a dramatic 29-28 lead.

“We got confidence in our guys,” Leach said. “We practice two-point plays every day in practice. We knew we didn't want to test these guys. They're at home. They're a good team. We didn't want to go to overtime with them. We knew we needed to beat them there and now, and we did.”

The victory was especially significant for a young Liberty program still working to establish itself in the Texas high school football landscape.

West Plains competes in Class 4A Division I, while Liberty competes in Class 4A Division II. Leach believes beating a quality opponent like West Plains could help show what Liberty is capable of.

“As a team, we really haven't had a statement win,” Leach said. “I think this one will be heard around the state, and this is a statement win for sure.”

Even after the dramatic victory, Leach's focus quickly shifted toward improving and preparing for what's ahead.

“Just get better every day in practice,” Leach said. “Just get better, improve, and then get ready for the playoffs. We're ready.”

Leach is only a junior, meaning Liberty's quarterback still has plenty of Texas high school football ahead of him.

When asked what he enjoys most about playing Texas high school football, Leach pointed to the atmosphere surrounding games like this one.

“This was a 4pm game and it felt like a playoff game,” he said.

A one-point finish. A touchdown drive with the game on the line. A gutsy two-point conversion for the win.

For Lubbock-Cooper Liberty, this one certainly felt like more than just another game.

It felt like a statement.

Follow Lone Star Sports for more Texas high school football coverage.