Liberty notches first varsity football win for school
Complete effort on both sides of the ball makes for historic win
BY MIKE WHITE Staff Writer
The Jackson Liberty High School football program captured its first varsity win Friday night with a 29-0 shutout over Wildwood High School. For Lions coach Tim Osborn, notching the first win in the program's history is a result of the hard work his kids have put in. "It's pretty special," Osborn said. "It's a tribute to how hard these guys have been working. We played real well. We had a number of injuries and were still able to pull of the win. Hopefully, we can use this victory as motivation." Liberty suffered a season-opening loss to Bridgeton High School. The setback didn't have any ill effects on his team during the week. The Lions still prepared for Wildwood and executed on both offense and defense. "The kids remained upbeat after the first week," Osborn said. "We knew what we were up against. Bridgeton is a very established program. I thought we did a good job of putting the momentum in our favor in the Wildwood game. Once we got things rolling, we were able to continue for the duration." Liberty took the opening kickoff and marched 65 yards for a score.

"I knew we were in for a good night when we scored to open the game," Osborn said. "The kids played with a lot of intensity. They played hard for all four quarters." Quarterback Chris Castronuova had a big night. The junior signal caller completed 11 of 17 passes for 149 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Osborn was impressed with Castronuova's stats. "He [Castronuova] stepped up in a big way for us," Osborn said. "We need him to take more of a leadership role on this team. He threw the ball very well and he made solid decisions. That's the kind of play we need from him on a consistent basis." Osborn cited the Lions' defense as one of the keys to victory. Pat Joseph had five tackles for a loss from his linebacker position. Joseph recently made the switch from safety to linebacker. "He did an outstanding job," Osborn said. "He made some really big plays for us. He had no problems making the switch to linebacker. Sometimes it takes players a while to make the adjustment, but he figured it out easily." Osborn also cited the fine play of defensive ends Matt Tracy and Matt Filosa. Liberty squares off against St. Augustine this week. The Group IV school is off to a 2- 0 start, and Osborn realizes Liberty is in for a serious challenge. "They're a very good program that is wellcoached," Osborn said. "They have a lot of size and a number of very good athletes. There is no question this is going to be a stiff test for our program. I expect us to be able to compete with them."