Matt Faye | Beaumont Enterprise
Dec. 9, 2022
With a trip to the state championship game at stake on Friday night in Katy, the Port Neches-Groves football team gave Liberty Hill a dose of its own medicine.
All week, Port Neches-Groves prepared for Liberty Hill’s vaunted rushing attack that utilized the Slot-T offense. Yet when Friday night came around at Legacy Stadium, it was Port Neches-Groves that dominated the ground game.
Port Neches-Groves ran the ball 47 times for 296 yards, overpowering Liberty Hill at the line of scrimmage during a 42-14 victory in the Class 5-II state semifinals. The win puts Port Neches-Groves back in the state championship game for the first time since 1999.
A major size advantage for Port Neches-Groves’ offensive line proved far too much for Liberty Hill to overcome. The Panthers never forced Port Neches-Groves to punt in the game, while PN-G shut out Liberty Hill’s offense in the second half.
The game plan for Port Neches-Groves’ offense was simple, according to 6-foot-4, 275-pound lineman Jansen Ware.
“Hit them in the mouth,” Ware said. “They’ve got a great run game, but we did it better tonight.”
Port Neches-Groves’ run game was effective from start to finish. Huge holes opened up for Isaiah Nguyen, who piled up 264 rushing yards on 32 carries. Nguyen often did the hard work to get PN-G down the field before another player finished off long drives.
After Liberty Hill scored the game’s first touchdown, Port Neches-Groves quarterback Cole Crippen connected with Chance Prosperie for a 26-yard touchdown pass.
Landon Guarnere extended PN-G’s lead to 16-7 with a short touchdown run early in the second quarter.
Liberty Hill’s best drive came right before the halftime break, when the Slot-T offense seemed to get the best of Port Neches-Groves for one of the few times all night.
A long possession led to a short touchdown run, cutting PN-G’s lead to 19-14 with a little more than minute left in the half.
However, Port Neches-Groves would respond with a touchdown of its own — a jump ball from Crippen to Shea Adams in the corner of the end zone with 2 seconds left in the half.
PN-G’s double-digit lead was restored with a 25-14 advantage at halftime.
Liberty Hill’s offense was completely shut down in the second half. The Port Neches-Groves defense came up with multiple fourth-down stops near midfield that halted any potential Panther scores.
First-year Port Neches-Groves coach Jeff Joseph praised the improvement of the defense and credited the scout team for helping PN-G prepare for Liberty Hill’s Slot-T offense.
Liberty Hill ran for 255 yards and did not complete a pass.
“I’ll tell anyone who will listen, our JV guys that ran the scout-team Slot-T are the reason we came up with those spots,” Joseph said. “I can’t say enough about our defensive effort.”
Related: The turning point that took Port Neches-Groves’ season from good to great
Meanwhile, Port Neches-Groves played keep away in the second half and continued to pound the football. Three extended possessions in the second half resulted in two Shea Adams touchdowns and a field goal.
Liberty Hill only ran 38 total plays in defeat. Port Neches-Groves held the ball for 33 minutes compared to the Panthers 15 minutes on offense.
“That’s nothing new,” Joseph said of Port Neches-Groves’ domination at the line of scrimmage. “The offensive line is the heart of our team.”
Port Neches-Groves now sets its sights on the 5A-II championship game, which will take place Friday inside AT&T Stadium in Arlington. PN-G will face South Oak Cliff (12-3) with a 7 p.m. kickoff.
