LEWIS CENTER — Olentangy Liberty second-year head coach John Sansbury and his veteran-laden team remember all too well the dismal start they got off to a year ago.

Determined not to let it happen again, the Patriots rode a slew of big plays to an emphatic 28-0 win over district rival Olentangy on Friday night in Braves Stadium to kick off the 2024 season.

Liberty senior quarterback Andrew Leonard, now in his third year as the starter, threw for 127 yards and a touchdown and added 44 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

Senior receiver Christian Moulton had just two catches on the night but made the most of his opportunities, wracking up 111 receiving yards including an 80-yard touchdown catch and run.

“Very important,” Sansbury said of the win. “It was a rough start last year, and I think we all remember that. We have 30 seniors, and a lot of them are returning starters. They were hungry all season and worked extremely hard, and I’m glad it paid off tonight.”

Liberty (1-0) got off to a quick start on its opening possession of the season thanks to a short field. After linebacker Elliot Rankin stopped Olentangy running back Andrew Wilber short of the line to gain on fourth down, the Liberty offense trotted onto the field already in plus territory.

Six plays later, Leonard scampered into the endzone untouched for a 15-yard touchdown run to give Liberty an early 7-0 lead. Leonard kept the drive alive on the previous play, scrambling for 13 yards to convert on 4th and 3 from the Olentangy 28.

“We love to have him,” Sansbury said of Leonard. “He’s also an even better kid. He’s a leader and two-year captain. He played outstanding and took care of the football both passing and running. He just ran the show and that’s what we expect from him.”

Following a quick three-and-out by Olentangy on the ensuing possession, senior running back and punt returner Jake Struck delivered another big play for Liberty.

After fielding the Olentangy punt at his own 24, Struck found a lane toward the sideline and pulled away from the defenders, racing 76 yards to the end zone and pushing Liberty’s lead to 14-0 with 4:56 left in the first quarter.

Olentangy threatened to get on the board on the following possession, driving to the Liberty 21. Kaden Gebhardt was then met in the backfield for a five-yard loss on first down, though, putting the Braves behind the chains.

Olentangy junior quarterback Luke Chilicki, making the first start of his career, was intercepted by Liberty’s Braxton Winks in the end zone two plays later to end the once-promising drive and give the football back to the Patriots.

Chilicki finished with 123 passing yards while completing nine of his 16 attempts to go along with the interception.

Leonard continued his steady play off the sudden change in possession, tossing a perfect pass to Moulton on the first play of the drive and delivering what proved to be an early knockout punch. Moulton caught the ball in stride and pulled away from the Olentangy secondary, racing for an 80-yard touchdown and a 21-0 lead just before halftime.

“We knew we were going to do this,” Leonard said of his team’s performance. “We’ve been preparing for so long. Last year just put an edge on us to play the best we can, and we prepared all season for it.”

Liberty added to its lead with less than a minute left in the third quarter on a 1-yard touchdown run from Struck. The touchdown was set up by another Olentangy miscue, this time on a Preston Danner fumble that was recovered by Liberty’s Landon Hunter.

“When you make mistakes against a really well-coached football team, they’re going to execute,” Olentangy head coach Wade Bartholomew said. “And we didn’t execute. You come in with a game plan, and it wasn’t a good one. That’s not on the kids; that’s on us as coaches. We gotta put our kids in a better spot to be successful. We weren’t ready in the offensive game or all facets of the game … I just feel awful for putting our kids in such a crappy situation.”

While Bartholomew said the loss hurts given the district rivalry, he said everything the team has set out to accomplish is still in front of them.

“One of our culture values is to grow from our failures,” he said. “We have to come back on Monday and be willing to grow. We all have to look at each other and look internally, and we have to stay together as a team. It’s way too early in the season. This was a big one and hurts because it’s a rivalry, but really, in the grand scheme of things, this means nothing. Our league goals are still there, our playoff run is possibly still there. If we go 9-1, we’re going to look back at this game and see that we had to grow.”

Liberty will look to build on its fast start when it hosts Glenville (1-0) next week. Olentangy aims to rebound with a home game against Medina (1-0).

Reach Dillon Davis at 740-413-0904. Follow him on X @DillonDavis56.