The record might not have shown it, but the seeds for Liberal’s huge turnaround were planted last year. 

Liberal went 3-6 in 2022 but was competitive in most games and were without quarterback starting quarterback Brooks Kappelmann for the heart of its Western Athletic Conference schedule. 

More importantly, Bryan Luetters went to work trying to change the culture and mindset in the program, taking the Liberal head coaching job after guiding Meade to an Eight-Player Division I championship in 2021. Liberal hadn’t achieved a winning season since 2017 before Luetters’ arrival. 

“When we first started, it was kids showing up 15 minutes late, not coming to practice. That was just the norm,” Luetters said. “We had to lay the groundwork. Once kids knew that we were going to treat everybody fairly and equally no matter what their status was on the team, they kind of started buying in."

Luetters said Liberal could have easily won six games last year but were set back after Kappelmann suffered a knee contusion in the Dodge City game last year and missed the Garden City and Great Bend contests before returning against Hays. 

“We were really, really close in some games last year,” Luetters said. “We were in every game except the Hays game. When you get used to losing all the time, you start to accept it. That’s a huge mental hurdle to go over. Everything we did was talking about mental toughness.”

This year Liberal has enjoyed the fruits of its labor with a breakthrough 2023 campaign, moving to 8-1 after a 44-0 home win over Newton in the first round of the playoffs. 

“We keep preaching to these kids that they’re doing a lot of stuff this year that has never been done in their lifetime,” Luetters said. “The kids can’t even fathom it.

“The kids really enjoyed the (playoff) win, and more so the community. Liberal had a ton of success back in the 90s (state champs in ‘92, ‘94, ‘95 and ‘97). In the community, the people who were around then and remember the 90s, they get really excited for the playoffs, and to actually get a win is huge.”

Liberal went 3-1 WAC play this year, highlighted by a 21-14 victory over Great Bend. Liberal also beat Dodge City and Garden City with the lone hiccup coming in a 48-41 loss to Hays in double overtime. 

“This year all the stars kind of aligned,” Luetters said. “We’ve got a lot of kids out and a lot more depth this year. They’re competing for spots. Last year at the first practice, honest to goodness, we had 11 kids on the football team that identified as an offensive lineman. This year we’ve got about 38.

“There’s a lot that goes into it. We’re very proud of these kids.”

Kappelmann has enjoyed a tremendous senior season. He’s thrown for 1,990 yards and 23 touchdowns with just five interceptions while rushing for 785 yards and 10 TDs. 

“When we got here Brooks was pretty raw but had a pretty strong arm,” Luetters said. “That kid’s lived in the weight room. He is just mentally smart. He’s a 4.0 kid. Never said a cuss word in his life. That kid just does everything right. If you had 11 of him you’d be good every year. 

“We had a whole new offense installed last year and this year he’s been able to build on it. He’s got pocket presence and can scan the field because our offensive line’s a lot better. He can step up into the pocket and run when he needs to do. He’s just a leader and does everything you need.”

Zayden Martinez has been Kappelmann’s favorite target. The senior eclipsed the 1,000 receiving yards for the season during the Newton win and has 12 touchdowns. 

“He’s a stud,” Luetters said. “He works at his craft. He’s gotten a lot better at the deep ball and tracking the ball. Him and Brooks are best friends and they’ve played a lot together so they have great timing.”

Sophomore James Feiser has also been a weapon in the passing game with 33 catches for 453 yards and five TDs. 

The Newton victory was Liberal’s first shutout win of the season. 

“That’s the best our defense has played in a while,” Leutters said. “It was a complete game. Seems like we either start off slow or start the second half slow. We always talk to the boys about having a complete game, and that was a complete game for us.”

Liberal will play host to Maize (4-5) at 7 p.m. Friday. The Eagles, runners-up in 5A the last two years, were tasked with replacing star quarterback Avery Johnson this year. They knocked off Goddard 31-22 last week to advance. 

“Their record’s very deceiving,” Luetters said. “They’ve got some stud receivers, probably the best that I’ve seen in 5A on film. Big offensive line, sound defense. The quarterback can spin the ball pretty good. It’s definitely going to be a challenge for us. It’ll be a fun game.”