Not that long ago, Frisco Liberty was one of the premier football programs in Frisco ISD, winning 16 games over the 2020 and 2021 seasons and sharing a district title in 2021 while going 10-2.
In 2020 and the first part of 2021, Liberty had the top-ranked wide receiver in the nation in five-star recruit Evan Stewart, now a star at No. 1-ranked Oregon and a projected first-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft. But Stewart announced in late September of 2021 that he would forgo the remainder of his senior season so he could mentally and physically prepare himself for the next level of his football career.
Star quarterback Keldric Luster accounted for 78 touchdowns and 7,153 yards of total offense for Liberty over the 2020 and 2021 seasons. But he transferred to McKinney for his senior year before going on to play at SMU.
That is where things changed dramatically.
Starting with a second-round playoff loss to Aledo in 2021, Liberty lost 29 consecutive games and had back-to-back 0-10 seasons in 2022 and 2023. That streak included an 0-8 start this year, as Liberty was outscored 418-58.
A look at the roster helps explain the drop-off, as Liberty listed just 28 players for its 64-7 loss to Prosper Walnut Grove on Oct. 10. A roster that size is usually only found at schools in smaller classifications, but Liberty is a Class 5A Division II school with an enrollment of 1,731 students.
By comparison, Frisco Emerson, a school in its third year of varsity football and in the same district as Liberty, has 53 players on its roster. District rival Frisco Memorial, the team Liberty faced Thursday night, lists 44 players on its roster.
But Liberty put all of that behind it for one night and went out and ended its losing streak — which included 22 consecutive district losses — by beating Memorial 28-7. Khaleb Cooper ran for 186 yards and a touchdown, Daniel Essien had three carries for 67 yards and a score and Liberty’s defense forced five turnovers.
It was the fewest points Liberty had allowed since a 56-7 win over Frisco Lebanon Trail in 2021.
Frisco ISD did not make Liberty coach Matt Swinnea available for an interview for this story.
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