Liberty Hill's Noah Long and Ben Carter: 10,000 combined career yards, 140 touchdowns

LIBERTY HILL — It's 6 a.m. and rap music is blasting through the walls of the campus athletic center.

BigXThaPlug is the artist of choice before the Monday sun rises. He's followed by YoungBoy and Lil Baby. The music is so loud, you can't hear yourself speak as Liberty Hill's football team lifts weights before heading to practice.

Running backs Noah Long and Ben Carter would have it no other way. While some people drink coffee to give their day an early jolt, the Panthers absorb rap music to the max. They might be country boys in Liberty Hill, but Willie and Garth aren't on their playlists.

"I think we're all partially deaf," Long joked.

Long and Carter have been friends since they both attended Bill Burden Elementary in town. They are products of a Liberty Hill youth league and have been teammates for four years. But their time of Friday night glory will soon come to end.

The Panthers (10-4) will play a rugged Port Neches-Groves (13-1) team in a Class 5A Division II state semifinal on Friday in Houston. If they win, they advance to play to the state championship game the following week at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

"Football has been 100% different as seniors," said Long, who aspires to be a chiropractor when his playing days are over. "Before this, the end was never in sight and it's hard to come to terms with it being almost over. I'm going to miss it a lot. There have been great life lessons learned, but the focus is to keep playing, keep winning."

Leaving Liberty Hill with a lasting legacy

Liberty Hill has done plenty of winning with Long and Carter in uniform. Over the past four years, the varsity has earned an overall record of 48-10. Amazingly, the Panthers have reached the state semifinals all four years, reaching the championship game in 2021.

"Running backs at Liberty Hill will look up to Ben and Noah for years to come," Panthers coach Kent Walker said.

For good reason. Long has amassed 5,971 yards and 81 touchdowns during his four years in purple and gold. Carter, a starter the past two years, has contributed 4,314 yards and 63 touchdowns.

They have been the benefactors of the old Slot-T offense. Through 14 games, the Panthers have run the ball in 730 of their 780 total plays from scrimmage. Iconic coach Jerry Vance used the Slot-T to win Class 3A state championships in 2006 and 2007. The late Jeff Walker took over in 2017 before his brother Kent assumed the reins in 2021.

Two different rushers for a run-friendly system

While the Slot-T has made Liberty Hill a perennial state contender, it hasn't created much buzz with college coaches. Despite Long's impressive football portfolio, his only scholarship offer has come from Trinity University, an NCAA Division III school. Carter, meanwhile, is hoping someone will give him an offer.

"College coaches are missing the boat on these two running backs," Walker said. "They will not only add to their roster as players, but they will also add great leadership and character to the team as well."

Long (5-foot-10, 180 pounds) and Carter (5-9, 175) offer contrasting playing styles. Long shoots through gaps quickly and is elusive when he gets by the first wave of tacklers. Carter, meanwhile, is a battering ram who gets most of his yards after the first would-be tackler misses. He had one touchdown this year of 99 yards.

"Some teams underestimate me because they see me as undersized," Carter said. "When they hit me and I don't go down, they know they'll have to hit me a lot harder."

Both Carter and Long agree that the team's diligence in the weight room has made the entire team better. Long noted that some of his offensive linemen aren't much bigger than he is.

As for the future, both expressed frustration that their hard work has not created more football opportunities. Both create weekly videos of their game highlights to send to college coaches or post on social media.

More:Liberty Hill beats Pieper in regional finals

Fair or not, Carter believes he understands why college recruiters have shied away from them: "With the plays that we run, they see them more as misdirection rather than skill."

No matter what happens for the rest of playoffs, Long said the Panthers have developed an "unbreakable bond." Many of the players have known each other for 12 years. They credited the team's coaching staff for developing them into the men they have become today.

Speaking of coaches, Walker might be a generation older than his players, but they share some similarities. When he was asked whose music he likes to listen to, his first choice was Biggie Smalls, known as one of the greatest rappers of all time.

Then he clarified himself by saying he likes "classic rock" and "hard rock" as well.

"I'm all over the place," Walker said.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Liberty Hill football prepares for fourth straight trip to state semis