Tag: Liberty Christian

Jason Witten coaches sons’ high school team to undefeated championship season

Former Cowboys tight end Jason Witten led Liberty Christian School to a 14-0 championship season in his third year as head coach.

Liberty Christian (Argyle, Texas) football hoisted the championship trophy to tie a bow on a most remarkable turnaround: Led by head coach Jason Witten, the team completed its undefeated 2023 season with a championship only two years removed from a two-win season.

With the 52-10 victory over Regents (Austin, Texas) on Friday, Liberty Christian won the TAPPS Divison II state championship, the football program’s first title since 2007.

Junior running back Chase Garnett scored three touchdowns on 23 carries for 185 yards, bringing his season totals to 1,743 rushing yards and 31 total touchdowns, 29 of which came on the ground. UConn quarterback commit Cole Welliver passed for three touchdowns, bringing his season numbers to 3,082 passing yards, 50 touchdowns and only three interceptions.

“These kids have taught me so much. This is why I fell in love with the game as a kid,” Witten said in an interview with CBS News Texas after the game.

Witten, the former Dallas Cowboys tight end, has been head coach of the team for three years now. After winning two games in his first season, the same number as the year before, Liberty flipped its record to 10-2 in his second year before going undefeated in year three.

With 14 wins this season, Liberty Christian broke its record set in the 12-1 championship year in 2007, according to USA TODAY.

Witten’s sons CJ, a junior linebacker, and Cooper, a freshman defensive back and wide receiver, both played key roles on the team this year, among team leaders in tackles and tackles for loss. CJ was a team leader in sacks while Cooper had a pair of interceptions.

According to MaxPreps, Jason Witten isn’t the only championship coach in the family. His brother Shawn Witten won a pair titles at Elizabethton (Tenn.), the alma mater of the two.

Former NFL tight end Jason Witten coaching sons’ high school team with eyes on an undefeated season

Jason Witten is coaching his two sons, C.J. and Cooper, as Liberty Christian enters the semifinals with a 12-0 record on the season.

Dallas Cowboys legendary tight end Jason Witten took the helm of Liberty Christian (Argyle, Texas) as head coach in 2021, looking to improve a program that just came off a 2-7 season. Two years later, the high school is eyeing an undefeated season as it enters the semifinals with a record of 12-0.

Liberty Christian took down 9-2 Grace Community (Tyler, Texas) by a score of 56-7 on Friday behind the running of Chase Garnett, who had 95 rushing yards and four touchdowns on only nine carries (all in the first half), and a defense that held the strong Grace running game to negative yardage. Entering the game, Grace averaged nearly 230 yards on the ground per game, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram; on Friday night, the team recorded negative 39 yards.

With 12 wins on the year, Liberty Christian has experienced a massive turnaround since Witten’s first year on the job, when the team had its second two-win season in a row.

On the heels of those seasons, the team was relegated from the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS) Division I to Div. II before the 2022 season, according to USA TODAY. The Warriors bounced back with 10 wins and reached the quarterfinals, setting the stage for the growth this year.

Through the semifinals, the team is averaging more than 51 points per game while allowing just four points per game. The defense has pitched five shutouts and allowed more than 13 points only once.

Both of Witten’s sons play significant roles on defense. According to MaxPreps, junior linebacker C.J. Witten leads the team in tackles and sacks. At the same time, freshman defensive back Cooper Witten entered the game over the weekend with 53 tackles, three blocked field goals and two interceptions.

Witten talked to the Star-Telegram about C.J. in August, saying, “I’m not there to hold his hand, but at the same time, it’s just been very rewarding to see him grow and become a leader and gain confidence.”

According to USA TODAY, the win on Friday gave Liberty Christian the most wins it has had in a season since it went 12-1 with a championship in 2007.

Up next is a game vs. 9-2 All Saints (Fort Worth, Texas). If the Warriors can take that, they’ll get past the wins mark of that 2007 team — but they won’t be satisfied unless they can complete the season with 14 wins and a trophy.