Liberty High Football

Kai Nacua leads Liberty to win against Eldorado: Friday, October 19, 2012; high school football:; By Paul Delos Santos; Kai Nacua passed for three touchdowns and Tyler Newman threw for two more as Liberty High rolled to a 59-13 victory over Eldorado High.

Liberty downs Del Sol after star tailback Kapeli goes down with injury: Friday, October 12, 2012; high school football:; By Paul Delos Santos; If Liberty High head coach Rich Muraco wanted to see how some of his second string players would react to game situations, he got to see plenty of it against Del Sol on Friday.

Liberty beats Coronado in memorable rivalry matchup: Friday, October 5, 2012; high school football:; By Case Keefer; Ball-control won out on this night, as Liberty overcame a number of big plays from Coronado to win its homecoming game 35-29.

Kai Nacua leads Liberty to victory in game between local powers: Saturday, September 29, 2012; high school football: D.J. Pumphrey's best efforts not enough for visiting Canyon Springs; By Case Keefer; With the Liberty offense slowing down in the middle of Friday’s 23-20 victory over Canyon Springs, all-purpose threat Kai Nacua approached coach Rich Muraco with a suggestion.

BYU commit Kai Nacua scores three different ways in Liberty win: Friday, September 21, 2012; high school football:; By Ray Brewer; Liberty High senior Kai Nacua found several ways to score Friday night to help the Patriots down host Rancho, 49-3.

UNLV commit Niko Kapeli has four touchdowns, leads Liberty to crucial win against Palo Verde: Friday, September 14, 2012; high school football: Liberty scores 15 points, forces two turnovers in final five minutes against power Palo Verde for program-building win; By Ray Brewer; If there were any doubts in the debate of Nevada’s best public high school football team, they were answered Thursday night by the Liberty Patriots in the final five minutes of their showdown with Palo Verde. Liberty High’s 42-28 victory in a battle of perennial powers likely gives the Patriots the title of best public school team, especially considering the manner in which they won.

Liberty football comes up short in California opener: Saturday, September 1, 2012; high school football:; By Ray Brewer; Liberty High’s Niko Kapeli rushed for 254 yards and three touchdowns Saturday, but it wasn’t enough as the Patriots dropped their season opener at host Crespi High of Southern California, 42-28.

Liberty looking to make statement, continue solid play against California school in opener: Thursday, August 30, 2012; high school football: Even though they came up short, the Patriots earned praise for giving a challenge to Gorman in last year's state semifinals; By Ray Brewer; One game last fall changed everything for the Liberty High football program. And it wasn’t a game they won. The Patriots twice led perennial power Bishop Gorman in last year’s state semifinals, and trailed by just one point midway through the third quarter, before running out of gas in a 56-34 loss. While they lost the game, they earned the respect of other teams in the Las Vegas Valley.

Preseason top 10: After Gorman at No. 1, let the debate begin in ranking the rest of the teams: Monday, August 13, 2012; high school football: Liberty, because of its efforts against Gorman in last year's playoffs, comes in at No. 2 ahead of Palo Verde; By Ray Brewer; The teams will decide this argument. When putting together the Sun’s preseason high school football top 10, there were two options for the No. 2 spot behind three-time defending state champion Bishop Gorman at No. 1. Palo Verde, which has a 59-6 record since 2007 and is the last local team to beat Gorman, is a perennial power and more than deserving. After all, the Panthers’ lone two defeats since 2010 have each come to Gorman in the playoffs, and they surrendered only 117 points in 12 games last year. Then, there is two-time defending Sunrise Regional champion Liberty.

Nacua brothers fulfill deceased father's wishes by committing to BYU football: Tuesday, June 26, 2012; high school recruiting:; By Ray Brewer; When Lionel Nacua returned home to Henderson after taking sons Kai and Isaiah to BYU on a football recruiting trip two months ago, he couldn’t hide his passion for the school.

UNLV football grabs another local recruit, receives verbal commitment from 2013 RB Niko Kapeli: Wednesday, May 30, 2012; high school recruiting:; By Ray Brewer; Niko Kapeli verbally committed to UNLV on Wednesday, becoming the Rebels’ first verbal commitment for the class of 2013. Kapeli was also recruited by Utah, New Mexico and Northern Arizona, but wanted to play for the hometown Rebels so his family could watch him play. Also, his brother, fullback Jordan Kapeli, will be a freshman walk-on at UNLV in the fall.

Taking a look at some marquee games on this year's high school football schedule: Tuesday, May 22, 2012; HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Powers Liberty, Palo Verde will hook up in one of the most anticipated nonleague games of the season; By Ray Brewer; When the Liberty High School football team hung tough with power Bishop Gorman for nearly three quarters in last year’s state semifinals, the Patriots immediately confirmed their status as one of the state’s top programs. They have won back-to-back Sunrise Regional titles and are riding a 16-game winning streak in league games.

From blue chip prospects to Division II recruits keeping the dream alive, signing day produced several memories in Las Vegas: Thursday, February 2, 2012; high school football:; By Ray Brewer; Every high school football player has a different story to share on national signing day. There are usually plenty of tears of joy, smiles and hugs from loved ones, and the look of relief on the faces of recruits as they officially commit to a college by signing a letter of intent. Getting to the day, which always falls on the first Wednesday of February, is typically easier said than done for the athletes. In Las Vegas, this year’s recruiting cycle produced more than its share of noteworthy events. Here are some of their stories:

Jared Tuilagi of Liberty headed to North Dakota football, to play against cousin each year: Monday, January 30, 2012; prep recruiting:; By Ray Brewer; Jared Tuilagi already has this college football game circled on his calendar. Tuilagi, an outside linebacker from Liberty High, verbally committed Monday to the University of North Dakota following a weekend visit. One glance at North Dakota’s schedule and Tuilagi can easily spot the game he’s looking forward to playing in the next four years — against Southern Utah.

Liberty football player P.J. Taeao picks Southern Utah: Sunday, January 29, 2012; prep recruiting:; By Ray Brewer; Liberty High senior lineman P.J. Taeao verbally committed to the Southern Utah University football program after a weekend recruiting trip. The 6-foot-1, 300-pound Taeao, who was a four-year starter up and excelled this past fall on both sides of the ball, will play defensive tackle at the next level.