CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — AJ Harman proudly wore the uniform of the Liberty Mountaineers before graduating from the Clarksburg-based school in 2005. Harman worked his way up from an assistant coach and was named the head coach of his alma mater in 2014. In the 51 years of the program, three of the nine playoff appearances and one of the two postseason wins came under Harman’s leadership.
The team and the school Harman has been proud to represent will close its doors next spring with Liberty students set to merge into nearby Robert C. Byrd High School in the fall of 2025.
“Like they say, you don’t really know what you have until you are losing it,” Harman said.
“Certainly, I am just trying to enjoy each day out here with these guys on this field, wearing these colors and being with my family, being with Coach [Randy] Gorby and this coaching staff. This will be my eleventh year as head coach. This has been the best eleven years of my life. My girls have grown up and all they have known is Liberty football since the day they were born. It is just something that is special to me since the time I was old enough to hang on the fence for the ball games at Hite Field. It just means the world to me to still be here for this last season. I am not going to take a day for granted.”
In their final season, the Mountaineers will take the field in honor and remembrance of longtime assistant coach Ryan Lantz. Lantz was killed in an automobile accident on the Liberty campus in February.
“Losing Coach Lantz has been hard. He is certainly on our hearts and on our mind all the time. I also think we are at a point now where we can smile and remember the lessons we learned, some of his jokes and things he brought to the field. I think it is important to continue talking about him and lift all those lessons and values he taught to the kids, me and everybody. We’ll let that carry on.”
Last season, the Mountaineers posted a 5-5 record. Three of their five losses came by six points or less.
“It was exciting last year, definitely some close games. That Philip Barbour game was a one-point game [42-41] with a really good team right here at home. The kids did a lot of good things. They battled and they fought. I think they learned how to win.”
Sophomore quarterback Isaiah Heflin returns for his second season as the starting signal caller.
“It is hard for a freshman to step in and take the lead and be a quarterback on a football team. You have to be another coach on the field. This June has been so much smoother with the offensive install and him understanding the reads.”
Liberty will employ Stick-I and pistol rushing attacks with junior Quinten Hilliard and senior Landon Clevenger supplying a mix of speed and power.
“Our philosophy with running the football is that we want to get four yards at a time, take care of the ball and stay in front of the chains. Landon is a guy the is going to get those big legs up and find a way to get four yards most of the time if we do what we are supposed to do in front of him.
“Quinten, what a leader he has been this offseason. He has gotten so much stronger and become more vocal. He’s got his buddies on the right track. He is a little speedster. He is more of a home run threat. He is deceptively strong for his size.”
With a rapidly declining enrollment, Liberty will play their final season in the new Class AA. Although the Mountaineers expect to have a roster size in the mid-20’s, Harman is confident that the 2024 edition of Liberty football will represent the school well.
“There’s not a lot of us so we have to be here everyday learning and preparing ourselves. A lot of these guys are going to have to play offense, defense and special teams. Being the last season we’ve got here presents a special opportunity for us to be remembered and to leave a legacy.”