BRENTWOOD — Everything looked so effortless for Los Gatos.
The Wildcats’ offense, known for its explosiveness and creative schemes, had no trouble against one of the East Bay’s top defenses on Friday night.
In what has historically been a mostly competitive game between the two schools on opposite corners of the Bay Area, Los Gatos rolled past Liberty 35-7 in a game that never felt in doubt.
Los Gatos quarterback Callum Schweitzer (7) runs for a touchdown against Liberty in the second quarter of their game at Liberty High School in Brentwood, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
Los Gatos (1-1) scored 28 unanswered points in the second quarter to seal a road win in front of a packed crowd at the Brentwood school.
The Wildcats bounced back after falling in a heartbreaker to Santa Cruz powerhouse Soquel last week.
“We had a tough loss last week and we just kept going,” Los Gatos quarterback Callum Schweitzer said. “We didn’t give up and we had a chip on our shoulder this week for sure. I think that was big.”
Schweitzer threw for two touchdowns and rushed for another. Running backs Devonte Troutt and Grayson Doslak also had rushing scores.
The Wildcats’ defense shut down Liberty’s rush-heavy attack and stopped the Lions through the air. Defensive backs Bryce Novinsky and Braddock Boyer each had an interception, and senior Simon Panu had a thumping sack.
Los Gatos’ Simon Panu (71) sacks Liberty quarterback Robert Ellsworth (14) in the second quarter of their game at Liberty High School in Brentwood, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
“I just think our defense played lights out tonight,” Los Gatos coach Mark Krail said. “We got guys who can run around and hit a little bit, and we’re not afraid to be physical.”
The Wildcats opened their first possession going three-and-out, but the South Bay school didn’t struggle to move the ball after that.
Beau Musser opened the game’s scoring when he caught a contested 31-yard touchdown from Schweitzer near the right front pylon early in the second quarter.
“If you got Beau in man coverage, he’s going to make a play,” Schweitzer said.
Los Gatos head coach Mark Krail gestures to the officials while playing Liberty in the first quarter of their game at Liberty High School in Brentwood, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
On the ensuing possession, Bryce Novinsky picked off a deep Liberty pass and Los Gatos made good on the momentum-shifting play. The Wildcats completed a four-play, 60-yard drive that ended with Schweitzer jogging into the end zone untouched from 31 yards out.
Another stop gave the ball back to Los Gatos, which then led to a five-yard rushing score from Troutt to put the Wildcats up 21-0.
With under a minute left in the half, Liberty had to punt from deep in its own territory, giving Los Gatos just enough time to put the game away for good.
Los Gatos executed a perfect play to end the second quarter as Schweitzer found senior Max Thomas on a slant route just as the clock hit zero to end the half.
“We stopped kicking ourselves and shooting ourselves in the foot,” Krail said of his team’s second quarter explosion. “I don’t know if they were just over-amped to get going, but it just wasn’t too sharp right away. But then we settled in and the defense got a stop down in the red zone. We converted a couple of third downs on that drive and I thought Callum played really well.”
The final nail in the coffin came early in the third quarter after Los Gatos completed a 12-play, 56-yard drive that ended with a three-yard rushing touchdown from Doslak.
Los Gatos’ Max Thomas (0) scores a touchdown in the end zone while being tackled by Liberty’s Keamalu Monteilh (5) in the second quarter of their game at Liberty High School in Brentwood, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
A week after beating state champion Frontier-Bakersfield last week, Liberty suffered its worst non-league loss since they were defeated 66-12 by San Ramon Valley two years ago.
Liberty coach Mike Cable said his team struggled to match Los Gatos’ execution.
“It was a combination of almost everything,” Cable said. “They didn’t really do anything different that we weren’t prepared for. They just started executing when our guys stopped, and then momentum started to become a real thing. And it was tough for our guys to overcome that.”
Liberty (1-1) will get a chance to bounce back next week when the Lions travel to Tracy.
Los Gatos’ schedule won’t get easier as the Wildcats will travel 165 miles to play Clovis next Friday.
The Liberty High School cheer team performs during half-time at Liberty High School in Brentwood, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
Liberty’s Jameson Wolfe (3) makes a catch in front of Los Gatos’ Devonte Troutt (22) in the first quarter of their game at Liberty High School in Brentwood, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
Los Gatos’ Garrett Bertsch (54) raises up quarterback Callum Schweitzer (7) as he celebrates scoring a touchdown against Liberty in the second quarter of their game at Liberty High School in Brentwood, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
Los Gatos’ Devonte Troutt (22) knocks down an official while running for yardage against Liberty in the second quarter of their game at Liberty High School in Brentwood, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
Los Gatos’ Devonte Troutt (22) knocks down an official while running for yardage against Liberty in the second quarter of their game at Liberty High School in Brentwood, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
Los Gatos’ Devonte Troutt (22) knocks down an official while running for yardage against Liberty in the second quarter of their game at Liberty High School in Brentwood, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
Liberty head coach Mike Cable puts his hands on his knees while watching his players play Los Gatos in the first quarter of their game at Liberty High School in Brentwood, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
Liberty quarterback Robert Ellsworth (14) throws a pass under pressure against Los Gatos in the third quarter of their game at Liberty High School in Brentwood, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
