Colin Hogan is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Liberty High School for AZPreps365.

On Friday nights, Liberty does not just typically win, they dominate. At the core of their dominance is a brotherhood, which has been built on toughness, discipline, leadership commitment and composure. 

Since taking over as the head coach of Liberty’s football program in 2020, Colin Thomas has set the program on an exponential path toward national prominence.

Winning is all Thomas has done in his time as the head coach. As the leader of the pack, Thomas is 50-10, which includes back-to-back Open Divison championships in 2023 and 2024. 

“We obviously want to win championships, but also we want to represent our school the right way,” Thomas said. “Then we want to help promote and educate our young men, so when they leave here they can go do whatever they want.”

While winning championships is key, Thomas said his biggest goal is developing the kids into strong young men.

“I think the kids are gonna leave here with tremendous work ethic and a tremendous understanding of what teamwork is,” Thomas said. 

This work ethic and understanding of teamwork all stem from Thomas’ motto of TDLC2, which stands for toughness, discipline, leadership, commitment and composure. As the team’s understanding of this motto grows, a family is formed. 

“The brotherhood that is there has been built up for years and years,” junior tight end Kamden Segall said. “The discipline throughout that freshman, JV, and varsity level is all the same. There are no exceptions.”

Coming in as a transfer student from Saguaro, Segall said he could tell Liberty was different immediately. He said his coaches and teammates welcomed him with open arms and he felt right at home instantly.  

Segall contributed a spark to Thomas' offense, which averaged over 40 points per game for the third season in a row. In just eight games, Segall caught 37 passes for 525 yards and six touchdowns.

Offensive dominance has become a norm in Thomas' time at Liberty. Before being the head coach, Thomas was hired by former head coach Mark Smith in 2015 to be the team's offensive coordinator. 

In his five years as offensive coordinator, the offense averaged nearly 37 points. This stint included a 2019 6A state championship where the offense averaged 47 points in the playoffs. 

Assistant coach Ian Gardner said Thomas’ knowledge is contagious, and it makes the kids much smarter football players. Gardner said the football IQ of Thomas and his offensive mind have helped revolutionize Liberty’s football program.

“It is pretty hard to learn that offense, but once they get it you can see the results on Friday nights,” Gardner said. “It is really impressive.”

However, Thomas said success on Friday nights in the fall starts in the dog days of summer. The hours of work and preparation done in July is what leads to the results in December, Thomas said.

“On Friday nights, we want to play free and fast,” Thomas said. “More times than not our guys have been able to do that over the past few years.”

Winning has become the standard at Liberty and the groundwork for another successful season is already being laid, Thomas said.  

“The connectivity that we have as a program and that brotherhood. We use that word a lot, but we really mean it, and our guys and the ones that live it,” Thomas said. “If you play here then you are our brother, and we are going to support you and be there for you through the thick and thin.”