The Ballard High School football team opened its season Sept. 5 on the wrong side of a blowout against Liberty High School at Memorial Stadium.

The Beavers were outplayed on both sides of the ball and handicapped themselves with penalties and mistakes on their way to a 43-7 loss.

It was not the debut hoped for by first-year Ballard head coach John Bowers, who previously coached at Western Washington University and Bothell High School.

Bowers said he takes the blame for the team's performance and that the Ballard coaches need to do a better job of coaching to make sure the team is prepared and ready to compete.

"My main concern is myself," he said.

But, Bowers said there is a bright spot to Friday's loss.

"Everything that happened is fixable and can be fixed quickly with a great week of practice," he said.

Liberty's offense found the end zone on its first three possessions, running the score to 21-0 less than a minute into the second quarter, while Ballard's defense looked unable to stop the pass or the run.

The only positive for Ballard's defense in the first half was a blocked field goal before halftime that kept Liberty from scoring on its fourth consecutive possession.

Meanwhile, the Beaver offense was stalled by the Liberty defense and penalties. Ballard managed a few first downs in the half, but never threatened to score.

Late in the third quarter, Ballard senior quarterback Carlos Stanley was replaced with sophomore Dominique Downey. Downey moved the offense down the field with a series of big passes and energized the Beaver faithful in the stands, but an interception ended the drive and quieted the crowd.

Ballard's only points would come on a fumble returned for a touchdown by senior defensive back Julian Montante half way through the fourth quarter, but by that time, Liberty had put the game away at 36-7.

There was personnel confusion during Liberty's first point-after attempt, leaving Ballard momentarily three players short.

At one point, a snap sailed far over the head of senior punter Mitch Wall giving Liberty excellent field position, and at another, the snap got by Downey, leading to a safety.

The Ballard football team plays again at 7 p.m. Sept. 12 at Skyline against Skyline High School.

Michael Harthorne can be reached at 783-1244 or michaelh@robsinsonnews.com.