Correspondent file photo / Michael G. Taylor Liberty’s Dyionn Tutwiler (2) tries to shrug off a Campbell defender during the Leopards’ season-opening victory on Aug. 21 at Campbell.

LIBERTY — Liberty hasn’t had a winning season since 2018. The Leopards have been right on the cusp each of the past four years, winning four or five games each season while also making a few playoff appearances, but they haven’t quite been able to get over the hump.

So when new head coach Dom Prologo was hired in January, he was tasked with helping the program find success once again. Now with Liberty off to a 2-0 start this fall for the first time since 2009, Prologo’s rebuilding project seems well ahead of schedule.

“When I got the job, part of getting the job is you’ve got to do your research,” Prologo said. “So I did research our history a little bit to try to figure out things that we could use, as far as tradition and things like that. When I did the research, it was (shocking to me that it had been that long). It’s not now, but it was then.”

Liberty’s quick turnaround hasn’t come without plenty of sweat, blood and tears throughout the offseason.

Throughout his coaching career, Prologo has long sought to instill accountability, toughness, hard work and discipline amongst his players. It was the case when he was an assistant at Canfield, an assistant and head coach at Warren JFK, and it’s no different now that he’s the head coach at Liberty.

“We talked about accountability and discipline, and everything we did from day one was on a cadence,” Prologo said. “The accountability and discipline was a culture shock. The work that it was going to take to become a championship program was a culture shock.

“When I got hired, the first thing we did was I sat down with the kids and we talked about what our culture is — we’re going to have 5:15 a.m. workouts throughout the winter and spring. That was a culture shock, having to get up at five in the morning and get here and be ready to go to have a good lift day. Obviously, the guys that bought in are the guys that are here.”

Prologo’s approach wasn’t for everyone, though. At the start of June, Liberty had roughly 49 kids on the team. But by the end of summer leading up to the season, that number had dwindled to 31.

“Some of those were their decisions. Some were mine,” Prologo said.

Two of the players who stuck around, juniors Dawaun Moody and Dyionn Tutwiler, are reaping the benefits of their hard work this offseason and have each been vital parts of Liberty’s success so far.

While Moody was a known commodity for Liberty as one of the team’s best players each of the previous two seasons, Tutwiler’s performances have been a pleasant surprise for the Leopards.

So far, Tutwiler is leading the team in rushing with 275 yards and three touchdowns in two games. He’s averaging 137.5 yards per game and had a 55-yard touchdown run in Liberty’s shutout win over Niles last week. He also leads the team with seven total tackles.

“Since freshman, sophomore year, I wasn’t really getting any looks. Coaches were kind of overlooking me and wasn’t using me,” Tutwiler said. “But it feels good to be able to have coaches that can use me in all different ways now.”

Moody has done a little bit of everything for the Leopards. Not only does he have 149 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the ground, but he also has 87 receiving yards and a score, an interception and five tackles.

“Last year, I was usually the only person who could consistently hold the ball. So having somebody who could, when I come out, do the same thing I do on the field, it feels good,” Moody said of his on-field partnership with Tutwiler.

Prologo’s coaching philosophy has always centered around defense and Liberty’s has delivered. The Leopards have shut out each of their first two opponents in Campbell and Niles, while also forcing a combined eight turnovers so far.

“I was really excited. We got two defensive touchdowns and we’ve got two shutouts,” Prologo said. “Again, it’s the kids buying into what we’re preaching and we’re preaching that we want to be the most physical team. We want to play great defense, and on offense, we want to impose our will.”

Liberty’s next test tonight is a familiar one for Prologo, as the Leopards play a “road” game against Warren JFK. (The Eagles play their home games at Leopards Stadium.)

Prologo spent three years as head coach at Kennedy and was an assistant on former Eagles coach Jeff Bayuk’s staff for several years before that.

“I have a lot of great memories at Kennedy,” Prologo said. “I spent nine years there. I felt like Coach Bayuk and I, we brought back that tradition that Coach (Tony) Napolet had there. But at the same time, I’m coaching at Liberty, and I’ve got a great relationship with the kids that are here.”

Despite leading the Eagles to three straight regional championships and two state runner-up finishes, Prologo stepped down as head coach at JFK in early 2023.

“I left there, they didn’t leave me,” Prologo said with a smile. “I’ll give you a quote that our kids have said, and that is, ‘The disrespect will be addressed.’ That’s their quote, not mine.”