SPENCERVILLE-It was tough sledding for the Bearcats last week as they took one on the chin against Allen East 56-6. The road doesn’t get any easier this week as they visit the state ranked Thunderbirds on Thursday night.
LCC comes into Thursday night with a record of 6-0 for the first time since the 2018 season. They are also ranked second in the division 7 state polls and has a first year head coach in Colin Stolly.
“The transition has been easier than anticipated,” said LCC head coach Colin Stolly. “I was fortunate enough to keep our entire coaching staff together and also add 3 new coaches. This has helped me tremendously, I believe our coaching staff is one of the best in the area. Second, our kids at LCC are great, they have really bought into our program on a different level, I am extremely proud of all of them. Lastly our school community has really been backing us since the first week and it has been a lot of fun so far.”
The T-Birds have been run heavy this year that has them ranked second in the NWC in total yards per game at 373.5 with 225 of those coming on the ground. It’s been by committee as Carter Lester has 38 carries for 232 yards and 4 touchdowns. Junior signal caller Brady Parker has shown the ability to be a dual threat as he has thrown 35 of 54 passes for 594 yards with 6 touchdowns and 1 interceptions to go along with 43 carries for 479 yards and 6 touchdowns.
“We have been extremely physical up front and that is truly where we base our program,” said Stolly. “It’s a lot easier to do when you have 5 linemen up front willing to do whatever it takes to win games.”
Defensively LCC has been flying around as they have given up 12.3 points per game which is good for the top spot in the NWC while giving up 220 yards a game that is ranked second behind Grove in the NWC. They also forced 2 turnovers a game.
LCC knows just how one week can change if they don’t play their best against the Bearcats on Thursday.
“It’s high school football, anything can happen on any given Friday and if you don’t play your best every single Friday there is a chance that you get beat,” said Stolly. “Being prepared for your opponent in front of you is the most important thing. We always talk about going 1 and 0 each week.”
Stolly talked about the keys to victory on Thursday.
- Be more physical on both sides of the ball.
- Defensively be gap sound and be a disciplined defense.
- Offensively take what they are giving us and don’t turn the ball over.
If you can’t make it to the game tune in to Zsports 3 as Nate Stidham and Shane Falke have all the action with the Miami Erie propane pregame show at 6:30pm followed by kickoff at 7pm.
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