East-West football is ‘what you want in a rivalry game’

But for both programs, this meeting runs deeper than neighborhood bragging rights.

“It’s great for the community,” Lakota East coach Jon Kitna said. “We don’t put much emphasis on one game more than another, but obviously we can use this to get ready for the playoffs. That’s really our focus — continuing to be our best as we go into the postseason.

“It’s exciting for the community, and it’s a great barometer for us.”

Credit: Nick Graham

Credit: Nick Graham

Kitna’s Thunderhawks have built their season around growth. With close to a dozen sophomores seeing significant playing time on both sides of the ball, East has been forced to learn quickly in the Greater Miami Conference gauntlet.

The Thunderhawks (6-3, 5-3 GMC) have won three of their last four games.

“We’ve got a lot of young guys — a sophomore quarterback, a sophomore left tackle, five new linemen up front, four new defensive linemen,” Kitna said. “But they’ve really grown up.

“I think the identity of our team is that we’re very physical, and that’s something I’m really proud of. These guys are a joy to coach, and it’s been fun watching them embrace the challenge.”

Across town, Tom Bolden’s Firebirds are once again among the area’s elite — a program that’s turned consistency into culture. The Firebirds (6-3, 6-2 GMC) have won six consecutive East-West meetings, but Bolden said that doesn’t change the tone of preparation.

“This is huge. You think about it — we’re a district with close to 6,000 high-school-aged students. That’s crazy,” said Bolden, who is in his seventh season at West. “When you’ve got a rivalry game in a district that big, it’s special.”

Bolden’s respect for Kitna — who is in his third season at East — and the Thunderhawks runs deep.

“I think Jon’s done a great job with them,” Bolden said. “They’ve got the Ryder Hooks kid — such an impressive football player, playing both sides of the ball. They’ve got a big, good-looking tight end who can run, an athletic receiver, a quarterback playing really well, a linebacker all over the field.

“We’ve got our work cut out for us. It’s a great challenge, but that’s what you want in a rivalry game.”

That Ryder Hooks kid leads the GMC with 1,443 rushing yards to go along with his 11 rushing touchdowns. Nile Knutson, Lakota East’s sophomore quarterback, runs a consistent offense — throwing for a conference second-best 1,772 yards with 15 touchdowns while completing nearly 75% of his passes.

Credit: Nick Graham

Credit: Nick Graham

Lakota West junior quarterback Jackson Smith is pretty consistent as well. He’s passed for 1,568 yards and 15 touchdowns with only three interceptions. His favorite receiver — senior Tyson Davis — returned last week against Oak Hills after missing four games with a leg injury.

“This is like a playoff game,” Bolden said. “That’s what I like about it. It’ll have a playoff vibe. There’ll be a ton of people, sidelines will be packed. It’s not only the district rivalry, but it’s a great tune-up for what’s ahead.”

For West, the formula remains simple — execute the fundamentals and let the emotion take care of itself.

“Bottom line offensively — we’ve got to take care of the football,” Bolden said. “They do a lot of things schematically on defense, so we’ve got to weather that and protect the ball. Defensively, we just have to execute our assignments and play to our ability. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a good chance.”

Kitna, meanwhile, sees the contest as another checkpoint in his team’s progression and a stage for his young players to keep maturing.

“They’re one of the better teams in Ohio, no question,” Kitna said. “We’re trying to use the way they do things as a measuring stick — as a model for us to keep getting better. It’s exciting for our kids and our community, and I’m proud of how far we’ve come.”

Credit: Nick Graham

Credit: Nick Graham