Preview: Football vs. Leavenworth

In their first postseason game, the second seed Lancers will take on the seventh seed Leavenworth Pioneers tonight at 7 p.m. The teams met earlier this season, when East handled Leavenworth 34-0 in their first game of the year.

Despite their first win over Leavenworth, the Lancers are still expecting a challenge from the squad. Leading this offense is Jason Randall, a running back who leads the Sunflower League in rushing yards. With 1,285 running yards on the season, Randall has been effective in breaking down defenses throughout his senior season. Randall will provide a challenge for experienced East defensive players like junior Kyle Ball and senior Dominique Atkinson.

On the offensive side, the Lancers will focus on passing with junior quarterback Gunnar Englund at the helm. Englund led the team to a victory in last week’s win over SM North with two passing touchdowns. Leavenworth focuses mainly on blitzing and attacking the quarterback, and East will rely on offensive line players such as junior center Will Kaiser to protect their junior quarterback.

The Lancers will also rely on their running backs’ typical consistency. East provides a wide spread of reliable running backs, including juniors Sam Huffman and Jackson Gossick and seniors Mitchell Tyler, Luke Taylor and Micah Dodson

Kickoff starts at 7 p.m. at SM North District Stadium and the theme for the student section is neon. Can’t make it to the game? Watch the live broadcast here.

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