LA CRESCENT – Its record may not have shown it, but the La Crescent-Hokah High School football team was secretly one of the stronger teams in the area at the end of 2023.
The Lancers lost their first five games and allowed an average of 43 points, but things started to look up in October, picking up two regular season wins and a playoff win over PEM to bring their record to 3-7.
What could help the Lancers avoid another slow start? Coach Terry Donovan believes the 22 seniors – 15 of whom are returning starters – will get the team on track early. La Crescent-Hokah starts the season Friday against Lake City.
“We got off to a rocky start last year and struggled to get going,” Donovan said. “Once we got going, we ended up playing pretty good football. We believe that a senior group that is in its third year with the program can take advantage of that and hit the ground running pretty quickly this fall.”
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The Lancers rely on experience in the running game. After averaging just 2.4 yards per carry last year, Donovan is confident in seniors Easton Stivarius and Andrew Hanson playing behind an offensive line that is replacing just one starter.
“We’re hoping we can run the ball a lot better than we did last year,” Donovan said. “That was one of the things we needed early. Up front, we have four of our five offensive linemen back. That’s a bonus, too.”
Despite being in the system for three seasons, Hanson and Stivarius were not used much even in 2023. The duo combined for only eight of the Lancers’ 201 appearances.
Senior Drew Todd moves from wide receiver to quarterback, replacing graduate transfer AJ Donovan. Todd doesn’t have to worry about 1,000-yard receiver Brady Grupa, but there is a trio of senior wideouts in Mayes Boyer, Alex Von Arx and Ethan Myhre sharing targets. Boyer had nine catches for 121 yards and a touchdown last season. Myhre’s main contribution at La Crescent-Hokah is on defense, where he enters his third season as a starting cornerback in the lineup.
The defense is expected to be carried by veteran defensive linemen D’Ontai Brocks and Lucas Dykman. Brocks, who also returns as an offensive tackle, is an impressive force in the trenches at 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds.
“D’Ontai Brocks will be a star for us,” said Donovan. “He’s a really good player. Lucas Dykman, also in attack, will solidify our line.”
The Lancers’ roster is filled with two-way players. Their two starting running backs, Stivarius and Hanson, will also play linebacker alongside senior Leyton Johnson. Von Arx will play free safety in the secondary alongside Myhre.
You can reach James Krause via email at [email protected] or on Twitter at @jkrausepro.
