West Clermont travels to Lakota East for the WCPO 9 Friday Football Game of the Week

LIBERTY TOWNSHIP, Ohio – The Lakota East football team enjoyed a resurgence this year after just one win in 2023.

“Especially this season, it was great to just turn it around. It was really fun to watch and experience a culture change,” Lakota East senior quarterback JT Kitna said.

Lakota East (7-3), the No. 8 seed in Division I, Region 4, hosts No. 9 West Clermont (7-3) in a first-round playoff game on Friday at 7 p.m. The winner will play No. 1 seed Moeller (9-1) or No. 16 seed Sycamore (1-9) in a regional quarterfinal on Nov. 8.

West Clermont is seeking its first postseason win since the program began in 2017.

Lakota East has a chance to earn its first playoff win since October 9, 2020.

Former NFL player Jon Kitna, JT's father, said the East program has changed in his second year at the helm. Lakota East has posted a 7-3 record in 2023 after a 1-9 record.

“We believe better people make better players,” Jon Kitna said. “The players, their families and my staff have accepted this. It takes a lot of energy.”

The offseason made a big difference. Players' commitment to 6 a.m. workouts beginning in the 2023 season has never wavered. Winter and spring sports also had an impact.

“It’s a four-year development of these young men for their bodies and their minds,” Jon Kitna said. “That was the biggest key for us. The catalyst for us. Leadership has developed in the weight room. I love the weight room because the bar never lies.”

All of these elements have prepared the Thunderhawks for the postseason, which begins this week.

“Going from 1-9 to 7-3 is exciting for these guys,” Kitna said. “We have experienced many ups and downs along the way over the last two years as we tried to learn how to consistently perform at our best. But they accepted it. And it was really great.”

The Thunderhawks are led by several players, including JT Kitna, who has thrown for 2,205 yards and 22 touchdowns. The verbal commit from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) also rushed for 184 yards and four touchdowns.

“I’m proud of him because he doesn’t really listen to the noise,” Jon Kitna said. “He is very confident about his purpose and God’s will for his life.”

Junior running back Ryder Hooks rushed for 993 yards and nine touchdowns. Junior wide receiver Zion Neal has 36 receptions for 554 yards and seven touchdowns. Neal is one of five receivers with more than 20 receptions this season.

“That’s what I love about our guys on offense: They’re unselfish,” Kitna said. “You have to be in our system. Our system will not single out a single man.”

Defensively, senior linebacker Cohen Reip has 118 tackles (67 solo), including 10 tackles for loss.

“He’s a tackling machine,” Kitna said. “He plays from sideline to sideline. I think he learned the game better this year. He learned to trust his teammates more to do their jobs.”

Senior defensive back Connor Kruse has 91 tackles (52 solo) and four interceptions.

Kitna said the defensive line also improved “astronomically” this year.

“I don’t care who you play — it’s all about the line play, the offensive line and the defensive line,” Kitna said.

That will be the deciding Friday night against West Clermont, which is enjoying its first winning season since 2017.

“Their offensive line is big and massive,” Kitna said. “And they run the ball really effectively in their scheme. And then they have a three-man front in defense that really takes it upon themselves and causes you problems. So we have to control the line of attack on both sides.”

The Wolves have won five of their last six games, with their only loss during that span coming on Oct. 11 at Winton Woods (12-7).

“I’m really proud of the guys,” West Clermont coach Ben Moorman said. “They worked really hard all year.”

Jim Kearns

Moorman said the Wolves have been confident since January that they can play with anyone.

“They’re proud of the work they’ve done,” Moorman said.

The Wolves pride themselves on playing really good defense and running the football on offense with some passes.

Offensively, the key was getting the football into the hands of senior quarterback Bo Rickman and junior running back Landon Young.

Rickman rushed for 912 yards and 12 touchdowns. Young rushed for 1,344 yards and nine touchdowns.

“We want them to be on the field as much as possible,” Moorman said.

Senior Zander Hauck is a versatile player who recorded 80 all-purpose yards in a Week 10 win at Little Miami. Moorman said Hauck is a “jack of all trades” who is a wide receiver, defensive back, punter and special teams returner.

Defensively, veteran fullback Julian Hinkston has 72 tackles (41 solo) and one fumble recovery.

“Julian has come a long way since his sophomore year,” Moorman said. “He is one of the team leaders. He was great.”

Hinkston also had success on special teams. Moorman said Hinkston's contributions have been “spectacular.”

“He’s everywhere,” Moorman said. “He plays with really good leverage and really good speed.”

Junior defensive end Caillou Robinson (6-2, 250) has 53 tackles (33 solo), eight sacks, 11.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble. Robinson also became the program's career sacks leader that season.

“His motor is just incredible,” Moorman said. “He has overcome some injuries. He never missed a game or a snap.”

Senior cornerback Daeveon Bennett has a team-leading three interceptions.

“He’s really grown tremendously,” Moorman said. “He played wide receiver last year. This year we moved him to defense. He ranks second in the ECC for interceptions.”

Moorman, the Wolves' defensive coordinator last season, was the special teams coordinator in 2022. He said this has been a special journey this season.

“The kids really tried hard throughout the season,” Moorman said. “They’re really excited about the opportunity” Friday night.

Moorman said Lakota East will be a challenge on the road, but the Wolves are determined to compete.

“Anytime you play in the GMC, it’s a gauntlet of a conference,” Moorman said. “They played against seven really good teams and beat them. The key is to make sure we stay together and connected.”

SIGN UP: Subscribe to our university sports newsletter