The Lakota West football team looks to bounce back this Friday after an opening season loss at the hands of St. Xavier, 14-7. 

Team Comparison

Both Mason and West opened up their seasons by scoring 7 points in a loss, respectively, as Mason fell to Springboro 21-7. Mason brings in a new starting quarterback, D’Angelo Birch, a transfer from Princeton, and a familiar foe to the Firebirds. Birch and the Vikings defeated the Firebirds last season 14-6, being the only team to knock off West throughout the regular season. 

Quarterback Comparison

While having an impressive resume as Princeton’s starting quarterback his sophomore and junior year, Birch struggled heavily in Mason’s opener, going 6/19 with just 44 yards passing. Birch will look to right his wrongs as he takes on another tall task with the Firebird defense, one that held St. Xavier’s high-powered offense to just 14 points. Cam Thomas, DJ Edwards, Judah Blair, and Andrew Fryer make up one of the most dangerous linebacking cores in all of Ohio. On the opposite end, Lakota West starting quarterback Jackson Smith will look to continue building varsity experience after his first game of his junior campaign resulted in him going 11/18 for 83 yards, a touchdown, and an interception.

Keys to the Game

West must come out ready to win after their first loss. They must win the battle of the trenches and get Smith comfortable on offense early. As long as their offense can score more than 20 points, their talent-heavy defense should be more than capable of shutting down Mason’s lackluster offense.

For Mason to win, their defense has to play an exceptionally great game and force Smith to become uncomfortable by blitzing and containing his quick pass options. The Comets offense will have to play more energized if they want any chance at pulling off the upset at Lakota West. 

Prediction: Lakota West 31, Mason 0