Jude Thomas

After winning the Battle of 109 on Oct. 6, junior Drue Kitchen kisses the Mayor’s Cup. On a two year winning streak now, the Lancer’s win against Eureka marked the first time the Lancers beat the Wildcats in consecutive games for over a decade.

After beating Lindbergh 34-24, Oct. 20, Lafayette was crowned as Conference Champions. They head to the postseason with an 8-1 record.

They are seeded 2nd behind Marquette, who hold a 7-2 record. The Mustangs are seeded ahead of Lafayette because they beat the Lancers 13-10, Aug. 28.

Head Coach Boyd Manne attributes their regular season success to team unity.

“We’ve got a great bunch of young men that have worked really hard. We’ve got great team chemistry. The kids play for one another and our offense is moving and our defense is playing with great intensity and we’re doing well in the kicking game. So I think that’s really helped to our success,” Manne said. 

Junior and quarterback Jack Behl, who has passed for over 1125 yards this season, believes their opener loss to Marquette motivated their eight-game win streak. 

“We expected to win districts obviously, and the loss against Marquette lit a fire in us and gave us the momentum to keep winning,” Behl said. 

On Nov. 3, the Lancers will play the winner of Francis Howell vs. Vianney in the Class 6 District 2 Semifinals. As Conference Champions, the Lancers will get a 1st round bye. 

Senior Zae Jones, who plays wide receiver, running back and cornerback, has scored 14 touchdowns this season. Jones has high expectations for the Lancers’ postseason.

“Going into this postseason [we are] most likely gonna be playing against Francis Howell. We have to dial in every day leading up to the game and I think we will get the job done. The final goal is to beat Francis Howell and progress on after them and hopefully to try to win State,” Jones said. 

Despite the good performances, Jones said that he is happy but not satisfied, and could do better. 

“I definitely think, I could do better than what I’ve put on the field so far but, it’s a mental game, things happen and I’m still just working to be the best I can every day,” Jones said. 

Coach Manne believes that winning State is a possibility and the team is capable of winning it. 

“Our final goal is to be a District Champion and to be a State Champion. But obviously, it’s really tough to do, but we’re gonna work each week to see what we can do and compete against ourselves and just try to keep getting better every week,” Coach Manne said.