What a difference a year makes.
Sure, that’s a broad statement, but when you’re talking high school football, a year can really make a difference. Just ask Lakeview head coach Lee Coleman.
The Lions (9-1, No. 5 seed) are a completely different team from a year ago, and Coleman attributes the change to a different mentality.
“They understand what it takes to win,” he said. “They understand the family aspect; they play together and hang around each other. They’re always doing things with one another. Their bond and the way they play for one another is incredible. These guys are the epitome of iron sharpening iron. They want to compete against each other, and we’re just getting better because of it.”
The results prove everything Coleman just said. Compared to the 2023 season, the Lions are scoring 15 more points per game and giving up 10 less. They allowed Bethlehem Christian to score 41 last season and held them to 17 in 2024. They lost to George Walton last season but beat them this season. All these are evidence of a program on the rise.
However, all of those stats mean nothing now. It’s all about Deerfield-Windsor (7-3), the No. 4 seed in the Class 3A playoffs. The two meet in the quarterfinals of the GIAA Class 3A playoffs in Albany, Ga. Friday night. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
“They bring size, and they are just balanced offensively,” Coleman said about the Knights. “And when I say balanced, the quarterback has thrown for 2,100 yards, the running back has rushed for 1200 yards, and they have a receiver at 900 yards receiving. So it's hard to say what they do better because the quarterback, running back, and receiver are leading Class 3A GIAA stats.”
Knights’ QB Jr. Lane Sceals (6-foot-3, 180 pounds) has been very efficient this season, completing 142 of 219 passes for 2,161 yards, 19 TDs and only one interception.
He also has three big targets to play catch with in Gabe Daniel (6-foot-2, 48-915 yards rec. 9 TDs), David Hutchins (6-foot-3, 32-397 yards rec. 4 TDs) and David Hatcher (6-foot-5, 20-362 yards rec. 4 TDs).
“The quarterback does a phenomenal job of not making mistakes,” Coleman said. “So that's the first thing that keeps them afloat because he doesn't turn the ball over. He has one interception on the year. When you watch him on film, he takes what every defense gives. If he doesn’t have the shot, he takes the check down and gets them the ball right when needed. And they have size [at receiver]. They have three: 6-foot-5, 6-foot-3, and 6-foot-2. So, they will put their body on you and do a great job with that.”
Regardless of their size at receiver, Coleman is confident in his secondary, led by Kyari Burch, who has six interceptions this season, Keelan Harper, Mahki Burch and Jr. Thompson. The Lions have nine total picks on the season and have forced 15 turnovers as a unit.
“I like our match-up with them throwing the football, and we're preaching to our guys that they will have the opportunity to make plays. You just have to go make the plays.”
The Lions' defense is solid across the board, piling up 58 tackles for a loss and nine sacks to go with those 15 turnovers as mentioned above.
Linebackers Ryker Kohler, Ricky Brown and Jacob Kelley lead the team in tackles. DJ Whitcomb has also pleasantly surprised Coleman, totaling 25 tackles and leading the team in TFLs with 10.
“DJ is playing out of his mind. And if he can dominate the line of scrimmage like he's been doing with Jackson Kohler (54 tkls, 6 TFLs) coming off the edge, we can be good at stopping the run,” Coleman said.
Offensively, the Lions have several playmakers, starting with QB Kyari Burch. He’s passed for 1,814 yards, 18 TDs and four interceptions. He also rushed for another 301 yards and three scores.
“He’s been exceptional this season,” Coleman said about Burch. “You can just tell the difference with the way he throws the football, and some of that comes from he's got stronger. But I told him yesterday that I need you running more to win these playoff games. I’m not saying you always have to tuck it because we have the dynamic receivers, but your legs are an asset that people don't account for, and that's just the gift that you have. But I love that he looks to throw it because he can."
Behind him is Ryker Kohler, who leads the team with 86 rushes for 680 yards and 12 TDs, and Colin Waldrop returns from injury to give the Lions another option at running back. In the receiving corps, Thompson leads the Lions with 42 catches for 680 yards and nine TDs, and Nesean Dorsey has hauled in 495 yards on 29 targets and six TDs. Jace Forrest also returns from injury this week, giving the Lions one more solid target downfield.
Coleman pointed to the biggest key to winning on Friday, saying the turnover battle is most important.
“The key is to win the turnover battle. I told our guys that the team with the fewest mistakes will win the ball game; the most physical, least mistake-stricken team will win,” he said. “And I think if we just play solid football away, we can play fast and physical and eliminate our mistakes. I think we will be Okay.”
