Lion FB dominates early season
By Tristan Butts and AJ Truman
September 20, 2023
The Lions just finished off non-conference play. Dominating with a 4-0 record, they beat multiple A schools and had an overall point differential of 182-6.
Two Class A teams that the Lion football defeated were the Whitefish Bulldogs and the Bonners Ferry Badgers. The Montana Class B teams defeated were the Fairfield Eagles and the Cut Bank Wolves from the Northern Conference.
Although non-conference games don’t affect the seeding of the playoffs, they are vital to a team’s confidence and success. The non-conference games give teams the chance to build and work on the plays and plans they need to do before the real challenge begins.
Conference games determine the playoff seeding and every conference game is a must win for the Lions. The Lions play in the Western B Conference with Florence-Carlton, Loyola, Whitehall, Anaconda, and Thompson Falls.
The West has been a traditionally dominant conference, with three teams appearing in the semi-finals each of the last two years. A team from the Western Conference winning the State B Championship five times since 2016. Florence won the past two championships, while Eureka has won the State B title in 2016, 2017, and 2019.
The Lions have two highly anticipated matchups coming up, with them playing Loyola (#3 team in Class B according to montanasports.com) this Friday at home and then traveling to Florence (#1 team in Class B according to the same site) on October 6th. These games are what the Eureka Lion football team has been working for all season (as well as summer lifting and camps) and will truly determine the balance of power in the west.
The Lions have dominated both sides of the ball this year, scoring over 45 points per game on average as well as only allowing 6 points thus far, the least out of any class B school. A possible key to the Lion's success is in the distribution of talent throughout the roster The Lions have 14 seniors this year and 8 returning starters from 2022. This brings experience and dedication that can only be achieved with this type of roster. The ball has been distributed throughout the lineup on offense so that defenses cannot key on one or two players. The Lions have three senior class receivers with at least 100 yards receiving (Tristan Butts, Braden Casazza, Tyson Budree) and 4 players over 100 yards rushing (three seniors - Caden Pecora, Butts, AJ Truman, and junior Jesse Day).
The Lions defense has been stifling to start the year as well, only allowing two field goals the whole season. The Lion defense has been stout through and through but is led by Casazza with 3 sacks, senior Jonus Holm with 28 tackles, and Butts with 2 Interceptions.
The Lions have great athletes spread throughout the roster and hope to keep improving every week on the road to an eventual state championship victory on November 18th.
Eureka will host the Loyola Rams on September 22, 2023 game. Loyola has become a big rivalry for the Lions football program. The Lions won their first state championship on Loyola's home field in 2016, and since then it has been a fierce rivalry every year. Since the class of 2024 has been in the football program, the Lions have never lost to Loyola and this year's team does not plan on breaking that trend. Since the 2016 championship, Lion football has taken its performance to the next level and it was all sparked by the championship over Loyola seven years ago. So, every year this game means a lot to the individuals and coaches who all know and remember where the dynasty really started.
“Jonus says he is extremely confident in our game against Loyola and says as long has we play with high intensity and stay focused we will win”
Holm was asked about keys to winning a State Championship he said “it all starts with the coaching staff and player determination”
MT Sports Rankings (as of 9/18)
Florence-Carlton
Eureka
Loyola-Sacred Heart
Red Lodge
Columbus
Class B Football (ClassBGuy on Facebook.com)
1.Florence-Carlton
2.Eureka
3.Red Lodge
4. Loyola-Sacred Heart
5.Columbus
Leader (Statistics from MaxPreps.com)
Tackles: Jonus Holm (9th in Class B)
Int: Tristan Butts(T-1st in Class B)
Sacks: Braden Casazza(T-3rd in Class B)
Passing: AJ Truman(4th in class B)
Receiving: Tristan Butts(4th in Class B)
Rushing: Caden Pecora(4th in Class B)
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