The football team faces a new challenge this week in the Western Panthers. The Lewis Cass Kings football team has started this year very well with a record of 3-2, but they face a tough and important game ahead. This Friday, the Kings will go on the road to visit the Western Panthers, which; this will be the second team they face on their side of the conference. The Panthers are coming into the week with a 4-1 record with a huge 54-14 loss to Lafayette Jefferson.

The King’s two losses are a product of a 44-0 loss to the powerhouse 1A, Pioneer Panthers and a close 27-15 loss to the high ranked 2A team, Tipton Blue Devils. However, the King’s come off from a big week in which they shut out their long time rival Northwestern Tigers. Their defense was impenetrable, while holding them to a goose egg on the board while they ran up and down the field putting up a whopping 48 points. The King’s also had another shutout earlier in the year, in which they mauled Benton Central 65-0.

The team is feeling confident and knows what needs to be done to complete the job this week. Junior linebacker, Joey Humphrey, had this to say on what the defense needed to do to win this Friday, “We need to come out fast and shut down their powerful run play. They have had big play success with the teams they have played recently and we need to make sure we stop that. We also need to limit dumb penalties we have been getting the past couple of week’s, if we do all of this I believe we have a great chance at winning.” Junior wide receiver, Easton Good, had this to say on what the offense needed to do; “Offensively, we need to limit the amount of turnovers we have, along with penalties. We need to have a strong passing and running game and do everything with perfect technique. We have to play discipline and have everyone do their job. I think we have a great chance at winning this big conference game and if we do everything we have been practicing, I know it will be a great night for us.” Senior offensive and defensive linemen, Joe Shaffer, added, “This game will be the one that tests us the most. I believe we are two pretty evenly matched team with our strength being speed and theirs, power. To win we need to have everyone on the field know their rules and execute them accordingly. This is a big game for us, but I think we will come out on top.”

This week’s game will be a battle on the field. These two teams come in off wins and looking to keep rolling with a win to further them in the conference. The King’s will have a task ahead of them, but one I think they will be able to handle. The game is set to kick off in Russiaville at 7 pm.