WYOMING

The Lone Tree Lions had just a few minutes to celebrate last Friday’s 48-6 win over Calamus-Wheatland when the topic in the postgame huddle turned to something else.

Thoughts of a football district championship.

Lone Tree’s fourth consecutive win set up a district showdown this Friday night against Central City (5-1).

Both teams have locked down postseason playoff berths, but Friday’s game will likely determine the 8-5 district title. Both teams are 4-0 in district play.

“I just asked the kids, when was the last time that happened?” Lions head coach Joe Donovan said. “I have no idea.”

“What an exciting time,” Donovan added. “What an accomplishment for the kids.”

The Lions (5-1) rolled up 340 yards of rushing yards against Calamus-Wheatland (1-5). Quarterback Ethan Bockelman, and running backs Maddox Jondle and Trent Hoback each scored two touchdowns.

Jondle rushed for a game-high 205 yards on 17 carries, going over 200 yards for the second time in three games. Hoback, making his Lone Tree varsity debut, ran for 41 yards on 8 carries.

“He brings a lot of good things for our team,” Donovan said of Hoback, who rushed for 241 yards and 4 touchdowns last year for Columbus.

After battling to a 6-6 tie in the opening quarter, the Lions struck for three touchdowns in the second quarter to take a 27-6 lead. Bockelman scored on a 10-yard run, Jondle scored on a 6-yard run, and Emmett Burke caught a 26-yard TD pass from Bockelman.

The Lions scored three more times in the second half on consecutive possessions, including on a pair of TD runs by Hoback, as they pushed up a powerful running game that buried Calamus-Wheatland.

“I think we can go to so many different sets that it makes the [opposing] team have to prepare for a lot of things, which is always what you want,” Donovan said.

Bockelman only attempted four passes all night, completing three of them and having one intercepted.

At the end of the night, the talk was of a four-game winning streak that has clinched the Lions’ first winning season in four years. The Lions are averaging more than 47 points over the last four games. Lone Tree’s only hiccup came in the second week of the season, a 60-14 loss to Iowa Valley.

“After Week 2, where we were at, and kind of how we responded since then. They’ve worked really hard and they’ve earned this,” Donovan said. “It’s all in front of them. Like I told them, nobody in the world is going to pick us to beat Central City.

“You know what?” Donovan added. “Why not?”

The answer will arrive Friday night in Lone Tree’s final home game of the regular season.

GAME SUMMARY

LONE TREE 48, CALAMUS-WHEATLAND 6

Lone Tree    6    21     15    6  --  48

C-W              6      0       0     0  --  6

LT: Ethan Bockelman 1 run (kick failed)

C-W: Brayden Svejda run (kick failed)

LT: Bockelman 10 run (Jader Sanchez kick)

LT: Maddox Jondle 6 run (Sanchez kick)

LT: Emmett Burke 26 pass from Bockelman (Sanchez kick)

LT: Jondle 20 run (Sanchez run)

LT: Trent Hoback 2 run (Sanchez kick)

LT: Hoback 5 run (kick failed)

GAME STATS

PASSING: Lone Tree, Ethan Bockelman, 3-4-68, 1 TD, 1 INT; C-W, Brody Koch, 4-11-30.

RUSHING: Lone Tree, Maddox Jondle, 17-205, 2 TD; Bockelman, 13-90, 2 TD; Trent Hoback, 8-41, 2 TD; Jader Sanchez, 1-4; C-W, Brayden Svejda, 6-74, 1 TD; Luke Rohling, 13-35; Koch, 10-24.

RECEIVING: Lone Tree, Emmett Burke, 2-56, 1 TD; Jondle, 1-12; C-W, Rohling, 2-7; Chase Klatt, 1-19; Cole Green, 1-4.

LONE TREE LEADING TACKLERS: Brody Magruder, 7; Jondle, 6.5; Hoback, 6.5; Harry Brenneman, 5.5.