LIBERTY TOWNSHIP, Ohio — The highly anticipated Lakota East at Lakota West football game Friday night is sold out at Firebird Stadium, Lakota West athletic director Austin Rhoads announced late Wednesday morning.
The game was officially sold out shortly before noon Wednesday. An estimated 5,000 fans are expected in West Chester on Friday night when passes are included for spectators. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Friday night marks the 30th time that the district rivalry will occur, including postseason matchups.
"I told our kids to focus on the little things, concentrate on getting better as a player, unit and team," Lakota West coach Tom Bolden said.
"A lot of hype around the game that we refuse to get caught up in. It's about us. About us improving and getting better so we can be the best version of us come playoffs."
Lakota West (1-0) defeated visiting St. Xavier 20-7 during the season opener Aug. 21. The Firebirds limited St. X to just 32 yards passing.
Lakota West had three interceptions, including two by senior defensive back Roman Combs (Purdue verbal commit). Junior linebacker Judah Blair had a team-high 13 tackles, including seven solo stops.
Offensively, senior running back Kenyon Norman (Northwestern verbal commit) had 26 carries for 116 yards and two touchdowns.
“If you think about it, he just started playing football in the eighth grade,” Bolden said in July. “The sky is the limit for this young man.”
Bolden, who is in his 20th season as a head coach overall, said this summer the Greater Miami Conference continues to foster excellent competition each season.
“Jon up there at East has got them playing hard and at another level,” Bolden said in July.
Kitna, the former longtime NFL quarterback, is starting his fourth season at the helm for the Thunderhawks (1-0). He said the mutual respect for West helps create a special environment every time the teams play.
“They’re a well-coached football team that plays hard and does everything well and has some very, very elite players,” Kitna said Tuesday. “They’re coached great by Tom and his staff. We got to go into there, and we got to play our A game.”
Kitna enjoys coaching in the rivalry game — whether it's Week 2 or Week 10.
"It's fun because it's about the community," Kitna said. "I don't get into the whole hate — I'm not going to feed the whole we hate them thing. That's for Ohio State-Michigan. That's not us. We're in the same community. These kids grew up together. They live together. They have friends on each sideline and our families and stuff like that."
Lakota East was led by several players in its 41-14 win over visiting Centerville in the season opener Aug. 21.
Junior quarterback Nile Knutson was 19 of 28 passing for 290 yards and three touchdowns. Senior wide receiver Carter Jones had 10 receptions for 127 yards and a touchdown. Senior wide receiver Braxton Thurman had six receptions for 107 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, senior linebacker Tra’vion Bailey had 13 tackles, including nine solo stops.
Kitna said the team isn’t making Friday bigger than it should be. Lakota East, which earned its first win last season against West since 2018, is keeping perspective about Week 2.
“Obviously, it’s a great game,” Knutson said. “It’s what everyone as a kid grows up watching, wanting to be a part of. I was like that, too. But for us, our approach with it — we don’t treat it anything other than just another game. We just try to focus on ourselves and stay off social media and stuff.”
