LITCHFIELD -- Though many coaches may preach it, no high school football squad claims to subscribe more to the "team" concept than Litchfield does.
When asked anything about the Dragons' team, head coach Jon Johnson always starts out with a communal statement.
"We just think that the team is harder to beat than individuals," he said. "We try to get everyone involved and it makes it stronger. You'll see that very often as a characteristic of our teams."
Litchfield (10-1) travels to Section 8AAA champion Thief River Falls for a state quarterfinal game today. Game time is 7 p.m.
Johnson said the heavy emphasis on everyone over one person isn't a new direction for the team. He brought it with him when he came to Litchfield in 1992 and said the students have no problems accepting it.
ADVERTISEMENT
"It's quite easy. They know they're going to have a significant part of the team," he said. "They know they're going to get the ball or going to catch the ball. We have a lot of good athletes that can do a lot of things. So it's easy to get kids to buy into that."
The heart of any football team lies in the trenches with the offensive and defensive lineman. Controlling the line of scrimmage has been the biggest factor in the Dragons' run-dominated offense.
"We try to work hard as a team, work on our blocks and know who we have to get," said senior tackle Jeremy Forster, one of five returning starters to the offensive line. "We knew we set ourselves up for this year and can now take advantage of that."
The line has allowed Litchfield to rush for 2,672 yards this season and throw for another 1,166.
"They've been getting better at knowing each other and playing together," said Johnson. "They don't play a lot of defense and that helps. We take pride in our offensive and defensive lines."
Speaking of defense, their pack mentally fits right into the team concept.
"We have a lot of experience and get off the ball really well," said senior captain Marcus Buschette. "We want to get off the ball and eat up the line of scrimmage."
The Game
ADVERTISEMENT
The Prowlers, like Litchfield, put the run ahead of most everything they do offensively. Thief River Falls averages 331 yards per game and is led by Michael Benedict, who has posted 1,618 yards and 17 touchdowns this season.
"They have bunch of playmakers," Johnson said. "It will be a significant task to stop Benedict. Our hands will be full trying to stop that running attack. It's a great task and I think we're up for that task."
The Dragons will have a lot of time to think about this game. The trip to Thief River Falls covers more than 260 miles and takes around five hours.
"We think it's a positive," said Johnson about the long drive. "We'll have five or more hours to focus on the game and we should be ready when we get there."
By the numbers
The Prowlers like to get off to fast starts, averaging nine points in the first quarter. ... Litchfield's favorite quarter is the second, scoring 118 points for a 10.7 average. ... According to the Dragons' statistics, senior quarterback Kent Johnson leads the team in both passing (1,156 yards) and rushing (791). Sophomore Nic Johnson, Kent's brother, and senior Dustin Celander share the second spot with 665 yards each.
