COLONY — Crest’s Holden Barker barreled over a Norwich defender in their eight-man 2A opening round playoff victory last Thursday.
The senior running back is currently playing with a broken hand and a cast on his left arm.
“I like to run the ball, it’s just a little tougher now with a broken hand,” he said. “It makes it a lot harder because my main move is the stiff arm move and I can’t really do that anymore.
“We’re really aggressive and we just like contact football,” he continued. “I look for the contact. If there’s ever an open alley that I can take I always look to see if there’s someone sitting there.”
Barker’s mindset epitomizes that of the Crest High School football team as the Lancers get set for a second round playoff matchup at Osborne on Friday.
Crest has 11 seniors on their roster and the motivation could never be higher for another Friday night under the lights. The team finished its regular season with a 6-2 record, only falling against Chase County and Lebo.
Other leaders besides Barker are quarterback Ethan Godderz and leading receiver Stetson Setter.
“We’re always fighting for another chance to play another game,” said Barker. “You never really think your last football game would come but we’re getting down to it so it’s really starting to come into effect.”
The Lancers are known for their physicality and toughness when it comes to making tackles and trucking through defenders. This is a good identity to have playing deep into the chilly postseason when hitting hard becomes much less appealing.
“That’s where the weight room comes into play, just being more physical and stronger, especially on the line,” Godderz said. “Our line has improved a lot in strength and they may not be as fast as others but I can tell they’re definitely stronger than other lines we’ve played, which helps a lot.”
As Barker and Godderz take snaps, their offense couldn’t be gelling together at a more perfect time.
Between Barker running over defenders and Godderz and Setter’s connection through the air, the Crest offense seems to be firing on all cylinders.
“Our offense is way more explosive this year. It helps having Stetson (Setter) back. Our passing has improved a lot too,” said Godderz. “Our defense lacked a little bit last game but we’re working on it and I think we’re going to play well Friday night. I’m excited.”
The Lancers are a difficult team to stop between their high-scoring offense and a defense that always brings toughness. It’s to the credit of their senior leadership that the team has been able to bring this type of game.
Barker is currently leading the team with 140.6 rushing yards per game and 21 touchdowns, followed by Godderz 115.8 rushing yards per game. Godderz and Setter are also leading the Lancers with 19 touchdown passes and 15 touchdown receptions, respectively.
