Lenox playing for the postseason

"It's a playoff game. We lose and were pretty much done."

Lenox head coach Matt Malausky knows the importance of the Tigers' final regular season bout against Lamoni.

At 4-4 overall and 3-2 in 8-player District 6 play, Lenox has to win to keep its postseason aspirations alive.

After a 58-30 win over Bedford last week, the Tigers hold the tiebreaker if Bedford (5-3, 4-1) were to lose to district-leading Stanton (7-1, 5-0).

As far as Friday's contest goes, Malausky is game planning for what he knows and a little bit of what he doesn't.

"In one film we got from Murray they had one quarterback," said Malausky. "And then in one we got from East Union they had a different QB."

Lamoni has four athletes that have attempted at least 10 passes at quarterback.

Offensively, the Demons will spread Lenox out, but are primarily a rushing team.

Luke Jones leads the team in rushing yards this season and took snaps at quarterback last week against East Union.

Lamoni will throw option looks at Lenox's defense and staying keyed on defenders will be vital for the Tigers.

"Defensively, when you play against option football it's all about responsibilities and making sure you don’t fall for the window dressing," said Malausky.

While staying sound against the option is important, stopping the run has been a strength for Lenox this year.

"We’ve done a pretty good job of shutting down the run for the most part when we read our keys and make sure we aren’t chasing other stuff," said Malausky. "That's our strength."

Lenox's struggles on defense have been allowing big plays and Malausky knows that keeping the Demons in front of them will play a big role in the outcome.

On the flip side, Lenox is going to continue with what has been a successful option attack with point-man Carter Still, who rushed for 100 yards and a score against Bedford.

"I think we ran the same play six times to score," Malausky said about the Tigers offense last week. "That all goes down to our quarterback making the good read and trusting what his eyes see."

Still's eyes will be focused downfield and on 6-foot-2, 210-pound senior, Derek Venteicher, who posted over 100 yards rushing with five touchdowns in the Tigers win last week over Bedford.

"He is by far our best player carrying the ball. He does not lose yards," said Malausky.

But, coach isn't afraid to throw some wrinkles into the offense, admitting that Lenox could open up the playbook a little bit.

Lenox will welcome Lamoni to its home field with kickoff at 7 p.m. and one team's playoff hopes on the line.