At the beginning of the 2023-24 high school football season, the Lakota East Football team was at the top of all the local headlines due to the hire of Jon Kitna, the head coach for East Varsity Football. Now, Kitna is going into year two of leading the team with exciting new schemes and goals for the 2024-25 season.
East finished its first season under Kitna with a 1-8 record and finished second to last in the Greater Miami Conference (GMC) standings, missing the playoffs.
Even with a clearly improved offense headlined by running back Ryder Hooks and quarterback Jamison (JT) Kitna, they were held back by a few key areas which are being addressed going into year two.
Returning this season is JT, as well as some familiar faces on the field. The team has 33 seniors and 19 starting players returning. This is rare in high school football, and Jon believes this will lead to unmatched team chemistry.
“The biggest difference is the strength of our brotherhood,” Jon told Spark. “The players truly love and respect each other and know that we love them as coaches. They want to be around each other and compete for their brother.”
According to Jon, although 54 players are returning, they are not returning as the same players. The off-season has been very productive, with players achieving their goals in the gym and on the field.
“Getting bigger, faster, and stronger [are our main goals this season],” said Jon. “Our young men trusted us and joined wrestling and/or track and were committed to their physical development in the weight room.”
Whether it was in a winter or spring sport or individual training, the young athletes worked hard after football season to achieve some impressive results.
“We test[ed] four main movements: hang clean, squat, bench and pull-ups,” said Jon. “After seven months of our program led by Coach J, we saw 46,000 pounds of improvement across our program.”
Coach J, Jordan Kitna, was in charge of the off-season weight lifting program. As a result of his practices in the weight room, the players got faster and twitchier, adding lean muscle mass and gaining mental toughness.
Strategic offensive and defensive improvements to the game plan were made to address the results of last season.
Offensively, the most notable change is the run game. Specifically, East is trying to make more room for junior running back Ryder Hooks to properly perform in his position. This will be done by pulling the center in the run game, meaning that the center is leading the way for the running back through the line of scrimmage, creating holes and allowing Hooks to be isolated.
Defensive improvements are pertinent as well. Over the off-season, former marine and football coach, Ben Wotawa, was hired as the new defensive line coach to make the defense more of a threat by putting more pressure on the opposing team in the backfield, causing turnovers and consistent field position for the offense. Getting to the quarterback and surpassing more than five sacks they had last year is a big goal for the team.
When asked, Jon said the defensive line is most fired up of all the position groups coming out of the summer break.
“We were blessed to be able to hire Ben Wotawa as our defensive line coach and he has really developed a toughness culture in that group,” said Jon. “As well as turning them into martial artists with their hands and feet.”
East senior and middle linebacker Cohen Reip is looking to make the most of his final season of high school football.
“I’m most excited about proving everyone wrong and making an unforeseen comeback from last year,” said Reip. “Mainly though, I just want to play the sport and have as much fun as possible. We’ve put in tons of work and I can’t wait to see it translate onto the field.”
PJ MacFarlane, junior and starting tight end, has a similar attitude about the upcoming season.
“I’m excited about getting an opportunity to send a message,” said MacFarlane. “This isn’t the same team as last year [and] I think a lot of people are going to find that out.”
Reip believes the work they have done over the off-season will help them be able to execute to that level.
“We’ve been pushing for a ‘brotherhood’ since last year, but I think it’s finally showing itself this season,” said Reip. “We all trust each other and know that everyone will do their job whether it be cheering on the sidelines or doing your correct assignment on the field.”
Learning from the results of last season and becoming contenders for the GMC title is another aspiration for the team.
“Our goal is to go undefeated and win the GMC [title],” said MacFarlane. “We also want to make a big playoff run.”
According to Jon, East is settling for nothing below perfection this season, which is reflected in his players mindsets. His final goal for the team is, “Practice on Thanksgiving, to do so you have to win three playoff games.”
