Last Friday, the Knights took on the Papillion La Vista Monarchs, also referred to as Papio. The Knights came into the game 5-0, while the Monarchs came into the game with a 2-3 record. The last time LSE faced the Monarchs was almost 10 years ago at the 2011 State Semifinals. Ryan Gottula was Head Coach at the time.

Gottula has been coaching at LSE since 2009 and became the head coach of the football team in 2011.

“We have a great tradition of successful football at LSE that was established by the many great coaches and players throughout our history. Our players and coaches work hard to maintain that level of play and carry on the great tradition of LSE Football,” Gottula said.

According to Gottula, the team wanted to have a great start against Papio and the players accomplished just that. They scored on their possession and the defense played fantastically.

The Knights started off strong in the first half with four touchdowns and extra points for a total of 28 points. However, the Monarchs had a small come back in the second half. They gained a total of 12 points. The Knights won the game 31-12. The score was very similar to the 2011 State Semifinals, where the Knights took home a win 28-12.

In regards to the COVID-19 pandemic, Gottula believes that the Athletic Administration and our Strength Coach, Matt Bertsch, did an incredible job of putting together safety measures for participants in place over the summer.

The Knights will go on to play at Bellevue East on Friday, Oct. 9. Things are looking good for the Knights as Bellevue East is currently 1-5.