No. 4 Lisbon advanced to the Class A quarterfinals for the first time since 2016 after thumping Bellevue, 56-12, on Friday, Nov. 1, at Walmer Field.
Up next for the 10-0 Lions is a battle with No. 10 Madrid (8-2) this Friday, Nov. 8, at Walmer Field.
“They are very good at what they do,” Lisbon Coach Dylan Hastings said. “They come out and say, ‘this is what we do. Stop us.’”
The offense runs through senior quarterback Preston Wicker, who has 1,538 yards and 21 touchdowns rushing, plus 910 yards and 14 touchdowns passing.
“He’s a big, strong kid and is not afraid to run over you,” Hastings said.
Madrid advanced with a 33-0 win over Pekin. For comparison, the Lions beat the Panthers in district play 28-15.
Lisbon is trying to earn a trip to the semif inals and the UNI-Dome for the first time since 2011, when Lisbon won a Class A title.
“We want to continue to keep this run rolling,” Hastings said.
The Lions get a third straight playoff game at home.
The last one was a steamroller. Lisbon had the ball six times, and scored touchdowns on every drive. They also had a pair of early interception returns for touchdowns.
The first was by Daylin Schaefer and was returned 28 yards. The next was returned 89 yards by Gage Holub when he batted the ball up in the air while rushing the quarterback, tracked it down, and outran the Comet defenders.
A hybrid linebacker/defensive back, Holub can play almost everywhere on defense.
“I can play him at defensive end, linebacker, corner and safety,” Hastings said. “He loves the sport of football.”
Holub also had a 19-yard touchdown catch and made all eight PATs. He normally punts, too, but the Lions never needed to.
“He has so many roles,” Hastings said. “He’s an all-state kicker. He works his tail off on that stuff. If I drive by the field in the summer, on a Sunday, he’ll be out there kicking field goals by himself. Constantly working on his craft.”
Also enjoying a big night in the Round of 16 was senior Tiernan Boots, who had 216 rushing yards on 17 carries. That included touchdown runs of 70, 1, 3 and 33 yards.
“He’s one of the hardest-working kids I’ve ever had the opportunity to coach,” Hastings said. “He’s not the most boisterous. He leads by example.
“And it is a reflection of the offensive line. They are taking care of business.”
Boots is now third in Class A with 1,678 rushing yards this season. (Wicker is fourth.)
Quarterback Dakota Clark had 72 yards rushing on six attempts and was 6-of-7 passing for 119 yards.
The Comets were able to drive the ball, gaining 325 yards and 20 first downs. But the Lions had the two interceptions, plus turned Bellevue over on downs twice and forced two punts.
“They do a lot of different stuff with formations and plays,” Hastings said. “We really emphasized protecting our back side and not let any big plays happen.”
Much of the second half was played with the continuous clock ticking. That has happened in eight of the Lions’ ten wins this season.
“We don’t focus on that; it is never a goal for us,” Hastings said. “We just play our brand of football.”
Lisbon is in the playoffs for the fifth straight season, and 22nd time in school history.