Eureka Lions ready for visiting Conrad

The Eureka Lions dont hide the fact that they like to run the football.

Were gonna try to run, thats our bread and butter, Lions coach Ed Newell said.

But that doesnt mean the District 7B champs dont have a few tricks hiding in their playbook.

We do have a few wrinkles that we havent shown all year, a couple little things up our sleeve that if we need to pull out we can, Newell said.

The Lions (7-1) take on the visiting Conrad Cowboys (6-3) at 1 p.m. in the quarterfinals of the Class B football playoffs in Eureka.

Newell said his team focused on refining its offensive attack during last weeks practice while getting the defense prepared for Conrads spread offense.

We want to be attacking all game, he said. We feel that with the athletes we have, we dont want to sit back on our heels.

Running backs Dalton Williams and Chad Price have displayed that athleticism all season, combining for over 2,400 yards of rushing and a total of 33 touchdowns. In last weeks 21-14 win over Florence, the pair were at it again. Williams scored twice and had 125 yards rushing while Price had one score and 116 rushing yards.

On defense, Eureka boasts another athletic threat, linebacker Ben Dechart, who averages over 17 tackles a game.

He sets the tone for the defense, Newell said.

The coach said the impressive play of a few players goes to show that the team as a whole is doing its part.

Without the supporting cast, our team wouldnt be as successful as it is, Newell said.

The Lions look to keep a six-game win streak alive while Conrad is coming off a 46-29 road playoff win against Colstrip last Saturday. The Cowboys (6-3) finished second in Northern 1B behind Fairfield, and rely on running back Eric Norby and quarterback Josiah Moerkerke to make big plays on offense.

Newell said he expects the Cowboys to push hard at the line of scrimmage and use their size advantage against Eureka.

Theyre bigger than us, just like everybody, Newell said. But we feel like we can be aggressive with our attacking style.

We just want to play good, hard, Eureka smash mouth football like we have all year, he added.

At practice this week, Newell said his team looked hungry and ready to play.

Where the chips will fall, I dont know, he said, but I can guarantee our kids will lay it all on the line.