The Lone Tree Lions are ready to start the new high school football season by traveling to face Iowa Valley tonight. Lone Tree had a breakthrough 2023 season, going 6-3 for their first winning season in six years and reaching the 8-player playoffs.

Among the returners is senior Maddox Jondle, who was a big-time threat running the ball last fall after piling up over 1,000 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground as a running back.

Junior Emmett Burke also returns for the offense after coming up with 17 pass catches for 279 yards and four TDs last season, with both Burke and Jondle averaging better than 15-and-a-half yards per reception.

Both players were also near the top of the team in tackles in 2023, with Burke adding three interceptions and two fumble recoveries. Returning senior Brody Magruder led the team with 67.5 total tackles, nine tackles for loss and four sacks.

Head coach Joe Donovan tells KCII Sports that the Lions believe last year’s momentum can carry over into this fall, but a big key to that continuing is playing on schedule.

“What I guess we will walk away with is timing,” Donovan says. “On offense, we’re looking for the timing of things. One thing we can’t do is beat ourselves. Are we not jumping offsides? In [the] passing game, are we protecting [and are] route runners running the right routes?”

Lone Tree will be facing an Iowa Valley team that has beaten them in four of the last five meetings and already has a win under their belt this season after defeating BGM 76-67 last week.

The Tigers boast one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the area in sophomore Nolan Kriegel, who ran for over 300 yards and eight touchdowns just last week while also passing for 121 yards and two more TDs. The Lions kick things off from Maregno this evening at 7 o’clock.