The Lincoln East varsity football team went head-to-head with Lincoln Southwest on Friday, September 8, 2023, at Seacrest Field. With both teams entering with a 1-1 season record, the game was highly anticipated, especially since East and Southwest are well known for being rivals. With Southwest taking the win last year, East went into the matchup looking to make a comeback.

The first quarter was a slow burn until quarterback Jeter Worthley scored the first touchdown of the game with 5:52 left in the first. The Spartans held the 7-0 score steady for the remainder of the quarter.

“We prepared with a mindset that we wanted to come out and win,” running back Dash Bauman said. “We lost to them last year, and it really made a lot of people mad, so it’s just that mindset of Southwest, we can’t let them beat us, we gotta go beat them.”

With Southwest scoring their first and only touchdown in the second quarter with 7:14 remaining, East was determined to regain the upper hand. With two touchdowns from Bauman in the last 1:43 of the quarter, the score sat at 21-7 going into halftime.

The Spartans continued to succeed, with another touchdown from Bauman with 1:53 left in the third. The score kept climbing for the Spartans, reaching 28-7.

Holding their ground, the Lincoln East Spartans took the win as the score remained 28-7 for the entire fourth quarter.

“Our next two games aren’t the best competition, so I think we could physically get better, then get ready for our biggest game of the year against Millard South,” wide receiver Owen Laessig said. “I think if we can work out the kinks in the next two games and get ready for that next one, it’s gonna be a good season.”