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Season Preview: Lansing

By Chad Rader, 810 Varsity, 08/02/21, 5:30PM CDT

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Two-way star Crawford will lead young Lions in 2021

>> Lansing team page, schedule <<

As Caden Crawford goes, so will Lansing in 2021.

The Lions lost a class of 22 seniors, of which 20 played significantly in 2020. With just nine seniors in 2021, Lansing will rely heavily on its younger players.

But Lansing does bring back one of the top players in the area – Caden Crawford. The 6-foot-5, 240-pounder is a beast at quarterback, and defensively where he’s a commit to Iowa at defensive end. But the tackling machine (65 tackles, four sacks) will shift on defense to make a bigger impact for the young Lions.

“Having a leader and player like Caden Crawford as a corner piece is a good start. Caden’s a stud player and our team leader,” touted Lansing head coach Dylan Brown. “He’ll move to middle linebacker this year so now teams can’t run away from him.”

Crawford also will lead the Lions younger crew on offense, a year after he threw for 1,079 yards and 12 touchdowns, and rushing for 264 yards and eight scores.


Iowa commit Caden Crawford will anchor the Lions at quarterback and middle linebacker in 2021. (Photo: Darryl Woods, 810 Varsity)

Among the young cast will be the running back duo of sophomore Tyrone Butler Jr, and freshman Caden Howell.

Crawford will have senior wide receiver Richie Patrick (6-foot-1, 170) and junior tight end Nate Expose (6-foot-5, 220) as primary targets.

“Nate’s a tall physical blocker who is a great athlete,” Brown commented. “He's one of the fastest and most athletic members of the team. We're hoping to add receiving to his already strong blocking skill set so he can become a matchup nightmare.”

Mason Ward, a 6-0, 195-pound junior, will be among the new faces on the offensive line.

Defensively, in addition to Crawford patrolling the middle of the defense, senior defensive lineman Calvin Sholey (6-0, 280) notched 20 tackles, four sacks and six tackles for loss. Junior Jamale Williams (5-foot-10, 190) will line up at nose tackle.

“Calvin’s a big disruptive interior lineman who will anchor our line,” Brown stated. “Jamale is long and quick, was always around the ball last year and led our team in fumble recoveries.”

Joining Crawford at linebacker will be AJ Shields (5-foot-10, 220), who shifts from interior D-lineman to outside backer.

“AJ was performing well before an injury shortened his season. We’re excited to see what he can do with a full season,” Brown said.

In the secondary, Patrick will step across from receiver to man up at cornerback, where he picked off three passes before being injured after three games. The senior also had three interceptions in five games as a sophomore.

“Richie’s an absolute ball hawk,” Brown hyped. “He’s looked very good at receiver in 7 on 7’s this summer.”

Fellow senior Ethan Cunning (6-foot-2, 185) will join Patrick in the secondary at safety.

“Our defense has to hold up and our offense has to learn fast early in the year,” Brown analyzed. “We will have a lot of sophomores playing, but they are still sophomores. If we can stay positive, and focus on improvement, and steal some games in that back half of the schedule, it will not only be a successful season, but watch out for Lansing the next two years.” 

>> Lansing team page, schedule <<

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