By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
GOWER - East Buchanan made history when they won their first ever state championship in football in 2021.
They ran it back in 2022, thumping Adrian 42-0 in the Class 1 state championship at Faurot Field in Columbia.
Now, winning another state championship isn't as much of a hope as it is an expectation for the Bulldogs, who have their sites set on a threepeat.
"This year, I feel like we are the most prepared," said senior and all-state quarterback Gage Busby. "I feel like we've done the most stuff over summer. Everyone showed up in the weight room over summer. Everyone is ready to get back to work in fall camp and have extra motivation to show the potential that we have."
East Buchanan lost six senior starters from last year's team, including five all-state players. But, one all-state performer back for his senior year is running back Trevor Klein, who rushed for over 2,000 yards last season.
"Winning (the state title) two times in a row, we know we can do it," Klein said. "Yeah, this team is really prepared. We have a lot of returning starters and I think...this team is more prepared than it ever has been."
East Buchanan graduated two of their top receiving threats in Carson White and Adam Stephen-Enges, but Nathaniel Fortney, Mason Brown, Parker Conroy, Ty Ingle and Aiden Hensley are all receivers who saw healthy playing time last year. Junior Trey Johnson is also expected to play a bigger role at receiver this season.
"Can we pair a good run game, obviously with Trevor and our offensive line, with a pass game that can keep people on their toes?" head coach Dan Ritter posed. "If we can do that and not be one-dimensional, we're going to be hard to stop."
Busby and Klein, along with Tucker Musser and Nick Klein, are all-state honorees from last year who are now seniors this season. At least 15 players who saw significant playing time and starting time are back from last year's team.
Many of them, Ritter says, will be called upon to become bigger leaders.
"These kids have been, a lot of them starters for the last two years and they've gotten it done," Ritter said. "They know what it means to go deep in the playoffs, to make a championship game and win it. We're expecting a lot from the leadership of this team and putting a lot on their shoulders."
"They have to be leaders as well this year. Instead of just good players who are followers, they have to be leaders."
This year's senior class at East Buchanan have helped rewrite history for the Bulldogs as they look to go out on top for a third straight season.
If they do win a third straight, it'll be in Class 2 this season. East Buchanan and several others are making the jump to Class 2 this year as MSHSAA has put a limit on the number of Class 1 teams there can be in an effort to improve parody and competition.
"We've embraced that," Ritter said of the change. "We love the new challenge. Now, we can play the underdog again. Now, they think we're the little team who hasn't proven themselves. That's great. That'll help us keep these kids focused. It'll be a harder season and we can't take things for granted. That should help us all the way through I think."
There's always that question of, when this year's seniors are gone, can we be as good as we were last year, if not better?
East Buchanan has proven they can be two years in a row now. Ritter hopes that can continue even long after the class of 2024 has finished.
"When these seniors graduate, can we keep this train rolling?" Ritter pondered. "Be competitive for district and state championships year after year. This year is kind of that proving ground. Can we keep this thing going?"
Dan Ritter interview
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