L'Anse Creuse Teams Go Head-to-Head in District Rivalry Tonight

It’s not enough to want a win. The Crusaders need a win if they hope to turn the tide on what is shaping up to be a second consecutive no-win season.

“We need a win, just for the morale, the excitement,” said coach Joe Politowicz. “It’s been over a year. We need it to keep the kids spirit and hope up. It’s very important.”

The Crusaders take on their district rival, the L’Anse Creuse High School Lancers, tonight at 7 p.m. on North turf.

While Politowicz will never forget the 34-33 overtime win his team pulled off at home two years ago, the memory of last year’s 21-7 defeat is just as fresh.

“It’s a great rivalry,” Politowicz said. “Over the last 10 years, we’ve usually been on the positive side of the final outcome. To us, it’s just another game, but our expectations and hopes are high.”

The Crusaders head into the game 0-3 in the conference and 0-4 overall, while the Lancers have a slight advantage at 0-2 in the conference, 1-3 overall.

“They have one win,” Politowicz said. “They beat a pretty good team in Grosse Pointe North, we haven't played Grosse Pointe North, so there is no way to compare. You have to make good breaks for yourself to pull out a win.”

The end result, he added, will come down to “who's going to make the most mistakes.”

For a team that lost its senior center, , to a broken leg early in the season and had four of his players injured just last week, the Crusaders will need to make as few mistakes as possible to pull off a win tonight.

With a win, the team will take home the John Armstrong jug trophy once again.

The game starts at 7 p.m. at North stadium.