Football Recap: East Lincoln Finds Playoff Glory Versus West Henderson

Mustangs

Margin (Wins)

09/26/25 @ Bunker Hill	57
09/19/25 @ North Lincoln	49
11/14/25 vs West Henderson	41
10/10/25 @ Foard	35
08/29/25 vs Providence	31

East Lincoln had already proven themselves in the regular season and they didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They blew past the West Henderson Falcons, posting a 56-15 victory. Considering the Mustangs have won nine matchups by more than 21 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.

East Lincoln's win on Friday was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Grant Lawless, who threw for 213 yards and one touchdown while completing 83.3% of his passes, and also punched in one score on the ground. A healthy portion of Lawless' aerial production (103 yards to be exact) went to Jaxon Dollar, who also brought in a receiving touchdown.

Wins are hard to come by when you can't run the rock, something East Lincoln proved: they limited West Henderson to a paltry 1.7 yards per carry. The team can thank Kaleb Lauffer for the heroic effort on defense: he. East Lincoln didn't have any issues in that department, having averaged 16.1.

East Lincoln didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Mikese Watkins and Ethan King. King is also on a roll when it comes to defended passes, as he's now defended at least one in each of the last three games he's played. Lauffer was another major factor on D, picking up 2.5 sacks and making ten total tackles (6.0 for loss).

West Henderson lost despite a true team effort on offense. The best among them was Asa Ostman, who picked up 129 receiving yards and one TD. Another player making a difference was Zane McCraw, who gained 132 total yards and a touchdown.

The win made it two in a row for East Lincoln and bumps their season record up to 10-1. As for West Henderson, their loss ended a four-game streak of away wins and brought them to 7-5.

Coming up, East Lincoln will head out on the road to take on Crest at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The Chargers' defense has only allowed 11.1 points per game this season, so the Mustangs' offense will have their work cut out for them. West Henderson does not have any more games scheduled as of now.