The “Battle of the Axe” football game kicks off tonight at 7:30 p.m. at Max Goldsmith Stadium. LHS has a record of 2-6, and Marcus is coming off of their first loss of the season with a record of 7-1.

Head Coach Dick Olin understands that it’s going to be a challenging night for the defense due to Marcus’ two star running backs, Harvey Giddens and Jeff Smiley. The two backs have accounted for over 30 touchdowns and nearly 2,500 rushing yards.

“I don’t think anyone has stopped them,” Olin said. “That’s one thing Marcus does very, very well in football. They block well, and run hard. Smiley is extremely fast, and the other one is a tough runner. It’s like thunder and lightning.”

Not having a consistent starting quarterback has been a difficulty for the Farmer offense. Junior quarterback Jacob Anderson will be airing it out for the team tonight. Corey Duran, who started the first half of the season, has not been able to return from an injury suffered against Allen.

“We were a pretty good offensive team in the beginning, but we’ve played so many different quarterbacks,” Olin said. “That affects your offensive production. Hopefully Jacob Anderson will have a nice evening, and DeAndre Brown and Rodrick Williams will be able to run. Quay Bradford, Jordan Jorgenson, Jaden Wright, and Cameron Shauf catch the ball, and if we can get ‘em the ball, then hopefully they’ll score.”

Editor’s note: Nichole Walker, Hayden Eccles and Kayli Bolds contributed to this story.