Location: Liberty Township, Butler County.
Division/Region: D-I, Region 4; same as last season.
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Affiliation: Greater Miami Conference.
Head coach: Rick Haynes; 10th season as East's head coach; 51-45 overall record.
Assistant coaches: Dave Koger, DC/OL; Ed Brady, LB; Daryn Chenault, OLB; Rodney Heath, DB; Jimmy Turner, DB; Carl Longworth, QB/RB; Brandon Oker, WR; Jared Haynes, OL.
2018 record: 8-4, 6-2 GMC.
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2018 highlights: Went 4-1 second half of the regular season and tied Fairfield for third in the GMC. Qualified for playoffs as a No. 7 seed and stunned No. 2 seed Mason 20-17 in a first-round matchup. Fell 34-6 to Elder in a regional semifinal. That was the third playoff appearance by the Thunderhawks, all with Haynes as head coach following postseason teams in 2012 and '14.
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The eight wins was the most since East was 9-3 in 2014. That team also went two games deep into the playoffs, falling to rival Lakota West in a 52-27 regional semifinal shootout.
Key returners:
• Evan Yockey, 6-6, 340, sr., OL.
• Adam Hundemer, 6-3, 235, sr., DL.
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• Corey Dick, 6-0, 190, sr., RB/DB.
• Michael Howard, 6-0, 210, sr., LB.
What to know: Coach Haynes gave a nod to work ethic and overall team size as positives.
There are three schedule changes. Cincinnati Walnut Hills (4-6) and Kings (9-2) have bee bumped by Turpin (6-4) and Kettering Fairmont (7-4) in Weeks 1-2. Also, Sycamore (6-4) has been replaced by Mason (8-3) in Week 3 of the GMC rotation.
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East is at West (4-6) in a Week 8 rival showdown. East has defeated West the last three regular seasons by a combined 92-17.
Six home games, including four the first half of the season, favors East. But that also means without a schedule change, that will be flipped for the 2020 season.
Finding capable replacements for RB Jack Dobrozsi and QB Sean Church will be key for the run-heavy offense. The grads combined for nearly 2,000 yards rushing and the bulk of the carries.
Schedule, all at 7 p.m.
Week 1: Fri., Aug. 30, Cin. Turpin
Week 2: Fri., Sept. 6, Fairmont
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Week 3: Fri., Sept. 13, at Mason
Week 4: Fri., Sept. 20, Middletown
Week 5: Fri., Sept. 27, Princeton
Week 6: Fri., Oct. 4, at Fairfield
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Week 7: Fri., Oct. 11, Oak Hills
Week 8: Fri., Oct. 18, at Lakota West
Week 9: Fri., Oct. 25, at Colerain
Week 10: Fri., Nov. 1, Hamilton
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