East fell to St. Xavier in the SW Regional quarter-finals on Friday, Nov. 7th by a score of 42-7. The loss ends an outstanding season by the Thurderhawks who finish at 8-4 overall and 6-3 in the GMC (

Ryder Hooks ended his ilustrious football career with 104 yards on the ground. His 2032 rushing yards this season is a new all-time school record.

The Hawks only score came early in the game on a 27-yard Jayden Seay TD reception from sophomore qb Nile Knutson. It was all St. X after that. Knutson finished with 230 yards passing on the night going 25/34 completion attempts.

Knutson finishes the season with 2486 yards passing in 2025, tops in the GMC rankings. He set new all-time records at the quarterback position this season: single game yards (338), season yards (2186), completions in a game (27) and TD passes in a season (22).

Ryder Hooks Named Southwest District Player of the Year
MacFarlane Earns First Team All-District Honors
The accolades continue to roll in for the Lakota East Thunderhawks following a standout 2025 football campaign. Senior running back Ryder Hooks has been named the Southwest District Player of the Year, capping off one of the most dominant careers in program history.
Hooks rewrote the Thunderhawk record book during his three-year varsity career, finishing as East’s all-time leading rusher with 4,383 yards, surpassing the previous mark held since the late 1990s by more than 1,000 yards. His 2025 season was historic on its own:

• 2,032 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns, setting a new single-season school record
• Three receiving touchdowns and two return scores
• A school-record 238-yard performance vs. Mason
• Four rushing touchdowns in a game on three separate occasions, tying another East benchmark

Hooks helped guide the Thunderhawks to an 8–4 overall record, positioning himself as a leading candidate for GMC Offensive Player of the Year and a strong contender for the prestigious Mr. Football award.
East also celebrated the accomplishments of senior wide receiver Patrick MacFarlane, who was named to the All-Southwest District First Team. MacFarlane hauled in 45 receptions for 596 yards and seven touchdowns this fall and has already committed to continue his career at Indiana University.
Additional Thunderhawks recognized with All-Southwest District Honorable Mention include Carter Jones, Chris Bouyer, and Dawson Reip.
Congratulations to all of Lakota East’s district honorees on their outstanding achievements!