Dave Miller has been at the helm for Lakes for the past 12 seasons and has been part of the program for 26 years. He and his squad will host top-ranked Bellevue on Friday at 7:30 in one of the most anticipated prep football games in the state’s history.

The coach and I talked about some of the dynamics that go into Lakes High School Athletics, the increased media attention on his team, what the Lancers learned from their 35-7 semi-final defeat to Bellevue in 2010 and whether or not this is the most talented group he has seen during his time in Lakewood.

BELLEVUE REPORTER: What did you, your staff and your players learn from the semi-final game last season?

DAVE MILLER: We learned you can’t turn it over three times. If you blink against Bellevue, you may be a little bit behind them. When you get them slowed down or get a stop, you’ve got to score because they’re going to score. We played well in the first quarter, in the second we turned it over, didn’t finish drives and it was catch-up from there. You’ve got to play great. You can’t take plays off. Sometimes, kids can take a play off here and there or go 80%. This is a game, if you get a little lazy or lose focus, it will cost you. They don’t beat themselves and you have to play flawless football, very disciplined and assignment based.

BR: A lot of people have touted your squad as the most talented in the state and are pointing to that as a reason you will come out on top in this game. Is this the most talented team you’ve seen in your time at Lakes?

DM: I think our talent is overblown by the media. I’ve heard people talk about eight or 10 Division-I guys, we don’t have that. We probably have three or four. It’s a talented group, but we’ve had some other groups and the media has gotten hold of it and overblown it a little bit.

BR: Much of the talk also revolves around the notion of “team versus talent”. How has your group come together as a team over the course of 2011?

DM: We really have come together. We have great team chemistry. One of the biggest challenges is getting the guys to buy into the team concept and these guys have done that. We haven’t had on minute of individual talk about stats. I’m real proud of how we have come together.

BR: Can you talk a little about the different dynamics that come into play in terms of kids from military families with your program?

DM: 60 percent are from the military. It’s a high school team, and we have a lot of kids that haven’t played a lot of football. Lakewood and Bellevue are at the opposite ends of the universe. Our kids don’t grow up together. And they don’t come out of the womb running the Wing-T.

BR: What is it about Bellevue that makes them so tough to handle?

DM: They’re good, they’re well prepared, they’re well coached. Not too many high school teams have an NFL guy running their defense (Bellevue defensive coordinator James Hasty, who is the father of quarterback Tyler Hasty, played in the NFL from 1988-2001). Their defense is coming at you from all different angles and that’s hard to prepare a high school quarterback for. It’s obvious that their kids come into the program with a little bit of a swagger from that youth program and really believe in their system. The last 10 years they have been the starship program in the state. But at the same time, we feel good about what we can do. For us, it’s business as usual. We try to focus on ourselves.

BR: What is your final message to your team going to be before you take the field?

DM: Play your heart out, leave it all on the field and let the results take care of themselves. Enjoy the experience, it’s going to be a great environment. It’s a greet challenge but a great opportunity as well. I think our kids can relish being an underdog. Just play Lakes football.