Fall Sports Preview

Fall Sports Preview

Season of social distancing Fall Sports Preview

Also inside: n NPHS football returns a 1,000 yard rusher n Sutherland football hopes to duplicate perfect regular season n St. Pat’s, Hershey volleyball each welcome new coaches n North Platte, St. Pat’s cross country teams want to build on recent success n Talented top of the lineup returns for North Platte softball

FRIDAY, AUGUST 28, 2020

Returning three of the top 15 golfers in Class A, North Platte’s girls golf team is loaded with talent

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THE NORTH PLATTE TELEGRAPH

FRIDAY, AUGUST 28, 2020

Eventful summer prepares NPHS girls golf for season Bulldogs carry high hopes into 2020 Telegraph file photo Maya Lashley, pictured, finished in 15th place at the Class A state tournament a season ago. Along with Baylee Steele and Karsen Morrison, who tied for fifth, the Bulldogs have a talented nucleus of players.

While Morrison is en- tering her sophomore year, Steele and Lashley are seniors, and this will be their final shot at tak- ing first place as a team. “I’m ready to show who I am,” Steele said. “I have yet to really take hold of that course (Norfolk Country Club) and real- ly do something good. I think state has been in my head the past three years and I think I’m fi- nally mentally prepared to do my best there and just trust my game.” With the lineup they boast, this could be the year they get it done. Steele sits at the No. 1 spot in the lineup, fol- lowed by Morrison and Lashley at No. 2 and No. 3, respectively. Jones has the No. 4 spot, and Kaylee Carlson is at No. 5. The other four girls on the team, Cora Meyer, Madi Preece, Hailey Matthews and Elaina Davis, each play on “JV” but could see time in the main line- up later in the season. Against Ogallala, who didn’t have a JV team, those four got to tee off against each other in a scrimmage of sorts. Meyer carded the best score of the four with a 56. They’ll contribute this year, but how success- ful North Platte is this season will fall solely to the starting five. While making it to states is al- ways a major goal of the team this year, winning it is what each member is striving for. “A lot of times for many years, North Platte wasn’t looked upon as a golf school — it was looked at as a football or basketball power or track,” Orcutt said. “It’s good to get some recog- nition. We just have to be able to back it up.”

and I hope that pays off down the road,” North Platte coach Jim Orcutt said. “I think that will.” It wasn’t just time they put into those tour- naments, but dominant showings as well. Steele and Morrison compet- ed in the Nebraska Golf Association’s Junior Amatuer Championships in July, where Steele finished seventh and Morrison tied for 14th. Morrison also won the Founder’s brack- et at the Nebraska Women’s Match Play Championship. Lashley competed in the Junior Ambassador Youth Golf Classic, where she placed second. She was joined there by teammate Abbie Jones, who finished fifth. “Any time a student competes, it is easier and less nerve-wracking to compete the next time,” Orcutt said. “I encourage that during the sum- mer and some take it to heart.” Despite playing in some tournaments, Steele said she didn’t feel as if she played enough golf this summer, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t ready for the fall season. There are some slight

By JAKE DREILINGER jake.dreilinger@ nptelegraph.com

Only two shots sep- arated Maya Lashley from Baylee Steele and Karsen Morrison in the North Platte girls golf team’s season opener against Ogallala. Steele and Morrison tied at 36, while Lashley came in at 38. Those scores would make for a close race if they were competing in a tournament. They aren’t, though. They’re team- mates, and that level of success is almost expect- ed from golfers who are among some of the best in the state. No one competing came close to matching Steele, Morrison and Lashley’s scores, which proves to make for a tough top of the lineup as North Platte begins its fall campaign. It returns a powerful roster full of athletes looking to make an impact. It all starts with the Bulldogs top-three spots and the impact they hope to make. “Karsen and Baylee and Maya, too, put in a lot of time with the Nebraska Golf Association tournaments

Jake Wragge / Norfolk Daily News Karsen Morrison of North Platte chips onto the green during the Class A state golf tournament at the Norfolk Country Club in 2019.

and putts are important when playing,” she said. “Just the mental aspect (of the game) going in and taking it one shot at a time.” There’s a lot more to it this year than improv- ing aspects of their game. They also want to finally get over that hump of fin- ishing runner-up at the state tournament. For the past two years, North Platte couldn’t take home the win in the most important tournament of the season. Last year, Steele and Morrison tied for sixth, while Lashley tied for 15th and Abbie Jones tied for 39th.

that I am ready and that our team is ready for this coming season.” When not competing in tournaments over the summer, the girls spent time working on their game. Morrison said she worked mostly on hitting greens. “I think hitting greens in golf is more import- ant,” she said. “It sets you up for some birdie opportunities.” Lashley said she want- ed to work on a different part of her game this summer: Her short game. “This year, (I’m) look- ing to improve my short game because chips

drawbacks her game. She suffered a minor injury at the be- ginning of last season, and she was having some back troubles she said they are still trying to figure out. That isn’t stopping her from play- ing this season, though, and she is hoping to help lead North Platte to a successful season. “Honestly through- with out the quarantine, I was luckily one of the ath- letes to still be able to play their sport,” Steele said. “I’ve played a lot of golf. I didn’t play as much as I would have liked this summer but I still feel

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FRIDAY, AUGUST 28, 2020

THE NORTH PLATTE TELEGRAPH

Telegraph file photo North Platte’s Cody Wright (35) leads the returning starters. The starting running back ran for a team-high 1,085 yards on 211 carries in the Bulldogs’ run heavy offense.

Fighting for every inch

Bulldogs determined to reach playoffs in Rice’s 3rd season

North Platte Class A

Aug. 28. ......................................................at Aurora Sept. 9. ........................................................Fremont Sept. 11........................................................ Kearney Sept. 18. ................................. at Lincoln North Star Sept. 25................................... at Lincoln Northeast Oct. 2................................................Creighton Prep Oct. 9................................................ at Lincoln East Oct. 16.................................................. Millard West Oct. 23......................................................Columbus

By TIM JOHNSON tim.johnson@ nptelegraph.com

to commit to and will- ing to work to that level,” Rice said. “I hope that’s a product that we can put out there (on the field) on a day-in and day-out ba- sis. “Playing in Class A is a very difficult chal- lenge for us in football but that’s where we are,” Rice said. “Our goal is to get back to being rel- evant and making the playoffs.” The Bulldogs take the initial step toward that goal on Friday at Aurora in the season opener. “We’re obviously (thinking) playoffs but we are focusing on Week 1,” Dike said. “That’s all we are looking at right now. We are taking it game by game and step by step. After that we will move on to Week 2 and then Week 3 but we will be there (in the play- offs). I promise you that.” North Platte had leads late in regulation against

Two years ago, North Platte won one game in Todd Rice’s inaugu- ral year as the Bulldogs head football coach. The team won three games last year and let potential wins slip away in two other matchups. The goal is to continue that climb and challenge for the program’s first postseason berth since 2015. “We are making the playoffs, there’s no doubt in my mind,” senior wideout Jayden Dike said earlier this month. “We should have made it last year. We’re a better team and we all know what we need to do. We are going to fix it and we are going to be there.” Rice approved of his veteran player’s predic- tion. “I hope that is what our guys are determined

Fremont and Lincoln Southeast, and lost both matchups. The latter was a setback in overtime. “I hope we have a chip on our shoulder,” Rice said. “We blew two fourth-quarter leads and if we win either one, we are in the playoffs. I hope guys have used that as fuel to come back and work that much harder (this year).” “There are so many things that can change a course of a game and (often) it comes down to great effort,” Rice said. “I think our guys know it’s right there in front of us and we are just excited to have the opportunity (to play) right now.” Bulldogs running back

Cody Wright said it came down to the Bulldogs’ mental breakdowns as much as physical ones at times. He said the team is determined not to let that continue this season. “We need to fight un- til the clock says zero,” said Wright, who rushed for 1,085 yards and nine touchdowns on 211 car- ries last season. “Last year we obviously didn’t do that and we lost real- ly close games that we should have won.” Wright rushed for more than 100 yards in seven of the Bulldogs’ nine games last season. He wants to build off that performance. “Hopefully get another 1,000 (yards) if not clos-

Telegraph file photo North Platte hopes to build on a 4-5 season that saw them narrowly miss the playoffs.

er to 2,000,” said Wright, who was a GNAC all-con- ference selection in his junior-year campaign. “I Just want to push myself in every game.” It’s a sentiment that Wright’s teammates share as well. “We just have to push a

little harder (this year),” the Bulldogs’ Gavyn Brauer said. “The games are that close and we have to do just that much more. We are pushing that extra mile, getting that extra step. We are just fighting for every inch.”

FOOTBALL SCHEDULES

Class B Lexington

Class C1 Broken Bow

Gothenburg Aug. 28. ............................. Cozad Sept. 4. .........at Kearney Catholic Sept. 11.....................Broken Bow Sept. 18. ...................... at St. Paul Sept. 25.......................... Ogallala Oct. 2........................... at Mitchell Oct. 9................................ Sidney Oct. 16....................... at Chadron Oct. 23.......................... Holdrege Ogallala Aug. 28. ....................Broken Bow Sept. 4. ..................... at Holdrege Sept. 11............. at Chase County Sept. 18. ...........Kearney Catholic Sept. 25................at Gothenburg Oct. 2................................. Cozad Oct. 9............................... Mitchell Oct. 16.......................... at Sidney Oct. 23........................... Chadron

Class C2 Chase County

Dundy County-Stratton Sept. 4. .......................... Bertrand Sept. 11........... at Perkins County Sept. 18. ......... Hitchcock County Sept. 25...................... at Maxwell Oct. 2................................ Hi-Line Oct. 8..............at Southern Valley Oct. 15................... at Cambridge Hi-Line Aug. 28. ....................at Arapahoe Sept. 4. ........................Elm Creek Sept. 11...................at Sutherland Sept. 18. ......................... Maxwell Sept. 25......................... Bertrand Oct. 2..at Dundy County Stratton Oct. 9......................... Cambridge Oct. 16........ at Hitchcock County

Aug. 28. ........................... Seward Sept. 4. ....................... at Beatrice Sept. 11............. South Sioux City Sept. 18. ..............................Crete Sept. 25......................at McCook Oct. 2.................................Gering Oct. 9......................at Scottsbluff Oct. 16.............................Alliance Oct. 23...............................at York McCook Aug. 28. ..................... at Hastings Sept. 4. ................................Crete Sept. 11..............................at York Sept. 18. ...................... at Seward Sept. 25........................Lexington Oct. 2.................................Aurora Oct. 9.............................at Gering oct. 16.........................Scottsbluff Oct. 23.........................at Alliance

Aug. 28. .......................... Ogallala Sept. 4. ............................ St. Paul Sept. 11.................at Gothenburg Sept. 18. .............................at Ord Sept. 25.............................O’Neill Oct. 2............at Kearney Catholic Oct. 9............................ Holdrege Oct. 16........................... at Cozad Oct. 23..............................Minden Cozad Aug. 28. ................at Gothenburg Sept. 4. ........Wood River-Shelton Sept. 11......................... at Sidney Sept. 18. .............. Adams Central Sept. 25........................ Holdrege Oct. 2.......................... at Ogallala Oct. 9........................... at Minden Oct. 16......................Broken Bow Oct. 23..........at Kearney Catholic

Aug. 28. ..................... at Chadron Sept. 4. ............................. Sidney Sept. 11........................... Ogallala Sept. 18. ...................... at Mitchell Sept. 25.........................Valentine Oct. 2.......................... at St. Pat’s Oct. 9.............................. Hershey Oct. 16.................... at Bridgeport Oct. 23......... at Gordon-Rushville Class D1 Anselmo-Merna Aug. 27. .............Ansley-Litchfield Sept. 4. ................. at Hemingford Sept. 11..................at South Loup Sept. 18. ...................... Ainsworth Sept. 25..........................Amherst Oct. 2......................... at Ravenna Oct. 8................................Burwell Oct. 16........at Arcadia-Loup City

Please see SCHEDULES, Page C4

GIRLS GOLF SCHEDULES

Sept. 8. .................... at Broken Bow Invite Sept. 15. ........................... at Gering Invite Sept. 17. .................. at North Platte Invite Sept. 22.............................. Ogallala Invite Sept. 30. at Dundy County-Stratton Invite Oct. 1.................................at SWC, Cozad Perkins County Aug. 27. ............................ at Bayard Invite Sept. 1. .............................at Kimball Invite Sept. 3. .................... at Creek Valley Invite Sept. 17. ................. Perkins County Quad Sept. 22.................................... at Ogallala Sept. 24. ..................... at Bridgeport Invite Sept. 30.Perkins County at Dundy County- Stratton Invite Southwest Aug. 20. ..................... at Cambridge Invite Aug. 28. ..........................at McCook Invite Sept. 11.........................at Lexington Invite Sept. 15. ...................at Gothenburg Invite Sept. 17. ..............at Perkins County Invite Sept. 24. ....................... at Holdrege Invite Sept. 30........... at Dundy County-Stratton

Sept. 11.............................Lexington Invite Sept. 15. ...................at Gothenburg Invite Sept. 18. ...........................Lexington Invite Sept. 24. ....................... at Holdrege Invite Sept. 29.........................at Southern Invite Oct. 2....at Central Conference, Holdrege North Platte Aug. 20. ...........Ogallala, at Lake Maloney Aug. 28. ...at Kearney Invite, Awarii Dunes Sept. 1. ..................at Lincoln Pius X Invite Sept. 4. ................... at Grand Island Invite Sept. 8. .....................................at McCook Sept, 11.........................at Lexington Invite Sept. 15. .................................. at Hastings Sept. 17. ....................... North Platte Invite Sept. 22.......................at Columbus Invite Sept. 24. .............................at Gothenburg Oct. 2..................... GNAC, at North Platte Ogallala Aug. 20. .................... at North Platte Dual Aug. 25. ........................... at Sidney Invite Aug. 28. ......................... at McCook Invite Sept. 1. ...................... at Scottsbluff Invite

Sept. 24. ..................... at Bridgeport Invite Dundy County-Stratton Aug. 20. ..................... at Cambridge Invite Aug. 28. ..........................at McCook Invite Sept. 1. ........................ Creek Valley Invite Sept. 8. ............. at Goodland (Kan.) Invite Sept. 15. ...................at Gothenburg Invite Sept. 17. ..............at Perkins County Invite Sept. 22.......................... at Ogallala Invite Sept. 24. ....................... at Holdrege Invite Sept. 30..... Dundy County-Stratton Invite Hershey Aug. 24. .........Gothenburg, Lake Maloney Aug. 28. ..............................McCook Invite Sept. 8. .....................at Broken Bow Invite Sept. 17. ................. Perkins County Quad Sept. 22.......................... at Ogallala Invite Sept. 30. at Dundy County-Stratton Invite Lexington Aug. 28. ..........................at McCook Invite Sept. 1. .................................at Scottsbluff Sept. 3. ..................................at York Invite

Broken Bow Aug. 27. ........... at Kearney Catholic Invite Sept. 1. ..................... at Cambridge Invite Sept. 3. .................. at Grand Island Invite Sept. 8. .........................Broken Bow Invite Sept. 11........................ at Lexington Invite Sept. 15. .................. at Gothenburg Invite Sept. 21. ...................Arcadia/Loup City at Sept. 24. ...................... at Holdrege Invite Sept. 28............................ at Cozad Invite Oct. 1................................ at SWC, Cozad Cozad Aug. 27. ........... at Kearney Catholic Invite Sept. 1. ............. at Kearney Catholic Dual Sept. 8. ............................ at Minden Invite Sept. 11........................ at Lexington Invite Sept. 15. .................. at Gothenburg Invite Sept. 17. .................. at North Platte Invite Sept. 18. .... , Gothenburg at Lexington Tri Sept. 22......................... at Ogallala Invite Sept. 28................................. Cozad Invite Oct. 1..................................SWC at Cozad Creek Valley Sept. 3. ........................ Creek Valley Invite

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THE NORTH PLATTE TELEGRAPH

FRIDAY, AUGUST 28, 2020

Irish look to capitalize on last six games of 2019

St. Pat’s finished season strong with winning streak

they open their sea- son Friday on the road against Doniphan- Trumbull. Dodson said they have some guys coming back with good varsity expe- rience, but they also lost a talented senior class that left some holes to be filled on both sides of the ball. That leaves a need for the next class of players to step up and contribute early on. “We’re working on the mental part of the game,” Dodson said. “We’ve got to be confident in our assignments and the technique we’re using. As the season goes on, you hope they gain that varsity experience.” That experience has to start somewhere, and Dodson said the team re- lies heavily on its senior leadership. Alex Davies, a fullback and outside linebacker, and Trayton White, an offensive lineman and a defense end, are two se- niors who have already made an impact as start- ers. There are others on the bench who haven’t seen as much playing time, and Dodson said he’s hopeful they’ll make the transition during their final seasons. “We want to see those seniors contribute and have a great senior year,” Dodson said. “Some of those guys have played quite a bit. We have a number of other se-

By JAKE DREILINGER jake.dreilinger@ nptelegraph.com

If last year was any in- dicator, the amount of players on a team doesn’t limit what those athletes can do. St. Pat’s has a football roster size that screams eight-man or six-man football. Except it doesn’t play at that level. Every day after school, 29 kids head to the prac- tice field, decked in pads and ready to put in the work. They do drills and line up just like an 11-man squad. That’s because they are a team designed to play 11-man football. As long as they can suit up each week, the Irish will be out on that foot- ball field ready to go and compete with the rest of them. “We have eight-man numbers, but we opt up and play 11-man,” coach Kevin Dodson said. “That’s kind of where we’ve been the last five years and we’ve con- tinued to play 11-man football.” St. Pat’s won its fi- nal six games of the regular season after dropping three consec- utive contests. Most of those games were in con- vincing fashion, with a 7-0 win over Southern Valley as its only sin- gle-digit game. The Irish look to con- tinue that success when

Telegraph file photo St. Pat’s will look to its seniors for leadership, including returning fullback and linebacker Alex Davies (12).

If one of those players gets hurt, it forces the team to find a replace- ment, sometimes at multiple positions. Dodson said that easi- ly can happen, which is why they scale condition- ing and certain drills during the season to lim- it the wear-and-tear and stay healthy. “At the end of the day, both teams get to put 11 players out on the field,” Dodson said. “Depth with the lower numbers

niors that we’re excited to see what they can do when they get into the ball game. They’ve been working hard for four years and impatiently waiting their turn.” Those seniors will help with St. Pat’s depth on both sides of the ball. A drawback of playing 11- man football with just 29 players on the roster is a lack of depth. It requires most of the starters to play both sides of the ball.

St. Pat’s Class C2

Aug. 28. ................................. at Doniphan-Trumbull Sept. 4. ..................................................... St. Cecilia Sept. 11.................................................... at Centura Sept. 18. ...........................................................GICC Sept. 25...............................................at Bridgeport Oct. 2.................................................Chase County Oct. 9............................................Gordon-Rushville Oct. 16.....................................................at Hershey Oct. 23....................................................... Valentine

certainly is a concern for you early on in the sea- son with conditioning

and as you move through the season with inju- ries.”

Hershey returns starting backfield; hopes for playoff run

By TIM JOHNSON tim.johnson@ nptelegraph.com HERSHEY The Panthers last qualified for the postseason in Eli McConnell’s freshman season. — The senior hopes to help the Panthers end that drought in his final prep football season. “The goal is definite- ly to make a run there,” McConnell said. “It’s been awhile since we have been (to the play- offs) so we are really itchin’ to get back in and compete.” He is part of a veteran group that could make that goal a reality this fall. The Panthers gradu- ated four players from last year’s team that fin- ished with a 4-5 record. Hershey returns nine starters on defense and eight on offense. “We are incredibly op- timistic,” Panthers coach Greg Welch said. “We had a good summer in the weight room and we’re getting better every day. I like the attitude and we have good chemistry.” The Panthers open

Hershey Class C1

Aug. 28. ....................................................at Centura Sept. 4. .................................................Sandy Creek Sept. 11..........................................................Gibbon Sept. 18. ....................................................at Minden Sept. 25.................................... at Gordon-Rushville Oct. 2..........................................................Valentine Oct. 9............................................. at Chase County Oct. 16.......................................................... St. Pats Oct. 23................................................. at Bridgeport

ers,” Hoelscher said. “Up front, compared to last year, I feel much more confident being behind them with the work they have done this year.” One key offensive newcomer is freshman Cooper Hill, slated as the quarterback. While he might lack varsity ex- perience, he has shown enough in team workouts and practices to earn the confidence of the Hershey coaching staff. “I think he is the real deal,” Welch said. Hoelscher and McConnelll are both re- turning linebackers in the Panthers’ 4-4 defense. “I think we are going to have a good defense,” Welch said. “We’re young but everyday we’re get- ting better.”

including the tough loss- es. He said the Panthers came away from the film session with a few key thoughts. “There were just a cou- ple of plays that cost us (wins),” McConnell said. “We just should have been more focused.” The focus of the Panthers offense should be its running game. Hoelscher teams with fel- low senior Nate Andresen for the Panthers’ experi- enced backfield that also includes McConnell at fullback. Hoelscher led the team in rushing with 703 yards and Andresen added 516 yards and 11 touchdowns for the Panthers. “We have a lot of skilled kids (on offense). We have a lot of playmak-

Telegraph file photo Austin Holscher (12) joins Nate Andresen in the Hershey backfield. Hoelscher led the team in rushing a year ago, while Andresen ran for 516 yards.

It happened in a couple games last year. Looking back at it now, there are some things that I wished I would have done (differ- ently). It was just a lot of little things that cost us games.” McConnell said the team has reviewed some game tape from last year,

game — including a con- troversial personal foul penalty on a fourth- down play that allowed a Centura drive to contin- ue. “It was just some sil- ly things like that,” Hoelscher said, “and (the mistakes) happened in more than that game.

the season at Centura in Cairo, one of the oppo- nents that Hershey lost a late lead to last year, ultimately costing the Panthers a berth in the playoffs. Hershey senior Austin Hoelscher said it was a few undisciplined plays that cost the team that

FOOTBALL SCHEDULES CONTINUED

Hitchcock County Aug. 28. ....................... at Kimball Sept. 4. ............................. Bayard Sept. 11................................ Alma Sept. 18. ..........at Dundy County- Stratton Sept. 25..................... Cambridge Oct. 2.............................at Leyton Oct. 9.......................... at Maxwell Oct. 16.............................. Hi-Line Perkins County Aug. 27. ...................... at Maxwell Sept. 4. .Maywood-Hayes Center Sept. 11.. Dundy County-Stratton Sept. 18. ....................... at Bayard Sept. 25............................Kimball Oct. 2.................... at Hemingford Oct. 9..........................Sutherland Oct. 16............................. at Alma Class D2 Garden County Aug. 28. .................... Hemingford Sept. 4. .......................Sutherland Sept. 11........................... at Brady Sept. 18. ............................Mullen Sept. 25........................ at Bayard Oct. 2.......................... at Hyannis Oct. 8..................................Morrill Oct. 16...........................at Leyton

Hyannis Aug. 28. ..........at Sandhills Valley Sept. 4. ......................South Loup Sept. 10. ... at Sandhills/Thedford Sept. 18. ............................Leyton Sept. 25.........................at Mullen Oct. 2.................. Garden County Oct. 9................................Kimball Oct. 16............................at Morrill Maywood-Hayes Center Aug. 28. .............................Leyton Sept. 4. ........... at Perkins County Sept. 11..........................at Mullen Sept. 17. ............................. Brady Sept. 25........................at Loomis Oct. 2...............................Overton Oct. 9...............................at Axtell Oct. 16................ Medicine Valley Medicine Valley Aug. 28. .....................South Loup Sept. 4. ............................ at Alma Sept. 10. .............Sandhills Valley Sept. 18. ..........................at Axtell Sept. 25...................... at Overton Oct. 2.................................. Brady Oct. 9................................Loomis Oct. 16.......... at Maywood-Hayes Center

Mullen Aug. 28. .... at Sandhills/Thedford Sept. 4. ....................at Twin Loup Sept. 11.Maywood-Hayes Center Sept. 18. ......... at Garden County Sept. 25.......................... Hyannis Oct. 2..............................at Morrill Oct. 8.................................Leyton Oct. 15............................ Maxwell Sandhills Valley Aug. 28. .......................... Hyannis Sept. 4. ....................... at Overton Sept, 10. ......... at Medicine Valley Sept. 17. ....................South Loup Sept. 25................. at Pleasanton Oct. 2........................... Twin Loup Oct. 9........ at Sandhills/Thedford Oct. 16...............Ansley-Litchfield Sandhills/Thedford Aug. 28. .............................Mullen Sept. 4. ...........................at Morrill Sept. 10. ......................... Hyannis Sept. 18. ..................at Twin Loup Sept. 25.................at South Loup Oct. 2.................Ansley-Litchfield Oct. 9..................Sandhills Valley Oct. 16................... at Pleasanton

South Loup Aug. 28. .......... at Medicine Valley Sept. 4. ....................... at Hyannis Sept. 11.............. Anselmo-Merna Sept. 17. .........at Sandhills Valley Sept. 25........ Sandhills/Thedford Oct. 2......................... Pleasanton Oct. 9............ at Ansley-Litchfield Oct. 16......................... Twin Loup Aug. 28. ............................ at SEM Sept. 4. ............... at Cody-Kilgore Sept. 11................ at Hay Springs Sept. 18. ........................... Paxton Sept. 25....................at Potter-Dix Oct. 2...................Banner County Oct. 9................... at Creek Valley Oct. 23......................South Platte Class D6 Arthur County Creek Valley Aug. 28. ....................Hay Springs Sept. 4. ......................... at Paxton Sept. 11...................Sioux County Sept. 18. .................... at Minatare Sept. 25...........at Banner County Oct. 9.....................Arthur County Oct. 16..................at South Platte Oct. 23..........................Potter-Dix

Paxton Aug. 28. .............. at Cody-Kilgore Sept. 4. .................... Creek Valley Sept. 18. ............at Arthur County Sept. 25...........................Wallace Oct. 2..............Wauneta-Palisade Oct. 9...................... at Southwest Oct. 15........................... Minatare Oct. 23.............................. at SEM South Platte Sept. 3. ........................at Wallace Sept. 11...........Wauneta-Palisade Sept. 18. ...................Hay Springs Sept. 25.....................at Crawford Oct. 2............................Potter-Dix Oct. 9...............at Banner County Oct. 16..................... Creek Valley Oct. 23............... at Arthur county Southwest Aug. 28. ...............Wilcox-Hildreth Sept. 11................... at Red Cloud Sept. 18. .....................Silver Lake Sept. 25......at Wauneta-Palisade Oct. 2...........................at Franklin Oct. 9................................ Paxton Oct. 16.................................. SEM Oct. 23.........................at Wallace

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FRIDAY, AUGUST 28, 2020

THE NORTH PLATTE TELEGRAPH

Building on a perfect regular season Sutherland hopes success can transfer into a playoff push

er, we feel like we have some kids that can step up and take some signif- icant roles. We look at those two classes togeth- er to make things work.” The junior and senior classes are also where the team’s returning starters come from. Sutherland’s three se- niors are tight end and cornerback Jaron Cooper, and utility players Carter Snyder and Ty Monie. Geier praised Snyder and Monie for their abili- ties to play all over the field wherever the team needs them. “Any time for us when you talk about key play- ers, we look to our seniors,” Geier said. “We only have three this year. When we went ahead and played Arcadia/Loup City last year as our last game of the year, all three started both ways. Fortunately for us, we’re looking for quality over quantity with them.” Other returning start- ers, all of whom are juniors, include Tanner Drueke, Gavin White, Austin Lee, Maverick Naughtin. Drueke had the most rushing attempts last season with 101, caught eight passes in the field and led the team in to- tal tackles with 52. White tied for third in tackles with 34.5 and Lee fin- ished the season with 30 tackles. Naughtin played on the offensive and de- fensive lines. That leaves a few start- ing roles up for grabs and Geier said his team has so far responded posi- tively to getting back out on the field. He said the

By JAKE DREILINGER jake.dreilinger@ nptelegraph.com The Sutherland high school football team stood out last season with a perfect regular season record before fall- ing in the playoffs to Arcadia/Loup City. While it has lost a few key seniors on both sides of the ball, the Sailors return a major- ity of its starters. They boast a lot of players who manage offense and defense, and about five or six of the athletes on the roster started last year. None of those starters include the quarterback, however. That doesn’t mean the next man up, Andrew Dowse, doesn’t have any playing expe- rience. Dowse, a junior, got to play as a fresh- man when then-starter Tayton Schuster tore his ACL. “He does have a little bit of starting experience, which we will always take,” said Sutherland coach Brendan Geier. “We’re looking for him to take the next step this year.” That first step comes when Sutherland opens the season Friday at home against Cambridge. Dowse is a part of a 14-man junior class that Geier said the team is looking at to lead the way. Mix that with a three-man senior class and that’s 17 players — over half the team’s roster. “A lot of those kids have played small roles throughout the years,” he said. “As they get old-

Telegraph file photo Ty Monie is one of just three seniors on a talented Sutherland team that went undefeated in the regular sea- son in 2019.

not only a football season this year, but a success- ful one at that. “We talk a lot about getting better each day,” Geier said. “I feel like we’ve taken that attitude into this week and hope- fully we continue that attitude each day as we progress into the sea- son.”

players have taken up the challenge of being “COVID safe” and wear- ing masks to do whatever it takes to have a football season. Now that the first game is upon them, Sutherland is ramping up its philos- ophy of improving every day and doing what it can to make sure they have

Sutherland Class D1

Aug. 28. ...................................................Cambridge Sept. 4. ......................................... at Garden County Sept. 11.........................................................Hi-Linen Sept. 18. .................................................... at Kimball Sept. 25..................................................Hemingford Oct. 2.................................................... at Elm Creek Oct. 9............................................ at Perkins County Oct. 15............................................................Bayard

Maxwell hopes to improve on 3-6 season, with starters returning

who are freshmen. Jones said they will be get- ting involved right away in various roles, even if they don’t get to start right away. The biggest impact a freshman can make at Maxwell is probably through special teams, which is where they can impress and hopefully become a role player lat- er on. “Your younger kids get thrown right in there, ready or not,” he said. “They’re the scout team, getting us ready for the other team’s plays, but they also got to learn our offense and defense and what we like to do. We ask a lot of our younger kids. So far they’ve been doing a fantastic job.” That same philosophy also helped develop some of the current starters now. Jones said junior Jack Meyer was one of those players who con- tributed all over the field his first two seasons, and will now take snaps at quarterback. As a sophomore, Meyer had 47 carries for 272 yards and two touch- downs, caught four passes and threw for 107 yards on nine comple- tions in spot duty. “He’s a good athlete, wants to win and very passionate about win- ning,” Jones said. “Any time that’s the kind of kid that’s leading your huddle, that’s a good start. We can do a lot of things with Jack under center.” Meyer will have plen- ty of help on the offensive line, as Maxwell returns Kayden Stubbs and Luke Howitt as guards and Troy Breinig at center. “Our guys up front that are returning have real- ly played a lot of football since their freshman year,” Jones said. “A lot of experience up front, and that’s nice to see.”

By JAKE DREILINGER jake.dreilinger@ nptelegraph.com

Maxwell coach Ryan Jones started giving a cliche “coach answer” when asked if there was one game his players might be looking forward to the most this year. He started explain- ing how they take it each game at a time before he stopped and started changing his answer a bit. “You try not to look ahead, but it’s very nat- ural for us to look where Brady’s at on the sched- ule,” Jones said. “Brady’s our rival eight miles down the road. Brady beat us last year, and that doesn’t happen very often. We’re looking for- ward to that Brady game, which is our second game of the year.” That game was in Maxwell last year, and the Brady Eagles came out on top with a 42-34 win. Even though he wants his team to fo- cus on its season opener against Perkins County, Jones knows his team has its eyes set to next week. Maxwell has the ma- jority of its starters returning: Six on offense and five on defense. Four of them start on both sides of the ball. Having that many returners in eight-man football brings plenty of experience to a team looking to improve off last season. The Wildcats went 3-6 last year, including a 86- 25 loss to Elwood in the playoffs. Its wins came against Morrill, Leyton/ Banner County and Mullen. Maxwell will have a fresh slate of op- ponents this year, except for Brady and Mullen, which means it will have to spend more time pre- paring for unfamiliar matchups. Maxwell boasts a ros- ter of 29 players, 11 of

Telegraph file photo J ack Meyer (5), who saw time all over the field as a sophomore, now takes the reins at quarterback for Maxwell.

Maxwell Class D1

Aug. 27. ........................................... Perkins County Sept. 4. ........................................................at Brady Sept. 11.................................................. Hemingford Sept. 18. ....................................................at Hi-Line Sept. 25.............................. Dundy County-Stratton Oct. 2.................................................. at Cambridge Oct. 9...........................................Hitchcock County Oct. 15........................................................at Mullen

FALL SPORTS

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THE NORTH PLATTE TELEGRAPH

FRIDAY, AUGUST 28, 2020

Tim Johnson / The North Platte Telegraph

Kaden Dady, front, is the only returning starter on offense for a young Brady football team. The Eagles finished 5-4 last season.

‘Trial by fire’ for young Brady squad

said. “It’s just about his maturation in that po- sition once the games actually start.” Most is part of a back- field that includes senior Hunter Lovitt, who rushed for 192 yards and six touchdowns on just 16 carries last sea- son. Logan Simmons, a returning starter at linebacker, should get more playing time in the Eagles offense after he averaged 18 yards a rush in a limited role last year. “We are super young (as a team),” Most said. “If we can come out of that (adversity) and prove that we can still fight, we will be pretty good.”

these kids don’t have that experience,” Seamann said of his team sopho- more- and junior-heavy players. “It was a group that worked really hard and showed leadership for (the program),” That group included TJ. Roe, who finished his prep career as Brady’s career leader in pass- ing yards (3,596), passing touchdowns (39) and all-purpose yards (5,714) Shane Most, a 6-2 junior, is a returning de- fensive starter who saw time at both linebacker and safety. He a will take over as the Eagles’ quar- terback this year for a new-look offense. “He is a hard worker and I am very confident in his ability,” Seamann

have the talent (to com- pete),” Seamann said. “As long as we get better every day, by the end of the season, we should be a pretty good team.” That initial test comes Friday at Pleasanton, a program that reached the Class D2 state champion- ship game last season. “Obviously that first game is going to be a tough one given our ex- perience,” Seamann said. Kaden Dady is Brady’s top returner for the D2 program that is com- ing off a 5-4 season. The 6-foot-1, 215-pound right guard is the only return- ing offensive starter. The defensive end/nose guard is one of three starters back for Brady’s 3-3 defense.

By TIM JOHNSON tim.johnson@ nptelegraph.com

Brady Class D2

Take a look at the ros- ter for the Brady football team and a few things stand out. The Eagles are not only young but short on varsi- ty experience and depth as well. “Some guys got play- ing time in wins last year, but for most (of the team), everything is new,” Eagles coach Andy Seamann said of his team that has 18 players on the roster. “There no repping what happens in a game during practice, especially when you are limited in numbers. It’s going to be trial by fire, especially early on. “I fully believe that we

Aug. 28. ...............................................at Pleasanton Sept. 4. .........................................................Maxwell Sept. 11.............................................Garden County Sept. 17. ........................ at Maywood-Hayes Center Sept. 25............................................................ Axtell Oct. 2............................................at Medicine Valley Oct. 9............................................................ Overton Oct. 15....................................................... at Loomis

“I have a whole differ- ent crew with me now (on the offensive and defen- sive lines),” Dady said, “but I think we will be al- right. All these guys are stepping up (in practice) and looking good. “The guys practice pretty hard,” said Dady, who was an honorable mention all-district se- lection last year. “They

are young, and most of them haven’t real- ly played a single game of varsity (football), but they work.” Those players are get- ting the opportunity with the graduation of a strong group of seniors, many of which had three to four years of varsity experience. “That’s why a lot of

Wallace Wildcats drop to 6-man for 2020 season After canceled season, program back on track

By JAKE DREILINGER jake.dreilinger@ nptelegraph.com

Last year’s Wallace High School football sea- son was different. The Wildcats, typically an eight-man program, were forced to cancel the sea- son at the varsity level. That doesn’t mean Wallace went without any football, though. Its junior varsity team, which plays six-man foot- ball, still got to have a season. Turns out that experience is going to come in handy. Wallace will have a season this year, but it will have to move to six-man football at the varsity level. That means the 2020 team will be lacking varsity experi- ence, but knows how to play six-man football from their season last year. And its first game Friday will be against a familiar opponent in Potter-Dix on the road. “We had Sumner- Eddyville-Miller and Potter-Dix on our JV schedule last year,”

Telegraph file photo Wallace, seen here lining up against Maxwell in 2018, was forced to cancel its 2019 season and will move down to 6-man football for the 2020 season. They are one of several area teams making the move, including Paxton. The Wildcats start the season at Potter-Dix Friday.

ple of years, the state assigns new schedules, and this year, Wallace had to make the drop down to six-man foot- ball. They’ll have to play at that level for the next two years before they can make the jump back to eight-man. Miller said the Wildcats weren’t the only team in the area to move down, which prevents Wallace from having to travel longer distances to get its games in. “Travel shouldn’t be as bad this year as a lot of six-man seasons usually are,” Miller said. “A lot of pretty local games, so we’re fortunate for that.”

defense every now and then. A roster size suit- ed for eight-man football means depth won’t be as big of an issue. That doesn’t mean they’re of- fensive starters won’t be starting on defense, though. “We do have some good numbers, so we’ll be able to give some of our guys a blow and not make them play both ways all the time,” Miller said. “But defensively, most of those kids will be play- ing both sides of the ball. Good tacklers, hopefully we can tackle in the open field. That’s kind of the name of the game.” Miller said every cou-

has the option of either running or throwing the football. “You could treat it like traditional football and line everyone up tight and kind of pow- er run game,” he said. “You could see a lot of spread with just the cen- ter snapping the ball and every one (else) is split out so it looks a little dif- ferent. You have to use some speed and athleti- cism when you spread it out like that and hope to beat the other team in the open space.” This also means the Wildcats can give its starters a break and put in a few more players on

Wallace Eric Miller said. “So just a lit- tle familiar with them. Of course it can change up to the varsity level, but we’ve at least seen some of their players be- fore.” There are many differ- coach

ences between eight-man and six-man. The big- gest is that the field is a little bigger with four less players on it, which means defenses have to rely heavily on open-field tackling, which can be challenging. Another difference is that the quarterback is not allowed to run with the ball. It has to be hand- ed off to another player or thrown before it cross- es the line of scrimmage. First downs are 15 yards instead of 10. Miller said most times, the ball will be handed off to the running back, who then becomes the quarterback because he

Wallace Class D5

Aug. 28. ................................................. at Potter-Dix Sept. 3. .................................................. South Platte Sept. 11.................................................... at Minatare Sept. 17. ........................................... Wilcox-Hildreth Sept. 25......................................................at Paxton Oct. 1..................................................................SEM Oct. 16..................................... at Wauneta-Plaisade Oct. 23...................................................... Southwest

FALL SPORTS

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FRIDAY, AUGUST 28, 2020

THE NORTH PLATTE TELEGRAPH

Ismael Rodriguez Jr. / The North Platte Telegraph

McKenna Little (19) of North Platte elevates to spike the ball as Jenna Curtis (3) and Jaedy Commins of Ogallala defend on Oct. 21, 2019, in Ogallala.

Bulldogs hope another year of experience pays off Working on chemistry North Platte Class A

Aug. 28-29.............................at Bellevue West Invite Sept. 3. .............................................Sidney/Ogallala Sept. 8. ............................................................Gering Sept. 10. ................................................at Northwest Sept. 12. ......................................... at Kearney Invite Sept. 15. ................................................... at Ogallala Sept. 18-19. ...................................at Lincoln Classic Sept. 24. ...................................................... Hastings Oct. 1...........................................................at Aurora Oct. 2-3......................................at Twin City Tourney Oct. 6..........................................at Kearney Catholic Oct. 15................................................ at North Platte Oct. 20................................................ at North Platte Oct. 24............................................. at Alliance Invite

The Bulldogs return a veteran squad with seven seniors on the ros- ter. That group includes Neff, who has been North Platte’s setter since her freshman season; and middle blocker MaKenna Little, who is in her third year as a starter. The team also has four defen- sive specialists who are seniors as well. The Bulldogs’ varsity roster includes three ju- niors and a sophomore. “We have great (senior) leadership,” Hammond said, “They have done a great job in terms of talking with the young- er players and getting them into the team atmo- sphere.” That experience shows on the court as well. “We’ve all been play- ing together since seventh grade, so we all know how to communi- cate (during games)” Neff said. “We know how to talk with each other and critique each other if we need to. I think that is re- ally going to help with both our offense and our defense.” Little said the team’s chemistry seems stron- ger overall. “I feel we had cliques

By TIM JOHNSON tim.johnson@ nptelegraph.com

There is a bit of a dif- ferent feeling around the North Platte volleyball team this year. With Clancy Hammond in her second campaign as coach, there is more of a comfort level for the players in the program with both the systems and expectations. “Last year was pret- ty tense. Everything was new,” said Bulldogs se- nior Peyton Neff. “This year we feel way more comfortable with every- body (on the coaching staff), so I think that is really going to help.” Hammond feels the same way as she said the first season was a chance for the coaching staff to get their feet set with the program. “We figured out last year things that we want- ed to do differently for this year,” Hammond said. “I think also just the players building relationships as team- mates (last year) helped them build a trust in (the coaches). We are excit- ed this year to see how those relationships con- tinue to build.”

couple of games I think it will be just kind of fig- uring things out a little more (with the rotation) and getting used to the flow of the game again.” said Gracelyn Cauffman, the Bulldogs senior de- fensive specialist. Hammond said there are a number of keys for the Bulldogs to reach the goals that they have set for the season. The biggest one right now is player’s health, especial- ly in a season set during the coronavirus pandem- ic. “It’s staying healthy and keeping kids in prac- tice and their ability to play,” Hammond said. “Other goals are kind of set aside right now. We want to keep them in school and that really is our biggest challenge right now.”

and different groups at times last year,” Little said. “It wasn’t a big deal as there wasn’t any dra- ma but it didn’t seem like we were all as one on the court. This year it has been a lot better and we are working to keep that strong.” The hope is that it might pay off in a suc- cessful run this year. The Bulldogs are com- ing off a 15-21 season — the fourth-straight losing season since the program posted a 37-4 mark in 2015 and reached the Class A state tourna- ment. The Bulldogs plan to use 11 players consistent- ly this season, and the early portion of the sea- son could be used to see where people fit into the rotation. “Going into the first

Telegraph file photo Peyton Neff embraced and excelled in new roles in 2019. She’ll return for her senior season as the start- ing setter.

VOLLEYBALL SCHEDULES

Class B Lexington

McCook Aug. 27. .....................................Lexington Sept. 1. .................Minden/Chase County Sept. 3. ................................... at Hastings Sept. 8. ........................................ Ogallala Sept. 10. .................................... Holdrege Sept. 15. .................................. at Hershey Sept. 19. ............................ McCook Invite Sept. 26........................at Holdrege Invite Sept. 29................. /CambridgeCozad Tri Oct. 2-3.................... at Twin City Tourney Oct. 8................................at Lexington Tri Oct. 13..........................at Broken Bow Tri Oct. 15............................... at North Platte Oct. 23............................ at SWC Tourney

Class C1 Broken Bow

Chase County Aug. 27. ....................................... Ogallala Sept. 1. ............................... at McCook Tri Sept. 5. ........................at Lexington Invite Sept. 10. ............... Alliance, at Bridgeport Sept. 17. ............Maywood-Hayes Center Sept. 19. ........................ at McCook Invite Sept. 22..................................... at Sidney Sept. 24. ......................... DCS/St. Francis Sept. 29...... Gothenburg/Perkins County Oct. 1..............................at Sutherland Tri Oct. 6.................................. at St. Pat’s Tri Oct. 8................................Perkins County Oct. 13...................................... at Kimball Oct. 17.........................SPVA Tournament Oct. 20..................................... at Hershey

Aug. 27. ...................................at McCook Sept. 1. ....................................... at Cozad Sept. 3. ..............................at Holdrege Tri Sept. 5. ............................Lexington Invite Sept. 10. ...................................... Hershey Sept. 17. ................................Broken Bow Sept. 19. ...................at Central City Invite Sept. 24. ..... Northwest/Kearney Catholic Sept. 29..........................................Aurora Oct. 2-3.................... at Twin City Tourney Oct. 6.........................................at York Tri Oct. 8......................McCook/Gothenburg Oct. 15-17. .........at Central Conf. Tourney Oct. 20..............Holdrege/Adams Central

Aug. 28. ................................... at Hershey Sept. 3. ..............................at Gothenburg Sept. 5. ........................at Lexington Invite Sept. 10. ................................ at Cozad Tri Sept. 17. ................................at Lexington Sept. 19. ..........................at Seward Invite Sept. 24. ...............................at Gibbon Tri Sept. 26.......... at Adams Central Tourney Oct. 1.................................ay Ravenna Tri Oct. 6.......................................Ord/Cozad Oct. 8.................................. at Ogallala Tri Oct. 13............................. at Ainsworth Tri Oct. 15.......................at Kearney Catholic Oct. 20..............................................Quad Oct. 23............ at SWC Tourney, McCook

Please see SCHEDULES, Page C9