um,

That's like a lot to replace in Class C1.

So, I mean, they have a sophomore quarterback, sophomore running back, sophomore wide receiver.

Hugo Portugal has 56 total tackles.

He's a senior defensive lineman.

I guess he plays both ways for them.

He's going to have to have a monster night because Grayson Nolan – that, you know, has run over every body all year for Ashland Greenwood.

When we get Millard South and West side playing a regular season game and Mike, Trey Taylor's the best high school football player I've seen in Nebraska in 25 years.

The multi-site platform.

Yeah.

So it, I've had conversat- you know, a couple conversations.

I mean, the whole time I drove from Hastings to Lincoln yesterday, I was on the phone with softball people, the whole, the, like, hour and a half or whatever it was.

Um, but you have...

So there's a couple of things.

One, they want to...

Sure.

But i- is, is this data point week when you start this week and next week for what you're looking for in C2 contenders?

Yeah, 100%.

Like, Green Island Central Catholic, everybody thinks, like- You know, start of the year it was like, oh, if they don't win it, I- you know, something crazy happened, something really wrong happened.

I don't know, they're gonna run into Jordan Williams and Bo Wells tonight and the rushing attack from Ord.

Um, so i- we'll see.

Like, the, this...

I'm excited Tim's going out there for that 'cause w- we need someone out there.

Sure.

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Yep.

Yeah.

And Boys- Boys Town's just kind of running through people with their speed and athleticism.

But Roncalli likes to play fast and throw the ball around.

Like, so y- it's a good matchup.

There's a bunch of good matchups outside of that one, obviously, big one, which I've said this kind of when the schedule came out.

If both of those teams take care of business tonight and next week, they're both basically the one and two.

[laughs]

Mm-hmm.

I mean, what's the tenor of this team comparative to a year ago? Because it was probably quiet confidence right here, a lot more question marks, but this year, do you, especially the two guys that were there, do you feel a little bit different about how you felt about the team coming into the season now after you saw what they spoke about and kind of their demeanor when they were out there?

Yeah, I, I'm excited to see them actually, you know, play for the limited time that they're gonna play as far as Nebraska's concerned.

Um, they, yeah, Pri- I will say this, Pryce Sanford and Braden Frager, in the 15-minute window that we got to watch them two weeks ago or whatever that was of practice, where it was just, you know, lay-up lines and three-man weave and a shooting drill, um, so, like, they look bigger.

They've gotten bigger, stronger.

You can tell the shoulders, arm- you know, they're not just young-looking anymore, so you can tell they've, they put on kinda good weight.

Um, the, the maturity piece is, is a thing still.

Um, Fred said that yesterday.

Mm-hmm.

Why is that? Why does the NSA choose to keep going back to Hastings?

yeah uh because there really isn't another facility that they can get that volume of games in that also has a practice field where teams can warm up before games so it saves time between games um so and hastings is the only one that has like the eight field and the big enough big enough ish press box um so like yeah that's why uh the finals obviously they moved those off which is great and they did that for so they can put it on tv um so that's that's awesome i mean that that dan masters actually was in charge of baseball kind of softball at the time um when he's working for the nsa and he he was the catalyst for that move um a few years ago and it's worked out really well because the crowds have been really big for those winner-take-all finals.

But that truly is the only reason.

Yes, I know there are softball facilities that have a lot of fields but they don't have the other amenities with them.

Like you have to have press box seating.

You have to have like all of those things.

Nobody has that stuff.

But this year, especially the two guys that were there, do you feel a little bit different about how you felt about the team coming into the season now after you saw what they spoke about and kind of their demeanor when they were out there?

Yeah.

So this is something that I did the math on Friday morning, I believe, and then I did the math again, um, after this week.

Omaha Public Schools playing against non-OPS opponents is 4 and 23, and Omaha North is 2 and 1.

Uh, Bryan is 1 and 3 and Central is 1 and 3.

Those are the three wins against not, uh, playing not against each other.

They have been outscored in those games 1,064 to 328.

Yeah.

There's a lot of things that you could have done to prevent that.

W- what do people need to know about this Boys Town team here in Omaha that has been lighting the scoreboard up through the first five weeks?

Yeah.

The Syracuse S- game really was, like, eye-opening because I thought Syracuse, you know, they just, they run, like...

I, I don't even know what their offense is called, but they have two wing backs and, like, they just run it down, try and run it down your throat.

And the, the concern for me before that game for Boys Town was like, how are they gonna match that physicality, and are they gonna be tough enough and all that? Well, they answered that question very well.

Chase White is their quarterback.

He's a really good quarterback.

Mm-hmm.

How did we get to 1413? And and like what happened with the Miller North offense, which had been pretty good all season?

Well, Elkhorn South plays like a matchup zone in the back end, so I think that's part of it.

And they got after the quarterback last night, Elkhorn South did.

So it's a lot of credit to Elkhorn South.

I think, at least my opinion coming into the game, was in order for them to win, they're going to have to...

Control the clock, take care of the ball, not have any turnovers, you know, no big plays, big chunks and things like that.

And they did a great job with that.

No wonder it has that natural green color.

[laughs]

[laughs] I've been there.

Um, so I, I don't know.

I mean, what can you learn? It's...

So Kearney, what, two weeks ago when they beat Southwest, they had a quarterback change and kind of changed what they did.

Um, a lot more just QB run game and stuff like that.

So I think that's what caught Lincoln Southwest off guard.

That's a good idea.

side or right

side? Ethan Hayes and Devin Cox are two Division II commits.

I believe both are committed to Augustana.

Michael Valencia and Tierra Porter are their two backs that they use.

They're both averaging over eight yards a carry.

They're going to They're going to lean on that running game or try to.

And Chase Kinman's a really nice receiver for them.

I just want to give you a minute if there was anything you wanted to say in kind of remembrance of our friend.

We still have a lot of season left to go, and there's games that probably will muddy that conversation, but if you were to project it, do you start now as we hit the halfway point or do you still wait for a couple more games to get in there?

Yeah.

I, I wait until probably about week seven.

Um, so a couple more weeks.

I, I wait until it gets a little farther down the line.

Um, then you kind of look a little deeper, like, "Okay, you know, there's only two weeks left of the season, so let's see.

Like, if this team beats this team, could they jump here or move, and what does it look like?" I, I am, I am very intrigued by Lincoln Northeast and if they can make the playoffs for the first time in a very long time.

[laughs]

your Game of the Week pick?

i kind of wanted i i don't like the people in sandy creek treat me very well um when i'm out there and um it's not you know it's not too too far away it's just south of aurora about 23 miles um off the interstate so um But, yeah, I mean, that would have been fun.

That would have been fun.

This is the second time I've tried to have Central Valley win the game of the week, and it has it by a very slim margin.

So, but maybe, I don't know.

They played Burwell week nine.

That one maybe is one to come up to look for.

Mike, outside of the four candidates for Game of the Week, is there another game that you're particularly interested in, regardless of class, of just like, hey, I'm really going to keep an eye on how that one looks?

your Game of the Week pick?

i kind of wanted i i don't like the people in sandy creek treat me very well um when i'm out there and um it's not you know it's not too too far away it's just south of aurora about 23 miles um off the interstate so um But, yeah, I mean, that would have been fun.

That would have been fun.

This is the second time I've tried to have Central Valley win the game of the week, and it has it by a very slim margin.

So, but maybe, I don't know.

They played Burwell week nine.

That one maybe is one to come up to look for.

Mike, outside of the four candidates for Game of the Week, is there another game that you're particularly interested in, regardless of class, of just like, hey, I'm really going to keep an eye on how that one looks?

How would you kind of break that down in class A and B in volleyball?

Yeah, I think in A right now we're looking at – It's Papio South and Elkhorn North.

Elkhorn North moving up to A is certainly a thing.

I think they're the kind of tip of the spear, if you will, at this point.

And they likely will play each other tomorrow for the first of what could be four times this year.

I think it's called the Titan Classic or Papio South's volleyball tournaments tomorrow.

So they could play in the semis tomorrow if they both win their first round games.

Is that something that you've picked on a little bit more that this is, maybe it's just the generation, maybe it's just the years, or do you think that this is something that's becoming a trend that athletes in Omaha, athletes in Nebraska are starting to either get a little bit more national run or their profiles are getting a little bit bigger, or just maybe it's simply that the athletes are just getting better here in the state?

How would you kind of break that down in class A and B in volleyball?

Yeah, I think in A right now we're looking at – It's Papio South and Elkhorn North.

Elkhorn North moving up to A is certainly a thing.

I think they're the kind of tip of the spear, if you will, at this point.

And they likely will play each other tomorrow for the first of what could be four times this year.

The...

I think it's called the Titan Classic or Papio South's volleyball tournaments tomorrow.

It feels like this has been a great run of high-profile athletes names that are coming out of the state is that something that you've picked on a little bit more that this is maybe it's just the generation maybe it's just the years or do you think that this is something that's becoming a trend that athletes in Omaha athletes in Nebraska are starting to either get a little bit more national run or their profiles are getting a little bit bigger or just maybe it's simply that the athletes are just getting better here in the state

going to say, what were you out covering last night? How much of the Thursday night games did you catch?

Yeah, I was at Bennington.

Millard West just was kind of intrigued because Millard West had that big win last week.

I thought it was a pretty big win for them over Southeast and just wanted to see what that looks like with Colton Williams at quarterback for them.

And Colton's committed to Nebraska for baseball.

So he'd.

This is the first time he's played quarterback since the sixth grade.

Mike, just in terms of some of the teams that you saw that fell last week or maybe had a disappointing performance, even maybe not where you expected them to be in terms of a measuring stick, do you think that there are any teams that are maybe a little bit more under pressure here in week two than they were entering the season for that first week?

going to say, what were you out covering last night? How much of the Thursday night games did you catch?

Yeah, I was at Bennington.

Millard West just was kind of intrigued because Millard West had that big win last week.

I thought it was a pretty big win for them over Southeast.

And just wanted to see what that looks like with Colton Williams at quarterback for them.

And Colton's committed to Nebraska for baseball.

So he...

Do you think that there are any teams that are maybe a little bit more under pressure here in week two than they were entering the season for that first week?

[laughs]

Like, they're j- like, it's, it's really cool.

Um, I, I'm intrigued by, like, Harding to Newcastle a- uh, and what they kind of look like.

And I'm, I'll be interested to see your thoughts after that game because I think they're one of those teams that, like, is, you know, probably in the mix or could be, kind of jump up in the mix.

I, I guess in our coaches poll they were five, something like that, right around five.

Um, so I th- I think that that's one that, that I'm very intrigued by.

Coach Fuller's, does a great job and, um, he's actually one of the people that have, that kind of helped, uh, put this thing together.

[laughs]

[laughs]

Like, they're j- like, it's, it's really cool.

Um, I, I'm intrigued by, like, Harding to Newcastle a- uh, and what they kinda look like.

And I'm, I'll be interested to see your thoughts after that game because I think they're one of those teams that, like, is, you know, probably in the mix or could be, kinda jump up in the mix.

I, I guess in our coaches poll they were five, something like that.

Right around five.

Um, so I th- I think that that's one that, that I'm very intrigued by.

[laughs]

Can you just explain to, to people listening what they should expect and maybe some new rules they need to get ready for?

for?Yeah, so Class A is, um, they did away with districts.

There's no district, uh, districts in Class A. They're just taking the top 16, uh, from wildcard points, and those 16 are gonna make it to the playoffs.

So it isn't like, "Oh, I got first in my dist-" or the top two in a district make it.

That's just not, that's not how it's gonna work anymore in Class A, um, which I love, to be honest.

Um, and then Class B has the emerging district, which are schools that, um, based off their previous two years of wildcard points, they're in this emerging district, and only one of those gets auto-qualifier.

And then the other districts in Class B, that's the same.

Yeah

Can you just explain to, to people listening what they should expect, and maybe some new rules they need to get ready for?

Yeah.

So Class A is, um...

They did away with districts.

There's no district, uh, districts in Class A. They're just taking the top 16, uh, from wildcard points, and those 16 are gonna make it to the playoff.

So it isn't like, "Oh, I got first in my dist-" Or the top two in a district make it.

That's just not, that's not how it's gonna work anymore in Class A, um, which I love, to be honest.

Yeah

Wow

... every time I'm like...

No, e- and it's, it's just good.

Like, I was at Pierce yesterday, and I'm like...

And, you know, I, I call coaches every time.

Um, I ca- I call coaches every time, and I, before I go to a practice, I like to call and a pre-call and talk about names and players and kids and, you know, like, "Okay, I have this.

Tell me, you know, am I missing anything?" And, and they generally tell me a name.

I- is that a trend you, you've noticed, or is that something new? What, what's kind of making that a bigger deal here?

Wow

... every time, I'm like...

No, a- and it's, it's just good...

Like, I was at Pierce yesterday, and I'm like...

And y- you know, I, I call coaches every time.

Um, I ca- I call coaches every time and I, before I go to a practice, I like to call and have a pre-call and talk about names and players and kids.

And, you know, like, "Okay, I have this.

I- is that a trend you, you've noticed, or is that something new? What, what's kind of making that a bigger deal here?