The Chanticleer Creed

“The highest performers I have ever been around are always interested in getting better. They are always becoming.” — Alan Stein, Jr.

It is 5:20 on Wednesday morning of quarterfinal playoff week and Ord football coach Nate Wells has the Newsletter listening to motivational speaker Alan Stein, Jr. on the treadmill.

Forty-five minutes of pure gold. Ironically, Stein is speaking to Penn State football. Things have not gone their way recently.

“Watch this video sometime,” he had texted me Tuesday afternoon. “These are the types of things we try to teach our guys over and over.”

Wells has built a program in Ord that’s forged in improving the lives of young men, creating good students and future husbands and fathers. Now in his 11th year, the Chants have not missed the playoffs since 2017. They have played in three state championships games and won Class C-2 in 2020.

Wells has mixed in so much stuff from so many unlikely places to build his program that it shouldn’t surprise you that Ord is in the quarterfinals once again tonight. They face top-seeded and top-ranked Cedar Catholic (10-0).

But talk with Nate Wells and you realize it’s not really about football scores, however, they are certainly a by-product of everything else.

“After my first year as being the head coach, I started teaching a leadership class to our elected captains on Sunday evening,” Wells said. “I kind of thought leadership would be something that happened. Well, that’s not how it works.

“If kids aren’t aligned in your culture, it just doesn’t work.”

2025 NSAA FOOTBALL PLAYOFF BRACKETS: Class A | Class B | Class C-1 | Class C-2 | Class D-1 | Class D-2 | Six-Man

Seeking a way to make football (and his program) fun, and to attract as many kids as he could, Wells went about making things simple. Lead. Then, play fast and physical.

His base 3-4 defense came from his North Loup-Scotia 8-man buddies he grew up playing with — Glen Snodgrass and Matt Kern. Wells was a sophomore on the Wildcats 1993 state championship team. They made more modifications when 8-man standout Tyke Kozeal from Sargent came after having a successful career at Nebraska-Kearney.

On offense it’s a spread power running game. Up tempo. Fast. Trying to beat you by getting the defense to line up wrong and then running you over. In reality, it’s a new way to run the old kind of option football.

So, it also wouldn’t surprise you if we told you that Nate Wells went to Nebraska in the fall of 1997 and was an equipment manager on Tom Osborne’s last national championship football team. His roommate in Lincoln? Matt Davison.

“I am so proud of where I come from,” Wells says. “There were so many great teachers and coaches when I grew up. And, then to be able to listen and watch Coach Osborne for a year was just an amazing gift.”

Wells has needed all of his tricks the last two years when he put some big names in the non-district hat for the NSAA two-year scheduling cycle.

Ord opened with Central City, Kearney Catholic and O’Neill in each of the past two years. Until week nine of the football season this fall all three of those teams were undefeated. The Chants started 0-4 in 2024 and 0-3 this year. They bounced back to make the playoffs last year and lost to eventual champion Norfolk Catholic in the opening round.

Lead. Stay the course. Others above self. And, Wells will admit that he leans on his faith. It’s important to him that he shows it to his team. 

“I have just tried to lean on my faith just a little bit harder, I guess,” the coach said of the past two seasons. “And to share that with our team. We started FCA (at school) last year and that has helped. Jesus wanted us to love with all our heart and to serve other people. And, we just tried to tell to our kids that if you can’t serve other people, you’ll never be happy.

Now, the Chants have ripped off seven in a row. Wells sent a text on October 21st. The Newsletter is a fan of coaches and the text line is always open.

“Our kids figured out how to care about something bigger than themselves,” it said.

Yes, it’s taken a little bit of everybody for the Chants to get here.

Junior quarterback Jordan Williams has thrown for 1,077 yards and ran for 1,257 but has multiple weapons at his disposal. Sophomore Beau Wells — the coaches son — has 641 yards rushing and 219 receiving. H-back, tight end, jack-of-all-trades senior Haydin Nelson has 247 yards receiving on 10 catches, but with seven touchdowns.

They do it behind a line that rotates six players — Caden Lytle, Kevin Brewer, Gunner Rice, all-state candidate Colt Meyer, Beau Shafer and Parker Magiera. On defense, six players have between 45 and 60 tackles.

A real team. Ready, now, for another game. And, their coach? He wants to win sure, but he knows all his men that put on the pads and tighten their chinstraps have already done things most of them didn’t think they could.

“No matter what happens on Friday, I am so proud of this group,” Wells said. “All I really want them to do is carry this over to the rest of their life while being a husband and a father. That’s the main goal, right?

“They can take these lessons and use them for the rest of their life to better other people and themselves.”

The Chanticleer Creed. And the many lessons of playing high school football.

“Discipline, drive, and dedication. Competitive spirit. A commitment to constant improvement. These qualities make great athletes and coaches. They also make great financial advisors. Northwestern Mutual advisors educate clients to make important decisions to live differently and achieve their goals of financial security. Learn more about joining our team. Karges Financial Group and the Great Plains District are proud supporters of Nebraska high school athletics.