The Friday Lesson(s)

best read with a good game plan

On a Friday that made you think about things just a little bit more than you usually might we found out it’s always good to go home. Back to the spots that made you who you were and who you hope to be for those around you. Oh, sure, the football is important on Friday nights, but the lessons (and the stories they produce) sometimes go missing.

Let’s not let that happen anymore.

It’s time to share all the good and if we see something we need to fix let’s work together and do just that. High school sports create great people for the future — doctors, lawyers, surgeons, financial advisors (you name it). More than anything we need sports to teach kids lessons (and sometimes parents and grandparents, too).

Time for another trip around the state, maybe there will be a lesson or two.

🏈🏈 The House That Built Me

NEVER TOO LATE TO GO HOME — There is something therapeutic about returning to the place you grew up.

And that was never more evident on Friday night, when we spent a few good hours in Thayer County, watching Deshler and Lawrence-Nelson play a football game.

The football field in Deshler raised me. The walk down the hill from the school to the field is one I made numerous times with my little purple jersey on — walking with my dad and staring up at my heroes.

Last night Hayden Delano’s team made that walk an hour before kick the same way Dad’s did — three wide, arm in arm. Soon after, Coach Delano’s little boys with their purple Dragon jerseys did the same. The walk is not far on East Plum Street, just across from where I grew up.

It was, once again, a perfect football night. And, boy was the football good as the Class D-2, fourth-ranked Raiders beat Deshler, 42–30. GAME THREAD

It left Delano smiling in defeat, because these lessons in small towns aren’t always about winning and losing.

“I thought our boys bounced back through a lot of adversity," he said afterwards. “They showed a ton of heart. I know who we are as young men and as a program. I know where we are headed and, strangely enough, I couldn’t be more proud right now.”

See, there is little football pedigree in Deshler. The Dragons have never won a playoff game. Ever. When dad had the reigns from 1978 to 1984, a few coveted state rankings came, but never a playoff appearance.

Delano’s seniors are on their third coach. And on Friday the Dragons entered 4-0 which makes up nearly half of the current seniors career win total. They were 5-19 the past three years.

Getting kids to think differently is half of the battle in a small town football program that has seen better days. Heck, sometimes it’s getting the TOWN to think differently.

“It’s neat to see all the people at our games now,” Delano told me before the contest. “Our community support has been amazing.”

Lawrence-Nelson coach Brian Blevins doesn’t have this problem, the good folks to the west in Nuckolls County have loved their football for sometime. They raise their sons to do the same. In his 16th year, the Raiders have made the playoffs 14 times; missing only during Covid in 2020 and we aren’t even sure that counts.

Lawrence played in the state finals five times in six seasons from 1980-85; dad could never beat them. He took his oldest son to his first-ever playoff game there in 1984. Nelson hung on to 11-man as long as they could — the two towns PLAYED EACH OTHER 50 years ago for the first D-11 state title in the playoff era. Nelson won, and then in 1982 played for the C-2 title.

While someone might fact check us, we think Lawrence is the only school in the state to play for a state title in every version of football: 11-man, 8-man and 6-man.

When the two schools merged in 1999, they promptly played in four straight Class C-2 title games winning in 2001 and 2002.

“It’s special to get to coach here,” Blevins tells me after the game. “These guys, the people in our community just love football. When you have people in your community that are just mentally and physically tough you can do so much with that.”

So, we could tell you more about this football game. 

How Wyatt Frey — a Big Ten, Northwestern commit — (23 runs, 230 yards) and Jack Williams (15 runs for 90 yards) running the football was just a little too much for Deshler. How, this Lawrence-Nelson team might be ready for a deep November run like some of those great teams before them.

Or, we could tell you about the fight in the Dragons. The crafty blocking schemes in Delano’s offense that let a senior linemen like Carson Sieber really shine. Or the running of wide receiver turned running back Braxton Peterson who had 176 yards and two long, nifty touchdown runs.

But, see, sometimes on Friday nights the football is just the vehicle to learn about life. That’s what Hayden Delano and Brian Blevins are doing each week — getting kids to do something they think might be impossible.

“I see us getting better, every single week,” Blevins said.

“To face what our kids have faced — new schemes and new coaches — and what they have been through over the years with not much success, I see us bought in tonight. I love these guys,” echoed Delano.

Those are the lessons we learn on Friday nights. And sometimes it is so much better when you go home to see them.

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Every coach and team knows it takes a good game plan to create a winning program. With well-designed and thought out financial plans, the Karges Financial Group team educates clients to make important decisions to live differently and achieve their goals of financial security. It’s a winning game plan for you and your family. Karges Financial Group is a proud supporter of Nebraska high school athletics.

🏈🚗 An Epic Trip

Each week will take a trip around the state and highlight some big games that you may or may not have seen. It’s an “Epic Trip” powered by EPIC Team Camps.

All The Scores

CLASS A: The four Class A games on Thursday night went for a combined 238-13. Most folks don’t like it. (Newsletter included) But, some relief will come from next year’s new scheduling proposal. What’s next? An agreeable way to handle transfers. The good matchup debate | Thomalla’s 100th | Central beats Westside for the first time since 2009, holding on 31-28 | Creighton Prep 21, Papio 10 | Papio South 49, Norfolk 0 | Lincoln East 17, Kearney 10

CLASS B: Bennington moves to 4-1 with a big win over Gretna | An emotional Omaha Skutt moves to 4-1 | McCook 41, Gering 17

CLASS C-1: Sidney 21, Gothenburg 6 | Mt Michael gets back on track with an upset (?) of Fort Calhoun

CLASS C-2: No. 2 Cedar Catholic 24 v No. 8 West Point-Beemer 7

EIGHT-MAN: Sandy Creek 45, Thayer Central 22. Fast start | A homecoming win for Crofton over Hartington-Newcastle | A "bath” win over Wausa-Osmond as they upset Bloomfield | A huge win for Loomis as they take down unbeaten Cambridge

SIX-MAN: After a big ratings shake up last week, only Southwest and Wallace was a rated game on Friday night. The Roughriders threw their way to a 45-30 victory over the Wildcats.

HIGHLIGHTS: 10/11 Sports Overtime

12 years. Seven states. Over 15,000 miles, 16,000 shirts, 1,000 teams and 125 camps. EPIC Football Camps are ready to make your team better in the summer. In the 12 years since they founded, Nebraskan’s Scott Trimble and Jeremy Epp’s camps have produced 18 state champions and 28 more finalists.

Odds and Ends

• Insane volleyball at Omaha Skutt last night in a triangular with Elkhorn North and Des Moines (Dowling). THREAD | Avery White

• The top-5 in Class B feels pretty set now, with Gretna topping Waverly in five sets last night.

• Girls golf will be the first NSAA championship of the fall and post season and district assignments are now ready. Schools in Class A and B are placed on a serpentine based on team differentials for the season. District assignments | Class A Differentials | Class B Differentials

• We challenged Prep Running Nerd to write about Avery Arens and he did. Along with some other runners having fantastic falls. The big UNK state preview meet is upon us on Monday.

• We also noted Hastings sophomore Ella Tinsman’s 21-strikeout performance in our Wednesday newsletter. She’s up to 196 for the season and garnering recruiting attention from across the country. More from the Omaha World-Herald.

📸📸 Top Pic(s)

OrthoNebraska believes creating the best experience for each patient begins by listening to their healthcare needs, lifestyle and goals to create truly personalized care. At OrthoNebraska, patients are able to see an orthopedic specialist same day across multiple locations, leading to a quick diagnosis and faster return to the things they love. Whether it be sidelining injury or just a desire to perform better, athletes benefit from the comprehensive care and an easier, more confident road to recovery and competing at their best. OrthoNebraska is your team behind the team and a proud supporter of Nebraska high school athletics.

😇😇 Parting Shot: Remembering Vrz

I didn’t know Matt Vrzal one-third as well as the tributes that came in for him on Twitter over the last 36 hours. But, I can tell you this — he was MORE than even those tributes could say he was.

He loved his hometown (Grand Island). He loved offensive line play. He was a “shorts on the sideline guy” even if it met Omaha Skutt was playing in sub-30 degree playoff football game. Something about Vasoline, I think.

What’s more is when the Chapman’s made it to Omaha, the one place we could all agree on was a slice at Piezon’s. And, even if Vrz wasn’t there, the service was as perfect as the people. A testament to his leadership of others.

We’ll miss Vrz down here, but there is no doubt he’s still watching football every Friday night.

The Newsletter remains free to our readers thanks to our Harvest Partners and their support of our content. Please thank OrthoNebraska, Northwestern Mutual — Nathan Karges as well as Striv AV and Striv Education for their support of Nebraska high school athletics.