LUSK – After missing out on the playoffs last season, head coach Chris Skeen and his eight seniors have higher expectations for Tiger Football this year. 4-4 wasn’t good enough to qualify and they’re all tired of that. Niobrara County High School has a rich tradition of gridiron success, and this group wants to become a part of it.
“We haven’t had this many se- niors in a while, and I think hav- ing more of us will help bring the team together,” said Cody Himes. “If the younger guys have more upperclassmen to help them, it helps us all.”
Himes and Nathan Miller are three-year starters, while many of the others have seen limited varsity time in previous years. Isaac Assman’s season ended early with an injury but is back healthy while Kayden Goodwin, Cian Kimes and Enrique Maez look to make a bigger impact.
“I’ll play wherever the coaches think I can help the team,” added Kayden Goodwin. “Our goals are the same, and that’s to win a state championship.”
“I think that taste of winning we’ve got in basketball the past few years has made us hungry to do it in football too,” said Isaac Assman.
“When you look at it, yes a large group is nice, but when you break- down varsity experience, not many of them have a lot of it,” said Skeen. “I expect them to be leaders on and off the field and continue the posi- tive encouragement we have been working on.”
The junior class has two-time All State player Raynce Brott and new starting quarterback Brady Swisher, and the pair have already embraced their roles as leaders. Ron Krueger is the other junior and his improvement should help both lines.
“Raynce will probably be our rock- guys rally around him, and Brady is more of a vocal leader,” added Skeen. “And we’re already seeing it in practice as the younger guys are falling in line and listening.”
Two sophomores and six freshmen round out the squad and will certainly be in the mix for playing time.
“These guys are going to be im- portant parts of the team, and Donovan Swisher is 6’2” and 200 pounds- how do you keep a guy like that on the sidelines?,” Skeen asked.
While he and Chris Smith enter their fourth year together, Doug Lytle and Barry Swisher bring a boatload of experience to the side- lines. Swisher spent 20 years as the head coach at Sioux County, Neb., with four seasons in Indiana to start his career before moving West. Lytle’s story is well known and his knowledge and passion has already made an impact on the interior linemen.
“One of the nice things about the new coaches is that they are not strangers to us, we’ve known them a long time, and they want to make us better,” stated one of the other seniors.
With Guernsey-Sunrise and St. Stephenas back in 6-man and the 9-man league balancing out with 11 solid programs, a much stron- ger league should emerge. There are no more weak links or sub- varsity squads from the 4A ranks and every week will be a grind.
The Tigers faced Wyoming In- dian last Friday in Glenrock for a scrimmage and after 40 defensive and 40 offensive plays, came away with six touchdowns and held the Chiefs scoreless.
“Obviously everyone wants to win the state championship, but I’m more concerned with the day to day focus that makes us better each game,” Skeen said. “Football is always a week by week season, but I think with this new approach we can get to where we want to be.”
The season opener is Friday evening as Rocky Mountain visits Gibson Field at Fullmer Stadium for the first time in five years. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.
