Be Prepared For A Roller Coaster Season On The Field

Let’s get it out of the way right away - the first week of football season was rough for Antelope County fans. For the first time in recent memory, the county went winless in a big way on opening weekend. No one is used to that. However, it will get better.

Lets start on Thursday with Elkhorn Valley. I expected them to come home from Winside with the win. Everything seemed to set up for it, and for the most part, it was starting to look that way midway through the third quarter. However, turnovers were a killer in the end. This team is still young. They have lots of talent and the running game showed well. However, it will be a rocky year as they continue to grow. Coach Dittmer and staff can correct the errors. They will have more chances at a win, so be patient.

Elgin Public/Pope John struggled to get anything going against Burwell, getting blanked. A reminder, though, that this is Burwell - the defending state champs and one of the favorites to make it back their again. For the second-straight year, the Wolfpack’s schedule is brutal. They are young again as well, with just a few experienced seniors. Coach Eisenhauer knows what he’s doing. They will have more chances at a win, so be patient.

​Now, Neligh-Oakdale. They experienced their first 50-point or more loss since 2013 - a 52-point loss to Creighton after losing to the Bulldogs by 78 in 2012. The run defense struggled mightily and Creighton continued to pound the rock all night. That didn’t sit well with many, and I understand that. Again, these guys are young, with two-thirds of the roster being freshmen and sophomores. They’ll bounce back this week and Coach Beacom knows how to come back. They are talented and, you guessed it, they will have more chances at a win, so be patient.