New leadership, same goals: Lincoln Southwest football has ‘winning’ mentality

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – The Lincoln Southwest football team is preparing for year one under new head coach Grant Traynowicz.

Coach “Trayno,” as the team calls him, is no stranger to the program.

He served as the defensive coordinator under former coach Andrew Sherman for six seasons.

Now, Traynowicz is tasked with replacing an experienced senior class from last season, including at quarterback.

There’s a battle for the starting spot this year between freshman Brockston Teply and sophomore Ryan Manning.

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But despite their youth, Traynowicz and the players have confidence in the QBs’ ability.

“Whoever wins job, they’ve earned it, and they’re training for this,” Traynowicz said. “They’ll be ready to go on Aug. 25.”

Junior Griffin Semrad said, “Those two are very competitive. They’re both very dedicated, and they’re always wanting to come throw, come study plays and all that.”

While the Silver Hawks are a young team, there’s talent on both sides of the ball and a strong junior class that can boost the Southwest defense, specifically in the secondary.

“It’s just crazy to see how much better and how much more comfortable they are,” Traynowicz said.

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The Silver Hawks have also placed an increased emphasis on leadership.

Traynowicz has developed a leadership council on the team made up of juniors, seniors and one sophomore, which players say has helped with the culture of the team.

“We definitely have a winning mentality,” junior Landon Kelly said.

The council meets each week, discussing ways to make the team, school and community better.

“He (Traynowicz) taught a lot of us guys how to lead this team,” Semrad said.