‘They’ve been resilient’: Lincoln Northwest football prepares for its second year

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – As Lincoln Northwest football prepares for year two as a program, there’s a sense of calm after a disappointing first year cut short due to low numbers and injuries.

“There’s a lot of things we couldn’t control last year, and if we focused on those, our program wouldn’t have succeeded,” head coach Brian Lauck said. “So we went back to the foundations of, you know, working hard, working together.”

Despite the difficulties that came with last season, Lauck feels good about where his team is at this year, crediting the players’ confidence and hard work during the offseason.

“I’ve seen a lot of guys develop tremendously well this offseason,” he said. “We’re at a point where I think that we’re in a good spot to continue to develop now. We’re still looking at the small progressions, we’re still looking at the skill development, we’re still looking at the competitive nature of things. But I like where we’re at from last year to this year.”

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On Friday night, the Falcons held a scrimmage at the one-year-old Union Bank Stadium. There, it was hard to believe that numbers were ever a problem.

The Falcons have over 100 boys out for football this year, compared with 70 at the start of last season.

“They’ve really developed, they’ve battled,” Lauck said. “They’ve been resilient, both on the field off the field. I’ve really tried to make the emphasis of always bringing that work ethic, bringing that positive attitude. Those are things you can control.”

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The Falcons face a big test in a week zero matchup against Lincoln Pius X, but players said this team is ready for whatever the 2023 season brings.

“We want to show people that we can win and play varsity this year and not have to play JV again and maybe move to Class A in the future,” junior quarterback J.J. Kopp said.

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The team had no seniors last year. But the senior class this year has a willingness to lead and set an example for the younger players to help set a foundation for seasons to come.

“We kind of got to play with a chip on our shoulder,” senior defensive end Jack Duval said. “Knowing that we haven’t gotten the opportunity that we all wanted.”

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