Of all the defensive positions, the Linebacker slot is the one that intrigues me

the most. The man in the middle with his hands planted firmly on top of his kneecaps, surveying the upcoming play with the eyes of a hawk.

I became spoiled watching the incomparable LaVonte David play for the Huskers, uncorking some of the greatest lateral movement I have ever seen.

It takes a real Athlete to man that Linebacker position at any level of football, so I have decided to salute those players I think have a huge impact under those sacred Friday Night Lights in each class.

I’ll begin with Class A Linebackers who strike fear into the hearts of anyone with a football in their hands.

CLASS A

*Christian Jones-Omaha Westside-6’3, 225, Senior – Top LB in the state. Saw him play twice last season and there’s a reason he has a gazillion D1 offers. Jones will make a smooth transition from Friday Night Lights to the Saturday afternoon spotlight.

*Pierce Mooberry-Millard North- 6’4, 215, Senior – Husker commit has incredible athletic skills and has for quite some time. A true BALLER.

*Sawyer Schilke-Kearney, 6’3, 225, Senior – Good lord! This dude swallows up ball carriers like they’re an afternoon snack. You also better hope Schilke isn’t rushing off the edge because if he is, you’re done. Sawyer Schilke is one mean motor scooter.

*Dylan Kuhl-Millard South-5’11, 195, Senior – Talk about lateral movement. Kuhl was all over, across, up and down the football field with frequent visits to the opposition’s backfield. Every game. Perfect model of a championship high school linebacker.

*Cash Buettenback-Lincoln Southeast-6 ‘0, 210, Senior – Great footwork, fine speed and this guy will hunt you down, shed blockers and make the tackle. Cash is Money on Friday nights.

*Nate Appleget-Lincoln Southeast-6 ‘3, 200, Junior – Buettenback’s LB partner in that Knight’s defensive middle, Nate is quick off the ball and fast enough to cover speedy wide receivers. Great vision and a nose for the ball.

*McCorter Goese-Elkhorn South, 6 ‘1, 210, Senior – Last I checked, Goese was benching 320 and it showed on the field a year ago. McCorter sets the tone for physicality on this Elkhorn South football team and uses his 4.8 speed to stuff the run game big time. This young man is a BALLER!

*Kale Johnson-Papillion-La Vista, 6 ‘3, 225, Senior – Reminds me of a bigger Nate Appleget with his 4.8 speed and keen ability to cover receivers. Very smart football player who is patient and usually tracks down the man with the ball and snuffs out the play.

*Ben Shafer-Papillion-La Vista South, 6’2, 205, Senior – This Shafer kid is literally EVERYHERE on defense! Ben’`s HUDL film clips list him as MLB, OLB, DE, RB and ATH. They are not kidding. Shafer, who has 4.6 speed and can lift a small building, is a real menace rushing off the end. Goo1d grief, Shafer is on the man with the ball before anyone has a remote shot of blocking him. Ben also accumulated 532 yards rushing and 6 touchdowns as a running back. Can you say Swiss Army Knife?

*Jameson Rayner-Millard South, 5’11, 200, Senior – Really, really terrific MLB, in fact, Rayner is the leading returning tackler in Class A. The man knows where the football is on every play. Jameson also brings the wood with every hit. Smart football mind with that internal radar that ball carriers fear.

……AND, the rest of the top notch Linebackers in the Class A ranks.

*Johnny Hurtado-Omaha Westside-5’10, 215, Senior

*Ian Asselin-Omaha Creighton Prep, 6’1, 180, Senior

*Max Clark-Omaha North, 6’2, 220, Junior

Lincoln, Neb. —Plan to attend the latest Nebraska Soil Health School on Wednesday, Sept. 4, at Fort Robinson State Park, located at Soldier Creek Road and U.S. Highway 20, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the park’s Buffalo Barracks Squad Room.

Hosted by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), the program will bring together experts in soil science, economics, and rangeland management. Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in a program focused on integrated crop and livestock system goals and objectives that might affect soil health management.

The event will begin with a keynote speech from Dale Strickler, an experienced Kansas rancher and an internationally recognized agroecologist, author, speaker and consultant. Strickler has developed highly effective crop and grazing systems for numerous farms and ranches in a range of challenging climates and soil types. He will explore the development of an alternative system addressing input costs, drought resilience, ecological sustainability, and profitability.

Further topics and presenters will include:

• Cattle grazing and soil health on rangeland: Mitchell Stephenson, UNL associate professor

• Soil health measurements and carbon market: Bijesh Maharjan, UNL associate professor, with Jessica Groskopf, UNL extension educator economics

The afternoon program will include an interactive discussion with the presenters and Nathan Mueller, USDA NRCS state soil health specialist followed by soil health demonstrations and live rainfall simulator by USDA NRCS soil scientists.

A total of 4.5 certified crop advisor CEUs will be offered in soil and water management, crop management, and sustainability.

There is no fee to attend, and a complimentary lunch will be served in the Fort Robinson State Park restaurant. The event’s full agenda and pre-registration can be found here.

For more information or questions, email nheldt@unl.edu or call 308-632-1372.

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (KSNB) – The Nebraska State Fair continues in Grand Island this week, and it’s an opportunity for 4-H students to show off some of their photography skills through an exhibit.

The students come from all 93 counties in Nebraska and bring a unique photo from their area with them in the exhibit.

The photos were awarded with ribbons on Wednesday, based on criteria, such as focus and clarity of the photo.

Extension assistant from Fillmore County, Alexis Schmidt said the judges have an interesting way of organizing the exhibit for people to see.

”There’s quite a mathematical equation to ensuring that everything gets displayed properly,” Schmidt said. “We count out all of the exhibits to make sure the number is correct, but just making sure that it’s a nice eye-appealing display for the 4-Hers to showcase their exhibits.”

She also said one purpose of the photo contest is to help 4-H kids, who participate find their interests.

”Nebraska 4-H is rooted in the ‘thrive’ model, which sparks youth to find their passions or those little pieces that inspire them and find a career path or something along those lines,” Schmidt said.

The contest also allows 4-H students to network with professionals in order to take their passions further.

Schmidt said the kids also learn a number of skills through the contest that could help them in the future.

“They’re learning all sorts of skills from behind the camera to seeing that their focus is right, to ensuring that their data tags are properly labeled for sure, but also marketing their project,” Schmidt said. “This could be an entrepreneur project for them somewhere down the line.”

She also said seeing the pride on the kid’s faces after they win a ribbon is her favorite part of being in the 4-H program through the UNL Extension.

“Seeing the end display and seeing all of the kids find their projects and just having that smile on their face, knowing that their hard work paid off,” Schmidt said.

The 4-H photography exhibit will be on display at the Exhibit Building at the Nebraska State Fair through Sept. 2.

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