This season, the football players were competitive in every game except for two in the first half. But, it gives them a lot of positives to build on. The JV team won two games at home. “So, that was pretty special for us seniors to cheer them on and see them win,” Wade noted. The football team had a lot of new starters this year stepping into roles and learning their positions. This year provided them with a good look at what needed improvement going into the next season. 

The head coach of football is Chris Seebohm. The assistants for football are Keegan Kaiser, Jess Clarke, Preston Walls and Baden Shelmadine. The ball boys are Espn Lanik and Jett Herian. The captains are Wade Sanders, Kellen Muhr, Isaiah Martinez, Nolan Nagaki and Zane Stoike. All of the players this year are Jonah Amill, Jarron Santos, Eli Blanco, Jason Dunn, Nathan Ackerman, Kellen Muhr, Zane Stoike, Landon Crowe, Trey Brennan, Austen McCracken, Jackson Bailey, Tyzen Brown, Jayden McCracken, Owen Grant, Bert Trevino, Carson Bair, Atley Bolek, Drayden Sanchez, Pierce Libsack, Acelin Hottell, Wade Sanders, Jaden Dvorak, Jory Matulka, Alejandro Lara, Aiden Hancock, A.J. Stanec, Nolan Nagaki, Nathan Stayton, Nic Wright, Matt Moomey, Angel Acosta, John Kollars, Noah Wirth, Mats Albrecht, Isaiah Martinez, Angel Trejo, Tristan Grubham, Keaton Mann, Matthias Benzel, Luke Weems, James Schmidt, Lylend Dubray, Coltin Kimmel, Brendan Watt and Dan Steele.

The team got closer as the year went on and had a great team. This will help them next year when they face adversity. “A team that’s not unified will fall apart,” stated Coach Seebohm. Nevertheless, that is not one of his concerns. They change things every year depending on their personnel and the positions they play. Their overall philosophies on offense and defense always stay the same. They do their base formations and how they attack offenses and defenses. The football team will try and get the eleven best athletes on the field at all times. 

Coach Seebohm grew up and played here in Alliance, Nebraska. He coached as an assistant under multiple head coaches. This town has a no complaints, no excuses and no attitude rule. That emphasizes hard work and that’s what Seebohm still instills in his players. 

 Their goal every day to be better today than you were yesterday. This includes all players and coaches. They do a lot of work on the off-season to improve and continue it through the season. 

Wade Sanders first got interested in playing football because his dad would talk about playing football when he was in High School. His favorite thing about football is the brotherly bond you build with your teammates. He also loves the fact that you can hit and tackle people without getting in trouble. Ever since he started football, he just loved the game and is thankful for all of the lessons it has taught him. He is now a senior football player. 

Wade recommends guys to play football because it teaches both physical and mental toughness, values of ethics, accountability and perseverance. It develops the ability to handle both success and failure. All the players from this past season spent a lot of time in the weight room during the offseason getting stronger to help prepare for the past season. 

Aiden Hancock started playing football in second grade and he plans on playing football through the rest of his high school years and into college. Football means the world to him and he states that that is super fun because you make new friends and it helps to develop good character. What he likes the most about football is the hitting, “When you hit people, you let them know you’re there throughout the game,” he explained. 

Aiden exclaimed, “Football has done more then help me achieve higher goals! It helps me push myself and get me stronger and faster for other activities” Lifting, footwork and speed are huge parts of football and have helped him better his performance. He feels that if someone is not strong enough, they are not going to be able to tackle. 

Covid didn’t affect the football team this year as much as it affected them last year. Seebohm explained, “There was a lot of panic last year at all levels of society and while Covid concerns are still there, they’re not as predominant as they were in the past. This year was a breath of fresh air. But, if I took away anything from last year, it was to live in the moment. Games got canceled, players were out due to exposure concerns. I can’t control anything o outside of the football field; I can only control how I prepare, how coaches prepare and how we get kids ready to play on Fridays. More importantly, we prepare them for life outside of football.”

Advice that Coach Seebohm has for the new freshman wanting to be football players next year is to work hard and stay humble because the sport is very physical and demanding. Your teammates rely on you to be successful and that only works if everybody is on the same page and working together. However, freshman and sophomores don’t get to play much, if at all. Embracing your role and doing it to be the best of your ability is the most important part of being a young member of the football team. “Learn our schemes and expectations and continue to improve and you’ll find yourself in a great position as you continue through our program,” Seebohm stated. 

Coach Seebohms noted to his senior players, “ Thank you for everything you’ve done. It was an honor to coach you, and I can’t wait to see what kind of men you become. You have great futures ahead of you! If you ever need anything. I’m only a phone call or text away. Stay true to yourself and never forget where you came from!” The Spud congratulates this year’s football players.