Prepzone Pigskin Preview 2017

BURWELLLONGHORNS
CAMBRIDGETROJANS
By: Austin Miller
By: Chelsea Croft
What a season 2016 turned out
to be for Burwell. The Longhorns
barely got into the playoffs last
season, but once they got in they
would not be beat on their way
to a state championship. In the
playoffs, the Longhorns faced
four teams with undefeated
records and beat them all,
including a Palmer team they lost
to earlier in the season by four
points.
Gone are a number of key
contributors from that team,
including tight end Tyler Gideon,
who had almost 1,000 yards
receiving and 17 touchdowns in
2016.
However, if there is one strength
that remains a constant for head
coach Luke Gideon, it’s depth.
Last season, Burwell had 33
players on their roster, certainly
one of the biggest rosters in Class
D1. Gideon returns five starters
on offense, four on defense, and
12 letterwinners.
“We have to replace some good
players again, but we have some
younger guys ready to play,”
Gideon said.
A state title defense is certainly
in the cards for the Longhorns
this season, especially with
quarterback Cayden Owens
coming back. Last year, the
senior threw for more than 20
touchdowns, while running for
10, as well. While the senior
only threw for 1,000 yards, his
legs are a huge weapon for the
Longhorns. In two games last
season, Owens rushed from more
than 100 yards. The senior will
also roam around on defense at
safety.
Fellow senior Thomas Hughes
will be tasked with keeping
Owens protected along the
offensive line, while also clearing
out rushing lanes. Hughes
is a three-year starter for the
Longhorns and will also play
along the defensive line.
Another key cog for Burwell
will be fullback/linebacker Ryan
Dawe. Dawe has started since his
freshman year, and last season
he tallied 95 tackles and a fumble
recovery on defense, while also
rushing for six touchdowns.
If Burwell is going to repeat
as state champions, they’ll
have another tough path to get
through.
The Longhorns have two difficult
2017 SCHEDULE
8/25 Elgin Public/Pope John
9/8 @ Palmer
9/15 Amherst
9/22 @ CWCE
9/29 West Holt
10/6 @ Clearwater-Orchard
10/13 @ Ainsworth
10/19 Boyd County
road games on the schedule, with
one against a Chambers/Wheeler
Central/Ewing team that went
10-1 last year, and the other will
be a playoff rematch against
Palmer.
The Longhorns, though, have
made it to the state title game for
the past two years, so it would be
foolish to count out a team with
the championship pedigree they
have.
Key Players:
Cayden Owens (5’10” 160 lbs) Sr.
QB/S
Thomas Hughes (6’0” 230 lbs) Sr.
OL/DL
Ryan Dawe (6’0” 185 lbs) Sr. FB/
LB
The Cambridge Trojans are
getting into the swing of eightman
football, finishing with a 4-5
record in 2016. 2017 will be head
coach Scott Porter’s third year
steering the team and he said
progress is something they strive
for every season.
“We went 4-4 in the regular season
and we grew each week. This
season we’ll be more accustomed
to eight-man football,” Porter said.
“With having a year experience
under our belts, we should be
more competitive.”
The Trojans have three returning
players with all-district honors,
each of them being seniors this
year while bringing a lot of size
and experience to the team. “I
look forward to them being team
leaders and possible role models
for all the younger guys from their
leadership this season and guiding
the team in the right direction,”
Porter said. “Most of these guys
have been starting or playing quite
a bit since their freshman year.”
One of those seniors is running
back Taten Benson, who rushed
for 1,695 yards last season and is
expected to do great things this
fall.
However, one of the positions that
needs to be filled this season is the
starting quarterback. There are
two players who have game day
familiarity and who took snaps
throughout last season. Preston
Carbaugh is a junior who has two
years of experience and Paxton
Ross is a sophomore who is still
fairly new to the program.
“I wish we could combine them to
make one because they both have
different strengths. But whoever
wins the battle will be great and
the back-up will still be a reliable
quarterback. It will be a very
interesting battle all the way up to
the first game,” Porter said.
Porter added, “I feel we need to
do a better job of the little things
that hurt us in some games last
year. If we can fix that and our
team chemistry is on the same
page, we can have a successful
season.”
Most of those “little things” deal
with penalties. “Another year of
maturity and growth will lead to a
successful year,” Porter said.
With 12 upperclassmen coming
back out for the squad this year,
that also adds a bit of depth to the
team.
2017 SCHEDULE
8/25 @ Perkins County
9/1 Decatur Community KS
9/15 Dundy County-Stratton
9/22 @ Bertrand
9/29 Alma
10/6 Southwest
10/13 @ Medicine Valley
10/19 @ Amherst
Porter said, “Some positions have
a lot more depth but I’m confident
with younger guys, they got some
playing experience last year so
hopefully when they go in to play
and switch out, they won’t miss a
beat on both sides of the ball.”
Key Players:
Caden Houghtelling (6’5” 225 lbs)
Sr. TE/DE
Taten Benson (6’4” 205 lbs) Sr. RB/
DE
Wyatt Fiene (6’0” 215 lbs) Sr. OG/
DT
TEAM FACTS
TEAM FACTS
Team Name: Longhorns
Class: D1
2016 Record: 11-2
Playoff Appearances: 16
Head Coach: Luke Gideon
Career Record: 102-51
Assistant Coaches: Mike Max
and Will Gideon
CENTRAL NEBRASKA’S HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS LEADER
Team Name: Trojans
Class: D1
2016 Record: 4-5
Playoff Appearances: 29
Head Coach: Scott Porter
Career Record: 110-84
Assistant Coaches: Jason Benson,
Lance Shifflet, Bronson Soucie,
Waid Bontz
Rehab locations in Arapahoe, 658 Pine Street, 308-962-5402 & Cambridge, 1305 Hwy 6/34, 308-697-4718
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