This Team!

IS this 2025 Grand Island Central Catholic football team the best in school history?

There is a high school football team right over my backyard fence that has basically taken forty three years to emerge from a school that, for the last quarter century, has been labeled a “basketball school” in many circles.

No, the football program at Grand Island Central Catholic has never suffered through embarrassingly long losing streaks. Nothing like that. But not since the mid 1970s and early ‘80s has this football team been considered a serious contender for a state championship in Class B, C-1 or Class C-2.

Shortly after my football years in the mid-1960s, my high school football backfield mate, Nebraska High School Football Hall of Fame brother and dear friend Carl Tesmer built a championship program at Grand Island Central Catholic, taking his Crusader teams to State Football Finals in Class B (1975), C-1 in 1979 and Class B in ‘83.

All three times, Tez came up short, falling to Schuyler 16-15 (‘75), Fremont Bergan 20-12 in ‘79 and Platteview 6-0 at home in 1983.

But history is for guys like me and the current GICC gridiron team isn’t looking in the rear view at the past. Well, maybe three years ago when this nucleus of current seniors were looking to rise from the ashes of a 2-7 football season.

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Wiley veteran football coach Jeff Ashby, one of the wisest in the biz, took over this GICC program in 2023 hoping to rebuild as he had in previous stops. Ashby, who has 221 wins and an 8-Man State Championship to his resume (Giltner/2012) could see the raw talent he had brewing that first season. In particular, Grayson Sack, Connor Haney and Jack Alberts.

Last season, Sack developed into a scary quarterback and led the Crusaders to a 6-3 record. Only a bitter, bitter season ending loss to rival St. Paul kept them from advancing to the playoffs.

All through 5 AM summer weight lifting, the sour taste of the St. Paul loss fueled thoughts and self promises of rectifying the 2024 football season. Losing your final regular season game that prevented a post-season berth is unacceptable. Losing to St. Paul is a Sacrilege.

GICC hit the ground running this season with a resounding, over-in-a-hurry 44-0 victory over old rival Hastings St Cecilia.

Following that, the stout, stunting GICC defense did not allow a single scrimmage-line touchdown until the 21-14 loss to road Ord on October 3rd.

Central Catholic swept through Malcolm 27-7, Hershey 42-0, Superior 50-0 and Centura 42-0, the only blemish coming on an opening kickoff return by Malcolm that convinced Ashby he needed his best players on the field, even on special teams..

Meanwhile the offense, led by the arm and legs of QB Grayson Sack, the great vision running ability of Jack Alberts and the sure-handed pass catching skills of Connor Haney were staking the Crusader offense to big, early leads, forcing opponents into undesired catch-up modes offensively.

GICC immediately rebounded from the Ord loss, steamrolling Cross County 52-14 14, shutting out a strong Boone Central team 37-0 then avenging the 2024 loss to St Paul with the regular season closing 49-15 victory.

The Crusaders then beat 6-3 West Point-Beemer 49 to 14 before putting away 9-1 Archbishop Bergen 31-14 last Friday night.

The victory clinched a semifinal home game after Ord pulled out a last minute win over top seeded and undefeated Hartington Cedar Catholic (27-21).

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I’ve seen somewhere in the vicinity of 1,050 high school football games in my life and saw at least one GICC game every year since my family moved from Columbus to Grand Island in 1959. This current group is the finest Central Catholic football team I have ever seen.

Coach Jeff Ashby has said they are as good or better than his 2012 Class D-2 State Champion Giltner team, who outscored playoff opponents 240-84 and set multiple records along the way.

This 10-1 GICC team is a highly talented bunch on both sides of the ball. They are led by a young man named Grayson Sack, who is feared by Class C-2 defenses everywhere.

I placed Sack on my last TWO All-State teams, once as a special teams player, once on defense. Sack could be headed for the QB slot in 2025, but knowing him, like the rest of the Crusader team, WINS are all that count and have from the get-go.

Sack has posted some lofty statistics in 2025, labeling himself as one of the best Dual-Threat quarterbacks in Class C-2.

The GICC senior magician has completed 59% of his 150 pass attempts for 1,583 yards with 15 TDs and just 3 INTs. Grayson has also rushed for an additional 733 yards with 13 touchdowns.

Then there is running back Jack Alberts, who was moved from slot receiver and embraced his new position to the tune of 962 yards rushing and 17 scores.

Tough and fleet of foot Tommy Schneider is also a running and receiving threat out of that Crusader backfield, running for 220 yards (5 TDs) and gathering in 8 receptions for 246 yards with 4 scores.

When Sack puts the ball in the air, he has a big, swift target in Connor Haney, who has 37 receptions for 838 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Speed merchant Graham Stava (:10.8, 22.2, :50.4) is also a favorite target of Grayson Sack, catching 32 aerials for 450 yards (4 TDs).

The GICC O-Line, coached by Steve Dunham, is the Machine that makes the Crusader offense go. #54 Kelton Kearns (5-11, 190, Sr), #41 Brandon Cloud (6-1, 222, Jr) ,#59 Cody Golka (5-9, 160, Jr), #65 Will Maser (6-3, 275, Jr), and #55 Owen Price (6-3, 201, Soph) makes this unit one of the best in recent years.

Coach Willie Fair’s defense, with the constant stunts and movements, is one of the most difficult to scheme against in C-2.

Down linemen Owen Price (77 tackles/20 Tackles For Loss), Brandon Cloud (56 tkls/15 TFL) and Will Maser (29 tkls/6 TFL) and #58 Carlos Bahena-Esparsa (5-7, 230, Soph, 23 Tkls) anchor the GICC defense.

The excellent Linebacking corps of leading tackler #6 Jackson Gangwish (5-11, 180, Soph/108 tackles/17 TFL), Jack Alberts (79 tkls/12 TFL), Connor Haney (70 tkls/3 TFL, 3 INTs, 9 pass Break-Ups, 2 Fumble Recoveries) and Thomas Schneider (60 tkls/12 TFL).

The Defensive backfield is comprised of Sack (23 tkls, 1 INT, 4 BUs), Stava (32 tkls, 1 INT, 5 BUs), basketball wizard #21 Braylon Wolfe ( 5-7 Jr with 49 tkls, 3 INTs, 4 BUs) and #8 Mason Vasquez ( 5-11, Jr with 25 tkls, 2 INTs, 4 BUs).

As a TEAM, the stat that sticks out like a sore thumb is GICC’s massive 116.5 tackles for losses. By comparison, the mighty Class C-1 Wahoo has 83.5 and only the video-game stats of Millard South, who has 203 TFL is one of the only playoff teams better than GICC in that statistic.

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Is this current Grand Island Central Catholic football team capable of winning a state championship?

Absolutely. All the stars seemed to be aligned. They seem exceptionally healthy and it takes a healthy team to win a state championship. They possess blinding team speed on both sides of the ball, make smart decisions on the field and rarely turn the ball over.

BUT, the rigors of an 11 game season can take its toll, and it takes winning that 13th big one to bring home the ultimate prize.

Central Catholic does have a few things going in their favor entering the semifinal Friday. A home game and a team that handed them their only loss this season. I’m sure Ord is concerned about beating a team twice in the same season, but right now, the Chants may be the hottest team in C-2, reeling off 8 wins after losing their first three to open the campaign.

All I can say is this 2025 GICC team is the best I have ever seen from the school across my fence.

You know, only the strong survive in November and maybe, just maybe, basketball season can wait a couple more weeks for a GICC Crusader team hungry for its first ever State Football Championship.