Editorial

Area athletes playing part for Big Red

Tuesday, September 2, 2003

As the Nebraska Cornhuskers begin to fight their way back to national contention in football, athletes from Southwest Nebraska will once again be a part of the process.

It's been true for years. Raised in a state united in support of the Huskers, many young athletes not only dream of playing for the Big Red ... they make the extra effort necessary to wear the coveted Cornhusker uniform.

For this region, the highlight was in 1971 when Jeff Kinney from McCook attained All-American status after leading the Huskers to victory over Oklahoma in the "Game of the Century."

After Jeff's days of glory, the flow of athletes from Southwest Nebraska to the Big Red has continued unabated.

In recent years, Husker football fans from this area took pride in the persistence of Brendan Zahl of Stratton and Gabe Fries of Benkelman, who remained members of the Cornhusker football squad throughout their college years.

This year, the area's Husker Connection continues with the presence of Ryan Ommert of Cambridge and Anthony Fisher of Arapahoe on the Big Red roster.

Ommert, a senior, has earned a spot on the depth chart at the wide receiver position. With catches in scrimmages to his credit, Ryan will be competing for playing time at 5-foot-10 and 195 pounds.

Fisher is on the other end of the class spectrum, playing his first year for the Huskers as a redshirt freshman. A nose tackle, he stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 235 pounds.

In addition to Ommert and Fisher, this part of the state is represented on the Husker squad by players from Bertrand, Funk, North Platte and Gothenburg.

Four of those players will fulfill key roles for the Big Red. They are Kyle Larson of Funk, the Huskers' first team punter; Jack O'Holleran of North Platte, first on the depth chart at the "z" wide receiver position; Brandon Koch of Gothenburg, second on the depth chart at offensive guard; and Kade Pittman of North Platte, who shares second on the depth chart at the "x" wide receiver slot.

The other players from the southwest section of the state on the Husker roster are Joey Robinson, a 5-foot-9, 170-pound cornerback from Bertrand, and Adam O'Rourke, a 6-foot-3, 250-pound tight end from North Platte.

The Husker dream is alive and thriving in this part of the state. When the Huskers take the field against the Oklahoma State Cowboys this afternoon, be on the lookout for numbers 8 (Ommert); 62 (Fisher); 19 (Larson); 25 (Pittman); 30 (Robinson); 75 (Koch); 24 (O'Holleran); and 86 (O'Rourke).

Through endless hours of weight training, practice, conditioning and determination, these athletes have earned slots on the University of Nebraska football team. They have realized a dream, and -- in the process -- become ambassadors for this part of the state.

Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration: