Three teams headed to Lincoln

Lincoln, here we come! Following one of the most successful sports weekends in Southwest Nebraska history, three of the area's leading football programs are sending teams to the state high school football championship contests at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln.

The McCook Bison in Class B, the Chase County Longhorns of Imperial in Class C-1 and the Cambridge Trojans in Class C-2 won the right to advance to the state finals with hard-fought victories this past Saturday in the semifinals.

In the state finals at Memorial Stadium, Cambridge will play Crofton at 11 a.m. Friday; Imperial will meet Wahoo Neuman at 1 p.m. Saturday; and McCook will take on Omaha Roncalli at 7 p.m. Saturday.

The three teams' success was a triumphant conclusion to a weekend which also saw the Lady Mustangs of Republican Valley compete in the state finals in volleyball. The Mustangs lost in the title game, but their advance to the championship round for six straight years stands as one of the great accomplishments in Nebraska high school athetics. It is especially fitting since Republican Valley is in its final year of competition, as RV will merge with Twin Valley to form a new school -- the Southwest Roughriders -- for the next school year.

When it comes to football, Cambridge, McCook and Imperial have a long-standing tradition of excellence as well, having competed in the state playoffs a combined total of 50 times.

In the process, the three teams have captured seven state titles -- six by Cambridge and one by McCook -- and six runner-up finishes: two each for Imperial, McCook and Cambridge.

"We have a close working relationship," McCook Coach Jeff Gross said of himself and Coach Dan Keyser of Cambridge and George Purnell of Chase County in Imperial. "I talked by phone with both Dan and George last night," he said. "Dan said, 'I bet Coach O'Boyle is proud of us,'" a reference to Coach O'Boyle on the Chadron State staff, who Gross and Keyser work with at a summer football camp.

Also, several of the players on the Imperial and Cambridge teams participated in the McCook Football League, as did all the McCook players. This is a starter program for young football players. Since its inception, the league has played a big part in the youngsters' athletic accomplishments.

Other than the Omaha area, with its large population base, Southwest Nebraska has more teams going to the state finals in football this year than any other part of the state. It's a credit to the players, their coaches and the support they receive from their schools and communities. "The athletes in this area have a great work ethic," Coach Keyser of Cambridge said. And their efforts are paying off, big time, as three outstanding programs from Southwest Nebraska are headed to Memorial Stadium for the state finals.

Way to go, Bison, Trojans and Longhorns! You are representing this part of the state with great distinction.