Friday night, October 17th at Seacrest Field, emotions ran wild and players made key plays. On Senior Night, our gators battled against the Millard West Wildcats, who previously beat them the year before. Way before the season started, the whole football team had the Millard West game circled on their calendars. Everyone knew that this game meant so much more than just a playoff berth. Landon Steiger (11), a star junior who has really come into his role this year, stated,”The coach told us that we need to play for who we love, and I knew it was for the team.” Coach Thompson made sure to explain how important it was to win this game, and to keep the legacy of the 2026 class alive.
For the last 3 years, Lincoln North Star’s class of 2026 has brought more consecutive playoff berths than ever seen before in North Star program history. This gave the junior safety something more to play for rather than just himself, he ended up recording 6 total tackles along with 2 passes deflected. When asked about the feeling of victory, he stated that,”it felt memorable, to be able to be such a good tream for our seniors on their last time on Seacrest Field.” This win would end up solidifying the Gators with a playoff berth due to there being a 3-way tie for first in the A6 Football District.
The week before Millard West, the Gators head to Grand Island to play a tough district opponent who had nothing to lose. Leading into the middle of the third quarter, Kobe Allen (11), a D1 Safety prospect, injured his shoulder in a big play resulting in a 14 yard gain. This loss scared some, but the Football team knew that Allen still had their back. When asked about his role changing, Allen said,”i focused on becoming a better teammate on and especially off the field.” and if you looked at the sideline on Senior Night, you would see number 1 jumping up and down in a sling after a good play was made.
Even with all the injuries and adversity that they faced in weeks prior, the football team still came together to get a much needed win against a district opponent who had an established reputation of a great team. Players had the time of their life, memories were made, and the state was put on notice.
