PREVIEW: Westside hosts No. 1-ranked North in state championship rematch
From the archives: Westside’s offense lines up against Omaha North’s defense in last year’s Class A Football State Championship in Memorial Stadium. Westside will be looking to hand Omaha North its first loss of the season and get revenge for North’s 23-21 victory last season. Photo by Clair Sleby
Coming off of 41-7, playoff berth-clinching victory against Columbus last week, Westside will play its final home game against what will most likely be its toughest opponent yet. In a rematch of last year’s state championship game, Westside (4-3) will take on the No. 1-ranked Omaha North Vikings (7-0).
In what will surely be an emotional senior night, varsity football head coach Brett Froendt understands the importance of this match, even though the team has already clinched a playoff spot.
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“If we win this game, we could have a good shot at a home field game for the first round, which would be huge,” Froendt said. “But win or loose, we are going to reset and make our run for the playoffs.”
The Vikings boast big wins over almost everyone they’ve played, including Creighton Prep and Bellevue West, both teams that beat Westside earlier this season. But after a close state game last year (23-21 Omaha North win), Froendt is confident in his team’s approach.
“We’re gonna move the ball on the ground, and try to stop their run,” Froendt said. “They have a great running game. But we’re going to have to be able to throw as well. They have a great defense. [The key to the game is] who can move the ball most effectively.”
That Omaha North run game, which is averaging almost 290 yards per game, Froendt talked about is led by a player familiar to just about everyone who follows Nebraska high school football: running back senior Calvin Strong. Strong is averaging 170 yards per game and already has 14 touchdowns. Strong is running behind a massive, talented offensive line, which Westside assistant coach Rick Mckeever hopes to counter.
“We’re going to mix up our defensive fronts,” McKeever said. “Show them some looks they haven’t seen before, hopefully create some chaos to confuse their high-power rushing attack.”
For fans who went to the state championship game at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln last year, McKeever said this game will look the same as that one in many ways.
“It’s going to be similar,” McKeever said. “With North, you know what they’re going to run, and what is gonna determine if you win is if you can stop them. Last year, they made a couple plays on us through the passing game, which caught us off guard, so we have to limit the big plays.
Win or lose, McKeever does think playing against a top-ranked team before the playoffs is beneficial to the Warriors.
“We’ve been a little bit inconsistent,” McKeever said. “Playing against a really good, physical team should help us get ready for the playoffs.”
The game kicks off at 7 p.m. at Phelps Field. The theme is “Pinkout,” in an effort to raise breast cancer awareness during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Check out Jay’s Precap above for more information on what to wear. The Red Shield will have a tailgate with free food for ALL Westside students at 5:30 p.m. on the rocks near the northeast corner of the stadium.
Westside Wired will have a LiveWired stream of the game, and @westsidewired on Twitter will have live updates. Check Westside Wired on Monday for a full recap of the game.
LiveWired Stream
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