Sixteen days to kickoff

Sophomore wide receiver Alex Linneman will be taking on a much larger role with the Sidney Red Raider football team this season.

The passing game figures to be a more potent weapon this year, so Linneman will get every opportunity to continue to shine with the same brightness that impressed his coaches so much in fall camp.

"Last year I was just watching the games and now I'm a part of it and on the field," Linneman said.

Linneman may only be a sophomore, but that doesn't mean he's a step behind anyone else out there. Instead, he's headlining a group of wide outs that the coaches are very excited about this season.

"We have a tremendous amount of talent at the skill positions," said head coach Todd Ekart. "Our receivers may be the deepest they've been since I've been here."

Despite the praise from his coaching staff and pretty high expectations for him, Linneman remains soft spoken. He lets his performance on the field speak for him.

"It's pretty crazy, it's overwhelming," Linneman said, when asked how it feels to be contributing so much more to the team this coming season. "I try not to let it affect me and just play."

But make no mistake-Linneman is vocal and direct in his desire to produce for his team this year. You can't really hold that against him.

"I'd like to get a couple of varsity touchdowns in there," Linneman said jokingly.