Old college friends, teammates to come full circle

Sidney High football head coach Todd Ekart and Seward High head coach Jamie Opfer go way back.

As high school seniors, they lined up against one other – Ekart in Superior and Opfer in Geneva.

In 1993, they both enrolled as freshman at Concordia University, Nebraska in Seward. They didn’t know each other very well at the time and lived in different dorms on campus.

But it wouldn’t take long for that to change.

For the next four years, the two took the field together in Bulldog uniforms – Ekart as a defensive back and Opfer as a linebacker. The two formed a lasting friendship that remains strong today.

Both men played their final collegiate football game in the fall of 1997 and went on to become coaches. They would reunite a few years later, when the two became assistant coaches at Seward High.

Each coach then went their separate ways, heading off to add to their coaching resumes. Ekart took over the Sidney program in 2010, and Opfer became the head coach at Seward last season.

Now, everything has come full circle – Ekart and Opfer will face one another once again on opposite sidelines, just as they did 22 years ago. Their teams are primed for a first round battle in the NSAA Class B state tournament. Both the No. 9-seeded Red Raiders and the No. 8-seeded Bluejays carry 7-2 records into Friday night’s game at Concordia University’s stadium.

As Ekart and Opfer step onto that field, memories of their college days together will surely occupy their thoughts – at least for a few moments before kickoff.

“Jamie was a very intense and great defensive player,” Ekart said. “As a coach, he knows his stuff and communicates well with the players.”

Opfer also praised Ekart’s intensity and focus at his former position and as a coach.

“What made Todd a great football player in my mind was his toughness, both mentally and physically,” Opfer said. “He wasn’t the biggest guy on the field, but he would come up and hit ya. I respected Todd because of the way he practiced and played the game. He left it all on the field. He was all in.

“The same qualities are what make him a good coach,” Opfer added. “Even if he doesn’t have the most physically gifted kids, he will get the most out of them like he did when he was a player. He is willing to put the hours in to help his team be successful.”

Opfer was on hand to watch Sidney’s 24-17 loss to Gretna in last year’s Class B quarterfinals. It was a heartbreaking defeat in the final seconds for Sidney, but Opfer says that game is one of the most defining threads of his friendship with Ekart.

“I was proud to call him a friend because of the fight his team showed throughout the night, and I hurt for him because I know the time, energy and work you put into a season,” Opfer said.

Both coaches know that the outcome of Friday’s game will ultimately be decided by the efforts of their players.

Still, that doesn’t take away from the anticipation of the men wearing the headsets.

“To be head coaches and in the playoffs on the field where we played together in college – it’s great,” Ekart said.

“I think it’s tough when you face a friend,” Opfer said. “But I’m hoping his team does well.”