Red Raiders set for kickoff

For the passionate football fans of Sidney, the long wait for action is nearly over.

Sidney becomes reaquainted with Friday night lights on the road against the tradition-rich Chadron Cardinals at 7 p.m. this Friday.

Though the Red Raiders throttled the Cards 48-0 at Weymouth Field in the 2014 opener, Chadron then went on to win eight straight games before being eliminated in the second round of the Class C1 playoffs by Cozad, 41-17. For Chadron, it was the 12th straight year they had made the playoffs and the 19th time in 20 years.

Sidney also went on to complete an outstanding season as it finished with a 7-3 mark under the guidance of then-head coach Todd Ekart. The Raiders campaign ended with a first-round, 24-14 loss to Seward in the Class B state playoffs.

"Well, there's quite an enrollment difference, we know that," said Cardinals head coach Mike Lecher. "Even though we feel pretty good about our team, we know they got us off to a rocky start last year, and it will be a big challenge again. But I feel like we just went through the motions last year."

While graduating seniors and new arrivals are a constant phenomenon of high school sports, Sidney also kicks off its new season with a new head coach.

Chris Koozer arrived from Grand Island High School, which has gone deep into the Class A playoffs the past two seasons. The former Islanders assistant coach is a native of Hemingford with more than 10 years of coaching experience.

"Of course I'm excited to get going. Coaching football is phenominal and fun, but I don't want to make it about me," Koozer said. "This is about the kids and it's going to be a great experience for them. We're all just going to go in there and take care of business."

While Chadron has a long record of success, facing what figures to be a quality Class B team in Sidney makes them a significant underdog. Additionally, Chadron has lost a number of players to graduation.

In fact, Chadron played a large group of seniors on both sides of the ball last season. While there are 10 seniors and five juniors on its 2015 roster, few of them have significant starting experience at the varisty level. Among the Cards most notable losses were running back Jackson Dickerson and quarterback Willy Cogdill.

Dickerson was a 1,000-yard rusher with exceptional speed and athletic ability. He scored 23 touchdowns in 2014, including 18 rushing. Cogdill threw for five touchdowns and nearly 700 yards and ran for another 156 yards. Both were also keys in the Cardinals defensive backfield.

While the Raiders also lost several key players off its roster, including quarterback Lane Harvey, running back Michael Muggli and linebackers Brian Rolls and Kevin Jurgensen, Sidney has a large group of returners. Senior Brady Radcliffe will take over the duties at quarterback and Sidney has solid depth in the backfield on both sides of the ball.

"We've got a good group of skill kids," Koozer said. "Maybe the biggest problem is that there's not enough footballs to go around."

Besdies Radcliffe, the other offensive skill positions in the starting lineup will likely include receivers Tyler Wintholz and John Bramer, running backs Hunter Secrest, Alex Linneman and Derek Robb or Jake Heeren. Cody Hofrock will anchor the line at center with Patraic Hays and Dalton Schilz at the guard spots with Jake Olsen and Dominic Beyer at the tackles.

Heeren, Beyer, Hays and Wintholz will be up front on defense. Depending on the formation, the linebackers will include Schilz, Secrest, Jake Austad and Robb. Patrolling the backfield are expected to be Bramer and Jon Smith at the corners and Coby Haas and Linneman at safety. Smith will also back up Radcliffe at quarterback.

Some of the Cardinals to look for include returning wide receiver and defensive back Jayden Stack. Other returning players expected in the starting lineup are seniors Curtis McMann and Brendinh Sayaloune and juniors Marquis Burwell and Brooks Roberts – all linemen. Marc Fernandez will take over the duties at quarterback.

"We're smaller than Sidney across the board on a grand scale," Lecher said. "We're upbeat and obviously want to win, but we have to give them a better effort than we did last year."