Jacob Vanderford – |Sports|-
On Friday, September 8, the Lincoln High Varsity Football Team took the state of Nebraska by storm. The Links sit at the number six rating in the state, only standing behind Omaha Burke (3-0), Omaha North (3-0), Bellevue West (3-0), Millard West (3-0), and Creighton Prep (2-1).
The Links moved up a spot, from the number seven rating, after another crushing victory, this time against the Titans of Papillion-LaVista South. However, it wasn’t all meadows and roses. The Links had five turnovers against the Titans, a bit of a sloppy performance to say the least, compare to the prior performances, beating Omaha Northwest 51-7 and Pius X on Homecoming night, doubling their score 62-31. But, as wide receiver CJ Jones says, “We have to play better.”
“Much respect to their team [the Titans],” Jones said. “They were an alright team, but against a better team, and if we give up as many turnovers as we did, it won’t turn out great for us”
“Coming out with a win by 30 says a lot about what we can do, but in order to keep winning against better teams, we have to be able to put our heads down and take it one game at a time,”Jones said. “We can’t think ahead. We always keep fighting, and that’s our mentality going into every game.”
The Links got the victory on Friday, 46-17, boosting their win streak to start the season to three games, and averaging 53 points a game, transcending into a true offensive juggernaut and a force to be reckoned with not just in the city but in the state, which, according to Jones, is what they’re striving for.
“Our goals, of course, is to win a state championship,” Jones said. “But in order to get there, we can’t turn the ball over and we have to stay on top. If we get down, we need to keep fighting, and never let up, and use our physical strengths to our advantage.”
Lincoln High will suit up against Bryan High School on Friday, a game in which they will be back at home after a big win in an away game at Papillion-LaVista South. Even after a bumpy start, Jones says that playing in a different stadium than Beechner field isn’t much of a contrast to what’s familiar to them.
“The only thing that felt different to us was putting on a white on white uniform,” Jones said.
The Links are ready to take their team to the next level, and and they were able to achieve that feat in a 63-14 win against Bryan High School last Friday, September 15. The Links are just adding on to a terrific start to the season so far. Keys to the game?
“We need to play hard, play smart, be as perfect as possible, and we can’t get on the losing side of the turnover battle,” Jones said.
And, moving forward, this will be their mentality to prove themselves as true state contenders, and they believe that they can win it all as well.
