Sports - October 2003

Knights claim first win in program’s history

Published October13, 2003

By JOHN MARK BROOKS, Staff Writer

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Something had to give when the North Lincoln Knights took the field against Highland Tech Friday.

Both teams were winless on the year and in dire need of getting the proverbial monkey off their back.

The Knights prevailed, picking up their first win in the football program’s history and dominating Highland Tech 21-6 in sloppy conditions.

Head coach Lonnie Custer was thrilled with their accomplishment.

“I am just so happy for the kids. They have put in a lot of time and effort and I’m just glad they got the monkey off their back and get the first win in our program’s history,” he said.

North Lincoln’s main ingredient of success was forcing turnovers.

“We played great defense. I don’t care what level of football you are playing, the option is hard to defend. We forced eight turnovers on the night with Trent (Hopkins) making two interceptions,” he said.

The Knights stifled Highland Tech’s option attack by playing fundamental football.

“I thought our guys did a great job of playing assignment football. Each kid worried about their own responsibility and not the person next to them,” he said.

North was able to move the ball each quarter, but was only able to put up 6 points in the first half. Custer attributed that to mental errors.

“We shot ourselves in the foot in the first half with penalties and turnovers. We were moving the ball the whole time,” he said.

The second stanza was a different story.

“In the second half we played a lot more focused football and finished our drives. We were able to eliminate those mental mistakes and that paid off,” Custer said.

Custer said that the landmark win for the Knights couldn’t have been accomplished if not for the tireless work of his assistant coaches.

“My assistants did a real good job of getting the kids prepared to play this week,” he said.

Custer said the North Lincoln fans attending the game in a driving rain also aided the winning effort.

“I thought they (the fans) played a major role in the ball game. Some fans stood on the sideline because they ran out of seats in the bleachers,” he said.

Ahead 6-0 going into the final quarter, the Knights were able to outscore Highland 15-6 to earn a hard-fought victory.

The offensive line was played solid football in the second half when faced with a challenge laid down by Custer and his staff.

“They did a great job in the second half. I put it on their shoulders at halftime. I told them if they did their job we would win the game and they stepped up and responded to the challenge,” he said.

Behind the excellent blocking by the line, Custer said his running backs were able to capitalize.

“Our backs did a good job of exploiting the holes that the offensive line opened,” he said.

The whole defensive unit deserved credit for the win, Custer said.

“If I had to give a game ball to anybody I would give it to everyone on the defensive side of the ball,” he said.

Key players on that defensive unit were linebackers Scott Long and Jonas Love.

“They both played well at linebacker. They did a great job of filling the gaps. Anything in between the tackles was completely shut down,” he said.

Dante Heard, who was moved up from JV, responded in a big way by scoring the Knights’ first defensive touchdown in their brief stint as a football team with a 42-yard fumble return for a touchdown. Casey Woodie scored on a four-yard run and freshman quarterback Trent Hopkins ran for a six-yard touchdown.

The Knights’ record is now 1-8 on the season. Highland Tech falls to 0-7.

© 2001 Lincoln Times-News  

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