Morgan Woitzel looks to continue her track career at Nebraska.

This past Wednesday, Millard South’s Morgan Woitzel signed a letter of intent to attend Nebraska.

Wotizel tied the state meet 400 meter mark (55.67, 6th best all-time) as a freshman and during her a sophomore year she nearly entered the all time chart in the 800 meter.

Unfortunately, Woitzel was sidelined with a hip injury for the better part of her junior year campaign; however, she was able to return to the track in time to help contribute to the Patriots 1600 state meet all-class gold relay team.

If she manages to stay health this year the girls 400m and 800m could really be electrifying.

Other Class of 2012 Track & Field Athletes Signing Division 1 Letters of Intent

Jacob Olsen, Mid-distance, Kearney – Nebraska

Clara Nichols, Sprinter, Millard South — Oklahoma State (click here to read article)

Tom Swanson, Thrower, Grand Island – Navy

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State of affairs are better than they appear for Nebraska prep football

In a recent Omaha World-Herald article titled “Blair’s Schany officially signs with Bobcats,” longtime World-Herald Staff Writer Stu Pospisil brought forth some very depressing recruiting figures regarding the Nebraska high football class of 2012.

“Schany is one of four known Football Bowl Subdivision scholarship recruits from Nebraska, the smallest class from the state in many years. The Metro Conference was shut out for the first time in recent memory, maybe for the first time since the national letter of intent program started in 1964.”

Stu Pospisil, Staff Writer, Omaha World-Herald

Stu is correct in his assessment but if one takes a deeper look into the class of 2012 recruiting numbers you will find this class to be one of the strongest in recent years.

Looking back at last year’s class of 2011, there were 9 D-1A signees and 6 D-1AA signees, giving the class a total of 15 division 1 signees.

As Pospisil mentioned in his article, only 4 class of 2012 Nebraska high school prospects signed D-1A letters of intent. Yet a whopping 13 Nebraska kids in this year’s class signed with D-1AA schools – a total of 17 division 1 football signees for the class of 2012.

The Class of 2010 had 6 D-1A (includes 1 gray shirt) and 9 D-1AA signees – 15 division 1 signees.

The class of 2012 has 2 more division 1 signees compared to the previous two classes.

The class of 2012 also had more prospects turndown reported D-1A offers and/or D-1-AA offers compared to any other recruiting class I’ve covered during my soon-to-be five years at MHN. Of course many of the prospects spurning those division 1 offers chose to walk-on at Nebraska.

Keep an eye on the prospects from the Nebraska high school class of 2012 – this class has the potential to produce more quality division 1 and division 2 players than any class in the past several years.

Class of 2012 Nebraska HS Football Offers & Commitment List

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Omaha North's Brandin Bryant earns way to the big show at Florida Atlantic.

Class of 2011 prospect Brandin Bryant, a  6-foot-2, 255 lbs. DE/LB who played at Omaha North High School, will sign a letter of intent to play for Carl Pelini at Florida Atlantic University.

Bryant played at Fort Scott Community College last season and said that he was recruited by FAU recruiting coordinator and wide receivers coach Jeff Sims to play DE and OLB.

Bryant was not a high-profile recruit coming out of high school. In fact he was not selected to any of the all-state first or second teams.  But to the discerning eye there was absolutely no doubt that if you watched him play – he was a bona fide division 1 talent.

Click here to view the article I wrote about Brandin for the release of his highlight video.

Bryant’s lack of recruitment and recognition came entirely from the fact that he didn’t’ always take things seriously – putting it politely. I mean to say that he likes to clown and joke around a lot is a huge understatement. And I can say that because I’ve known Brandin since he was about seven years old.

Consequently, Brandin constantly chided me about not putting him on the MHN Top 25 Prospect ranking and told me that he would get the last laugh and prove me and everyone else wrong! And so he has. But remember Brandin I did say that “the cream always raises to the top” and “someone is going to “lick this cream [you] up.”

We all just needed to see you take things just a little more seriously.

Now the Florida Atlantic University fans are about to get a taste of that “scrumdiddilyumptious” Nebraska bred cream.

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Millard South Track Star Seeking to Put Exclamation Mark on Outstanding Prep Career

Millard South state champion sprinter Clara Nichols prepares to settle into the blocks for her last high school track season.

Millard South state champion sprinter Clara Nichols has chosen Oklahoma State University as the place where she will continue her academic pursuits and track career.

Nichols, who blazed to a state record-breaking time of 55.05 in the 400 meter at last year’s state meet, had numerous division 1 suitors; however, she eventually narrowed down the list and took official visits to Nebraska, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Kansas and Oklahoma State.

Nichols gave several reasons why she finally picked the Stillwater, Oklahoma campus over the other schools: “My academic meeting was by far the most informative – I plan to major in dietetics.  And I know I will develop into an outstanding 800m runner there by training with a teammate who was 2nd at outdoor nationals as a freshman last year.

That future teammate Nichols referred to is Natalja Piliusina, the 2011 Big 12 800 meter outdoor champion and OSU school record holder.

The icing on the cake that sealed the deal for Clara to attend OSU: “I felt included in the team almost like I was a part of it already,” she said.

So ring one up for OSU head track and field coach Dave Smith and his staff as well as the rest of Nichols’ soon-to-be Cowgirl teammates. Because your team is getting a focused, determined, quality athlete with a lot of upside that has the ability to produce meet points right away. Yet before Nichols heads off to Stillwater she has one more high school season to finish.

The Legacy

Nichols has already solidified her position as greatest high school girl 400 meter sprinter in Nebraska history: Firstly, winning the all-class gold in the event as a freshman and then setting the all time mark as a junior. During her run up the Nebraska high school all-time best chart, Nichols has won 3 consecutive Class A 400m state titles, 2 all-class gold 400m medals, 1 all-class gold 200m medal and 2 all-class gold medals as a member of the Patriots 1600m relay team. Plus 2 all-class silver medals apiece in the 100m and 200m.

So what’s left on the plate for Clara? Hmm, how about holding the mantle of Nebraska’s greatest ever all-around girl sprinter?

Well, after considering her tremendous performance at last year’s  state meet where she won all-class gold in the 200m and 400m and a silver in the 100m – Nichols definitely has to be in the conversation when it comes to debates about who is the best ever Nebraska high school girl sprinter. And remember it took a state record performance by Omaha North’s Breuanna McCarty (now running for the Huskers) to keep Nichols from sweeping the sprints in 2011.

The great Sarah Lyons (Omaha Brownell-Talbot) is the last girl to sweep the girls sprints events at state. Lyons, who continued her career at Rice, managed to pull off the rare and difficult feat two years in a row (2005 and 2006). Incredible!

Can the Patriot Golden Girl better last year’s marks – break her own state record and/or possibly even sweep the sprints at state in 2012?

Determination, competition, health and the weather will all play critical roles in the outcome. However, if Nichols and her team of coaches can bring her along as brilliantly as they did last season –  and for her entire career for that matter – we can all be in for another treat at this year’s state meet.

The Patriot coaches that Nichols credits with her success on the track at Millard South are head coach Justin Llewellyn and assistants Phyllis Schroeder and Josef Philippi.

“I think I will be running pretty much the same events this year, with a couple 800s here and there,” Nichols said in response to her plans for the upcoming high school track season.

Now considering that OSU is looking at her as a 400m and 800m performer, I wonder if we may even see her post some all-time Nebraska marks in the 800m this year. Just sayin’.

As true an athletic warrior as I’ve ever seen (boy or girl); we have yet to see Clara Nichols’ finest hour.

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Starting offensive linemen Spencer Long (left) and center Mike Caputo walked on from Nebraska high schools to play for the Huskers. Long graduated from Elkhorn HS in 2009 and Caputo from Millard North HS in 2007.

The allure of donning the white helmet embossed with that big red N and playing in front of eighty thousand plus screaming fans remains an intoxicating elixir. Even during the current hard economic times student athletes and their parent/guardians are willing to push aside – free – scholarship monies for the opportunity to – pay – for their education at Nebraska – just so long as they are able to wear that helmet.

Evidence of the power of “The Husker Pull” is the haul of outstanding Nebraska high school football players that Bo Pelini and his staff have managed to convince to walk-on at NU.

This may be Bo’s best Nebraska high school walk-on class yet with at least one of his catch, Dylan Utter, having in hand a D-1A offer from Army. In addition, several others in this class are holding D-1AA offers. 

In my opinion the Nebraska high school walk-ons from the class of 2012 show more potential for successful development than any of Pelini’s previous walk-on classes. Impressive, considering that his previous walk-on classes feature players like Elkhorn’s Spencer Long (OL) and Trevor Roach (LB) who have already earned significant playing time.

Click here to See Nebraska HS Football Class of 2012 Offer and Commitment List

Related Link:

Will of a Champion article: “Spencer Long walked-on to the University of Nebraska football team in 2009 to play offensive line. In 2011 he is the starting Right Guard”

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Nebraska Cornhusker head football coach Bo Pelini.

Now that the college football season is over and Bo Pelini has completed his fourth year as Cornhuskers head coach, It’s a fitting time to ask the question “will Bo Pelini ever win a Big Ten championship at Nebraska?”

The 2011/2012 season started full of high expectations for Nebraska with many of the pundits picking them to win the Big Ten title in their inaugural season.  However, in their first Big Ten contest at Wisconsin things quickly went south, a 17-48 beatdown. A timely injury to Ohio State QB Braxton Miller and gutsy come-from-behind performance by Taylor Martinez allowed the Huskers to escape another tick in the loss column. Later on, Northwestern soundly defeated Nebraska in Lincoln and the Michigan Wolverines drilled them 46-17 at the Big House.

The Huskers finished the 2011/2012 campaign with a 9-4 record, which included the program’s second consecutive blowout bowl loss: This time a 13-30 drubbing at the Capital One Bowl to Steve Spurrier’s South Carolina Gamecocks.

Mind you, in only his second year as the Huskers head coach, Frank Solich led Nebraka to its last conference title by winning the 1999 Big 12 Championship Game.  During his next season, in 2000, Solich guided the Huskers to the 2001 BCS championship game, but he was fired in 2003 even after posting a 9-3 regular season mark.

In stark contrast Pelini has yet to win a conference championship or to even guide the program to an appearance in a BCS bowl game.

The Huskers coaching staff has been in a state of constant flux for the past two seasons: gone are offensive coordinator Shawn Watson and defensive coordinator Carl Pelini, along with stalwart position coaches Marvin Sanders and Mike Ekeler. 

In replacing his coordinators, Pelini has chosen to look inwards to his current staff rather than locking in more experienced and/or proven coaching talent.

Newly appointed offensive coordinator Tim Beck struggled this past season trying to figure things out. More than likely the yet to be tested defensive coordinator John Papuchis will encounter a similar fate. Further complicating matters for Papuchis is that he will head a defense that loses All-Americans Alfonzo Dennard (DB) and Lavonte David (LB) and all-conference DT Jared Crick, painting a bleak picture for any aspirations of a Big Ten championship next season.

The Top Dogs in the Big Ten Look More Imposing, now, Than Ever

Brady Hoke has brought the Michigan football program back, Bret Bielema’s Wisconsin teams have proven to be consistently strong, Mark Dantonio’s Michigan Spartans are for real and the Ohio State Buckeyes are now led by Urban Meyer.

Looking at the aforementioned conference big dogs versus the current state of affairs at Nebraska, the Huskers place in  Big Ten hierarchy could easily be found mired somewhere among the middle of the rest of the pack for the foreseeable future.

I was wrong about the Huskers winning the Big Ten in 2011, maybe I’m wrong now.  Nonetheless, in my opinion, the window of opportunity for Bo Pelini to win a conference title was his last two years in the Big 12 and his first year in the Big Ten. It may be awhile before another window opens.

What do you think?

 Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

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Three more Nebraskans receive “official“  D-1 offers. I  quote the word “official” because months ago Papillion-La Vista’s Dylan Utter emailed MHN to inform that Army had made him an offer this past summer. However, as time went on, I became suspicious since no other recruiting source had reported this supposed offer (click here to read the MHN article). Good to see that it was legitimate.

In addition to Utter, big TE prospect Matt Miller, Omaha Skutt Catholic, also picked up an offer from Army and Omaha North WR Terry Grigsby got a nod from Ohio’s Frank Solich.

The recent offers bring the total number of – known – D-1A offered players in the class of 2012 to eight.  Not bad. But there’s still more time for more!

Click here to see the latest class of 2012 recruiting updates.

 Pictured at left:  Omaha North’s Terry Grigsby Catches a Big One – a  D-1A offer that is.

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Listed below are all the offers and commitments that I’m aware of for the Nebraska high school football class of 2012.

Athletes, parent/guardians or coaches may send updates for any NCAA D-1A, D-1AA, D-II, NAIA or junior college offer(s) and/or commit(s) to MHN, by emailing myhitnews@yahoo.com. 

Last Updated: February 2, 2012

Latest Big News Links :
Omaha Skutt TE Matt Miller to South Dakota
Millard West DE Alec Carrothers Signs with University of North Dakota
Omaha Burke’s Zach Oliver Commits to Universtiy of North Dakota

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His total body of work was impressive enough for him to be selected a first team defensive back on both the 2011 Omaha World-Herald All-Nebraska and Lincoln Journal Star Super-State teams.  His first team selections are even more impressive when you consider that Bellevue West finished the season with a 3-7 record – history proves how difficult it is for an athlete to get even a second team slot when he is from a school with a losing record. 

Earlier this month, Liekhus, who is still being courted by several D-1A schools, committed to D-1AA North Dakota State. It will be interesting to see if any of the D-1A schools will step up to the plate by February.
I’ll just say, “Bo Liekhus’ speed, size and ability are going to be hard to pass by. So all you North Dakota State fans don’t get too comfortable with landing this stud.”

Listed below are some of the outstanding Class of 2012 first and second team All-Nebraska and Super-State prospects that did not make the MHN End-of Season Top 25 ranking.

You can bet that a few of the guys listed will make it on to our Final Class of 2012 Top 25 list, to be release shortly after signing day.

The question now becomes how many – if any – of the guys in on our Top 25 and from the list of awarded players presented below will receive D-1A and/or D-1AA offers by February?

Related Links

MHN  Class of 2012 End-of-Season Top 25 Football Prospects

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In response to my ‘Goodbye World’ post on November 27, 2011

During the past four years, I’ve immensely enjoyed covering Nebraska’s top high school athletes through the myHitNews.com blog. However, due to current obligations as well as the development of future projects – at the present time – my free time is very limited. Therefore, I made a decision late last month to shutdown the site.

In hindsight, considering the wealth of information, articles, videos and images collected on MHN and the abundance of Google and other search engine hits for this information, I would be doing a disservice to many of the athletes, coaches, administrators and past contributors that have been featured in some shape or fashion on this site.

As a result I have decided not to shutdown MHN.

Yet to keep things fresh I need your help.

I need contributing authors who are willing to write occasional, weekly, and/or daily articles. Even onetime contributors are welcomed as long as you have a good take.

Pick your sport, pick your subject.  

I would love to feature more high school sports especially girls.

If you are a good writer and want your own myHitNews sub domain to cover your sport or blog I can set it up free of charge with no monthly fees ever.  If you want to spin-off into your own domain I can set you up with that, too. Of course, I’ll have to charge for that service.

You got pictures or a video you want the world to see? Send it. All contributions are welcomed.

Thanks for those that sent the kind words and encouragement.

Now please help keep MHN fresh.

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