Video: Austin Black's highlights vs. South Sioux CityNow that fans are halfway through the regular season in Nebraska, we have decided to comb through MaxPreps' stat leaderboards to see what kind of numbers stand out.
While Jacob Johnson and Austin Black were wowing local fans at Fairbury and Bellevue East, respectively, Travis Holcomb of Centura could do no wrong early on as he contributed in a big way on both sides of the ball. Holcomb finishes atop the Top 10 football performances board this go-round with Johnson and Black sitting second and third.
Rounding out the Top 5 are Central City's Mitch Carlson and signal caller Dillon Hike of Bellevue East. Both quarterbacks were phenomenal in back-to-back weekends. Now let's take a look at Nebraska's Top 10 prep football performances to this point in the season in the Cornhusker State.
1. Travis Holcomb, Centura (Cairo), 6-4, 210, Senior, WR/SSEverything Holcomb did against Sandy Creek on opening night seemed to turn to magic. Not only did he rush for 231 yards and three touchdowns on 40 carries, or get his hands on 21 tackles, he intercepted a pass and deflected a ball. He also threw a 49-yard scoring strike, his only aerial on the night, in the 36-28 win over the Cougars.
2. Jacob Johnson, Fairbury, 6-0, 185, Sophomore, RB/LBJohnson almost singlehandedly wrecked any plans Johnson County Central had of getting a win against the Jeffs on Sept. 18. The sophomore running back rambled for 335 yards and seven scores on just 19 carries in the 53-24 Fairbury win. A linebacker, Johnson made nine solo stops on defense, while also causing a fumble and recovering one.
3. Austin Black, Bellevue East, 5-6, 140, Senior, ATHBlack may still have South Sioux City coaches and players shaking their heads following Friday's 62-42 Chieftain win. The 5-foot-6 senior not only caught seven balls for 113 yards and a pair of scores, he also returned two kickoffs for a collective 105 yards and scored on each return.
4. Mitch Carlson, Central City, 6-0, 160, Senior, QB/DBThe dynamic quarterback was an integral part of Bison wins over Madison, 38-14, and Ord, 51-18, to start the season 2-0 when he threw for 640 yards and seven touchdowns collectively on 48 of 76 passing. Carlson also ran for 127 yards and three more scores on 18 carries in the two wins.
5. Dillon Hike, Bellevue East, 6-2, 185, Senior, QBChieftain head coach Anthony Dunn's signal caller put together back-to-back outstanding performances the past two weekends, throwing for 701 yards and six scores collectively on 51 of 77 passing. Hike also ran for 40 yards on five carries collectively in conquests of Omaha Bryan, 36-14, and South Sioux City, 62-42.
6. Gabe Haney, Hyannis, 5-11, 195, Senior, RB/DEHaney bullied Spalding Academy for 386 yards and a phenomenal seven touchdowns on just 16 carries in the 56-35 Longhorn win on Sept. 11.
7. Brook Svoboda, Sandy Creek (Fairfield), 5-11, 215, Senior, FB/MLBSvoboda was outstanding on defense in the 36-28 Cougar loss to Centura Aug. 28, stifling the victors with 13 solo stops and 18 assisted tackles in his 31-tackle performance.
8. Cole Spady, Adams Central (Hastings), 6-2, 165, Junior, WR/DBSpady and his Patriot teammates fell 45-30 to Sidney on Sept. 4. But it makes no sense to fault Spady. The junior latched onto 10 aerials for 196 yards and scored three times as Adams Central tried to upend the Red Raiders.
9. Ryan McKeeman, Maxwell, 5-6, 155, Senior, RB/LB/KRMaxwell coach Ryan Jones chose to highlight his ground game in a 54-34 Aug. 28 win over Sutherland. McKeeman was the benefactor in that decision, battering Sutherland for 312 yards and seven touchdowns on 22 carries.
10. Brode McIntosh, Mullen, 5-8, 140, Junior, RB/SMcIntosh was a highlight in Mullen's 54-18 loss to Sandhills/Thedford Sept. 11. The junior caught five balls for 190 yards and scored a couple of times in the disappointing week 2 loss.
