FALL SPORTS
C3
FRIDAY, AUGUST 28, 2020
THE NORTH PLATTE TELEGRAPH
Telegraph file photo North Platte’s Cody Wright (35) leads the returning starters. The starting running back ran for a team-high 1,085 yards on 211 carries in the Bulldogs’ run heavy offense.
Fighting for every inch
Bulldogs determined to reach playoffs in Rice’s 3rd season
North Platte Class A
Aug. 28. ......................................................at Aurora Sept. 9. ........................................................Fremont Sept. 11........................................................ Kearney Sept. 18. ................................. at Lincoln North Star Sept. 25................................... at Lincoln Northeast Oct. 2................................................Creighton Prep Oct. 9................................................ at Lincoln East Oct. 16.................................................. Millard West Oct. 23......................................................Columbus
By TIM JOHNSON tim.johnson@ nptelegraph.com
to commit to and will- ing to work to that level,” Rice said. “I hope that’s a product that we can put out there (on the field) on a day-in and day-out ba- sis. “Playing in Class A is a very difficult chal- lenge for us in football but that’s where we are,” Rice said. “Our goal is to get back to being rel- evant and making the playoffs.” The Bulldogs take the initial step toward that goal on Friday at Aurora in the season opener. “We’re obviously (thinking) playoffs but we are focusing on Week 1,” Dike said. “That’s all we are looking at right now. We are taking it game by game and step by step. After that we will move on to Week 2 and then Week 3 but we will be there (in the play- offs). I promise you that.” North Platte had leads late in regulation against
Two years ago, North Platte won one game in Todd Rice’s inaugu- ral year as the Bulldogs head football coach. The team won three games last year and let potential wins slip away in two other matchups. The goal is to continue that climb and challenge for the program’s first postseason berth since 2015. “We are making the playoffs, there’s no doubt in my mind,” senior wideout Jayden Dike said earlier this month. “We should have made it last year. We’re a better team and we all know what we need to do. We are going to fix it and we are going to be there.” Rice approved of his veteran player’s predic- tion. “I hope that is what our guys are determined
Fremont and Lincoln Southeast, and lost both matchups. The latter was a setback in overtime. “I hope we have a chip on our shoulder,” Rice said. “We blew two fourth-quarter leads and if we win either one, we are in the playoffs. I hope guys have used that as fuel to come back and work that much harder (this year).” “There are so many things that can change a course of a game and (often) it comes down to great effort,” Rice said. “I think our guys know it’s right there in front of us and we are just excited to have the opportunity (to play) right now.” Bulldogs running back
Cody Wright said it came down to the Bulldogs’ mental breakdowns as much as physical ones at times. He said the team is determined not to let that continue this season. “We need to fight un- til the clock says zero,” said Wright, who rushed for 1,085 yards and nine touchdowns on 211 car- ries last season. “Last year we obviously didn’t do that and we lost real- ly close games that we should have won.” Wright rushed for more than 100 yards in seven of the Bulldogs’ nine games last season. He wants to build off that performance. “Hopefully get another 1,000 (yards) if not clos-
Telegraph file photo North Platte hopes to build on a 4-5 season that saw them narrowly miss the playoffs.
er to 2,000,” said Wright, who was a GNAC all-con- ference selection in his junior-year campaign. “I Just want to push myself in every game.” It’s a sentiment that Wright’s teammates share as well. “We just have to push a
little harder (this year),” the Bulldogs’ Gavyn Brauer said. “The games are that close and we have to do just that much more. We are pushing that extra mile, getting that extra step. We are just fighting for every inch.”
FOOTBALL SCHEDULES
Class B Lexington
Class C1 Broken Bow
Gothenburg Aug. 28. ............................. Cozad Sept. 4. .........at Kearney Catholic Sept. 11.....................Broken Bow Sept. 18. ...................... at St. Paul Sept. 25.......................... Ogallala Oct. 2........................... at Mitchell Oct. 9................................ Sidney Oct. 16....................... at Chadron Oct. 23.......................... Holdrege Ogallala Aug. 28. ....................Broken Bow Sept. 4. ..................... at Holdrege Sept. 11............. at Chase County Sept. 18. ...........Kearney Catholic Sept. 25................at Gothenburg Oct. 2................................. Cozad Oct. 9............................... Mitchell Oct. 16.......................... at Sidney Oct. 23........................... Chadron
Class C2 Chase County
Dundy County-Stratton Sept. 4. .......................... Bertrand Sept. 11........... at Perkins County Sept. 18. ......... Hitchcock County Sept. 25...................... at Maxwell Oct. 2................................ Hi-Line Oct. 8..............at Southern Valley Oct. 15................... at Cambridge Hi-Line Aug. 28. ....................at Arapahoe Sept. 4. ........................Elm Creek Sept. 11...................at Sutherland Sept. 18. ......................... Maxwell Sept. 25......................... Bertrand Oct. 2..at Dundy County Stratton Oct. 9......................... Cambridge Oct. 16........ at Hitchcock County
Aug. 28. ........................... Seward Sept. 4. ....................... at Beatrice Sept. 11............. South Sioux City Sept. 18. ..............................Crete Sept. 25......................at McCook Oct. 2.................................Gering Oct. 9......................at Scottsbluff Oct. 16.............................Alliance Oct. 23...............................at York McCook Aug. 28. ..................... at Hastings Sept. 4. ................................Crete Sept. 11..............................at York Sept. 18. ...................... at Seward Sept. 25........................Lexington Oct. 2.................................Aurora Oct. 9.............................at Gering oct. 16.........................Scottsbluff Oct. 23.........................at Alliance
Aug. 28. .......................... Ogallala Sept. 4. ............................ St. Paul Sept. 11.................at Gothenburg Sept. 18. .............................at Ord Sept. 25.............................O’Neill Oct. 2............at Kearney Catholic Oct. 9............................ Holdrege Oct. 16........................... at Cozad Oct. 23..............................Minden Cozad Aug. 28. ................at Gothenburg Sept. 4. ........Wood River-Shelton Sept. 11......................... at Sidney Sept. 18. .............. Adams Central Sept. 25........................ Holdrege Oct. 2.......................... at Ogallala Oct. 9........................... at Minden Oct. 16......................Broken Bow Oct. 23..........at Kearney Catholic
Aug. 28. ..................... at Chadron Sept. 4. ............................. Sidney Sept. 11........................... Ogallala Sept. 18. ...................... at Mitchell Sept. 25.........................Valentine Oct. 2.......................... at St. Pat’s Oct. 9.............................. Hershey Oct. 16.................... at Bridgeport Oct. 23......... at Gordon-Rushville Class D1 Anselmo-Merna Aug. 27. .............Ansley-Litchfield Sept. 4. ................. at Hemingford Sept. 11..................at South Loup Sept. 18. ...................... Ainsworth Sept. 25..........................Amherst Oct. 2......................... at Ravenna Oct. 8................................Burwell Oct. 16........at Arcadia-Loup City
Please see SCHEDULES, Page C4
GIRLS GOLF SCHEDULES
Sept. 8. .................... at Broken Bow Invite Sept. 15. ........................... at Gering Invite Sept. 17. .................. at North Platte Invite Sept. 22.............................. Ogallala Invite Sept. 30. at Dundy County-Stratton Invite Oct. 1.................................at SWC, Cozad Perkins County Aug. 27. ............................ at Bayard Invite Sept. 1. .............................at Kimball Invite Sept. 3. .................... at Creek Valley Invite Sept. 17. ................. Perkins County Quad Sept. 22.................................... at Ogallala Sept. 24. ..................... at Bridgeport Invite Sept. 30.Perkins County at Dundy County- Stratton Invite Southwest Aug. 20. ..................... at Cambridge Invite Aug. 28. ..........................at McCook Invite Sept. 11.........................at Lexington Invite Sept. 15. ...................at Gothenburg Invite Sept. 17. ..............at Perkins County Invite Sept. 24. ....................... at Holdrege Invite Sept. 30........... at Dundy County-Stratton
Sept. 11.............................Lexington Invite Sept. 15. ...................at Gothenburg Invite Sept. 18. ...........................Lexington Invite Sept. 24. ....................... at Holdrege Invite Sept. 29.........................at Southern Invite Oct. 2....at Central Conference, Holdrege North Platte Aug. 20. ...........Ogallala, at Lake Maloney Aug. 28. ...at Kearney Invite, Awarii Dunes Sept. 1. ..................at Lincoln Pius X Invite Sept. 4. ................... at Grand Island Invite Sept. 8. .....................................at McCook Sept, 11.........................at Lexington Invite Sept. 15. .................................. at Hastings Sept. 17. ....................... North Platte Invite Sept. 22.......................at Columbus Invite Sept. 24. .............................at Gothenburg Oct. 2..................... GNAC, at North Platte Ogallala Aug. 20. .................... at North Platte Dual Aug. 25. ........................... at Sidney Invite Aug. 28. ......................... at McCook Invite Sept. 1. ...................... at Scottsbluff Invite
Sept. 24. ..................... at Bridgeport Invite Dundy County-Stratton Aug. 20. ..................... at Cambridge Invite Aug. 28. ..........................at McCook Invite Sept. 1. ........................ Creek Valley Invite Sept. 8. ............. at Goodland (Kan.) Invite Sept. 15. ...................at Gothenburg Invite Sept. 17. ..............at Perkins County Invite Sept. 22.......................... at Ogallala Invite Sept. 24. ....................... at Holdrege Invite Sept. 30..... Dundy County-Stratton Invite Hershey Aug. 24. .........Gothenburg, Lake Maloney Aug. 28. ..............................McCook Invite Sept. 8. .....................at Broken Bow Invite Sept. 17. ................. Perkins County Quad Sept. 22.......................... at Ogallala Invite Sept. 30. at Dundy County-Stratton Invite Lexington Aug. 28. ..........................at McCook Invite Sept. 1. .................................at Scottsbluff Sept. 3. ..................................at York Invite
Broken Bow Aug. 27. ........... at Kearney Catholic Invite Sept. 1. ..................... at Cambridge Invite Sept. 3. .................. at Grand Island Invite Sept. 8. .........................Broken Bow Invite Sept. 11........................ at Lexington Invite Sept. 15. .................. at Gothenburg Invite Sept. 21. ...................Arcadia/Loup City at Sept. 24. ...................... at Holdrege Invite Sept. 28............................ at Cozad Invite Oct. 1................................ at SWC, Cozad Cozad Aug. 27. ........... at Kearney Catholic Invite Sept. 1. ............. at Kearney Catholic Dual Sept. 8. ............................ at Minden Invite Sept. 11........................ at Lexington Invite Sept. 15. .................. at Gothenburg Invite Sept. 17. .................. at North Platte Invite Sept. 18. .... , Gothenburg at Lexington Tri Sept. 22......................... at Ogallala Invite Sept. 28................................. Cozad Invite Oct. 1..................................SWC at Cozad Creek Valley Sept. 3. ........................ Creek Valley Invite
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