Nebraska Coaches Association High School All-Star Previews

One of the great traditions in Nebraska high school sports will take center stage once again Monday when the Nebraska Coaches Association presents All-Star games in volleyball, softball and boys and girls basketball.

Kicking off the three-day sports extravaganza will be the girls basketball game, which begins at 6 p.m. Monday at Lincoln North Star High School. The boys game will follow at 8 p.m.

On Tuesday, July 22, 28 of the state's top senior volleyball players from a year ago are slated to go head-to-head at 7 p.m. at North Star, before the softball teams face off in a double-header on Wednesday, July 23 at the University of Nebraska's Bowlin Field. First pitch for the opener is scheduled for 4 p.m., while the nightcap is slated to begin at 6 p.m.

In all, 103 former boys and girls athletes from throughout Nebraska will take to the court and diamond in what should be their final athletic performance before heading off to college in just a few weeks.

While the greatest consideration is taken to place the top athletes onto the rosters for the four games, there are guidelines for each sport, according to a release sent out by NCA Executive Director Darin Boysen.

In all four sports, each of the classifications must be represented, and every effort has to be made to have all geographical areas in the state represented on the rosters. In basketball and volleyball, a school may not have more than two players selected for their respective contests. No more than three athletes from a school can find their way onto the softball rosters.

"I still can't believe it," Laurel-Concorde/Coleridge standout girls basketball player Cameron Eddie said of making the cut for the girls basketball game. "What an honor to be selected to play in a game with a bunch of athletes that love the game as much as I do. I am very grateful for this opportunity. I am super-pumped!"

Jade Gottier is set to compete on the Red girls basketball team opposite Eddie. For the Boone Central guard/forward, playing in this competition has been a career-long ambition.

"It really means a lot to me to get to play," she said. "It has been one of my goals and dreams throughout high school. I got to see some of my older teammates play in the games, so ever since then, I aspired to play. I know that it is a great honor to get to play and I am humbled to get to participate."

For Logan Power, a forward on the boys Blue team, winning isn't a necessity. But it would go a long way towards righting a loss suffered last month by the Lincoln Christian product.

"I wouldn't say it's all that important for us to win, but we're definitely going to do our best to come out on top," he said. "We're all big competitors and we're going to play well and try and come up with a ‘W.' It's going to be a lot of fun, but at the same time we're all going to be out there competing hard and trying to win. It sure would be nice to get a victory too after my team got rolled in the Shrine Bowl last month."

Winning aside, all-star games are geared towards entertaining the fans and giving athletes one last crack at each other. Former Grand Island Northwest star McKenzie Brown expects the girls basketball game to be played at a hectic pace — maybe even frantic at times. But that's the way she likes it.

"I expect the game to be very up-tempo and fast paced," Brown said. "I've played with some of these girls so I know that some of the posts have killer moves down low and the guards have a lot of speed. I think there's gonna be a large amount of talent out there on the floor at all times, so it will be quite the showdown."

Papillion-LaVista outfielder and soon-to-be Husker Gina Metzler described herself as a lefty slapper that relies on her speed and explosiveness to get extra bases on offense. She expects Elkhorn South third baseman and outfielder Corrin Ziepke to be trouble at the plate and York's Taylor Kadavy to be tough as nails on the mound as her Blue team attempts to get the sweep.

"I've been crazy competitive ever since I was little, so winning is always very important to me," Metzler said. "I want to have fun with the girls, but I definitely want to win too.

"I just want to go out and play my game. My goal is to play my hardest and compete every pitch and then we'll see what happens."

Wakefield's Lauren Lehmkuhl had the honor of being the first girls basketball player from her school to be chosen for the contest next week, and she has her sights set on representing her hometown at a high level.

Lehmkuhl looks at Monday's contest as an opportunity to set bragging rights.

"I definitely want to have fun," she said. "I want to play well and I'm going to give it my all. I want to play a good all-around game and enjoy every moment of it, because not every athlete gets to compete in a game like this."

Other Notes

Metzler's postseason honors list is a mile long. But her greatest honor may be getting selected first team All-Nebraska all four seasons she competed for the Monarchs. Metzler was just the fourth player in Nebraska history to reach the milestone.


These combinations of coaches and the athletes they mentored during their prep careers will compete together for the last time next week.

Girls Basketball
Steve Wieseler-Maggie Schulte, Wynot
Heath Birkel-Jenscena Hansen, Deshler
Jon Perone-Montrese Weller, Benson (Omaha)

Boys Basketball
Paul Reinertson-Rylee Reinertson, Gibbon
Mike Emory-Lane Rohrich, Pierce
Tod Heier-Connor Heier, Twin River (Genoa)
Tony Quattrocchi-Connor Musiel, North Star (Lincoln)

Volleyball
Gary Bender-Ellie Geyer, Humphrey/Holy Family (Humphrey)
Kurt Polt-Dani Most, Giltner
Matt Koehn-Fairbanks-Mercedes Lassen, St. Paul
Terri Neujahr-Olivia Boender, Waverly

Softball
Dave Prokesh-Shelby Schacher, Northwest (Grand Island)
Danyel Seevers-Taylor Kadavy, York
Keith Engelkemp-Kaylan Jablonski, Skutt Catholic (Omaha)
Chuck Hughes-Emma Kwapnioski, Norfolk

They Said It – Thoughts and Quotes from some of the week's top competitors

"Well, ya know, our blue team has that darn Steve Wieseler as our coach, so I don't really know what he'll have up his sleeve. I guess I don't really expect anything, but I do trust that I will have a great coach with hard-working teammates."
- Laurel-Concorde/Coleridge girls basketball star Cameron Eddie -

"I hope to just relax, have fun, and be competitive all at the same time. Is that even possible?"
- Laurel-Concorde/Coleridge girls basketball star Cameron Eddie -

"It's very important because I hate to lose."
- Northwest (Grand Island) girls basketball star Mckenzie Brown on winning -

"I know Paige Ballinger has some killer post moves and Kenna Dodd is a very quick guard, so I think they will be a tough duo, along with all the other talent they have on their team."
- Grand Island Northwest girls basketball star McKenzie Brown -

"I think the foursome of Connor Musiel, Mitchell Hahn, Ty Danielson and Zach Flott could give us some problems even though Flott is soft, so we should be able to beat him up down low. Musiel and Ty can't really shoot, so we can help off of them quite a bit, and Mitchell can't defend so we can definitely take advantage of that on offense. I played with all four of them last summer with the Bison Red team and all four of them are great players. They could definitely cause some problems out there on the court.
- Lincoln Christian boys basketball star Logan Power -

"I only know of a few girls playing, so I am not quite sure the style of play that will be played. I do know that it is going to be great basketball because they are all great players. It will be a fast paced game and very physical, but at the same time it will be relaxed and fun."
- Boone Central (Albion) girls basketball star Jade Gottier -

"I am hoping to play a good, solid ball game, relax and have fun. I am not expecting a monster game from myself because I know that being surrounded by good players, it would be really difficult for one person to take control of the game. It would be amazing to be the player that hits the big three or the one in the final minutes of the game when it's most needed."
- Boone Central girls basketball star Jade Gottier -

"I am not really sure if there is a single person. Every girl on the other team is a good player. I know that our team will need to play solid defense and take care of the ball on offense, and find a way to score."
- Boone Central girls basketball star Jade Gottier -

"None of this would be possible without my parents, who have always supported me and made this possible, my girlfriend who always has my back and supports me, my coaches who have pushed me every day, my teammates who have made sacrifices so I can be the player I am and to Jesus Christ who made all of this possible."
- York boys basketball star Ty Danielson –

"It is a huge honor to be selected to play in the All-Star game. The competition is going to be phenomenal because so many great players have been selected."
- Scotus (Columbus) volleyball star Payton Chohon -

"I think that it is going to be pretty competitive. I'm expecting some good skills and blocks from both sides of the net."
- Columbus Scotus volleyball star Payton Chohon -

"One of the main goals is to have fun and to also just try and play my hardest, just like I would in any other volleyball game I have ever played in."
- Columbus Scotus volleyball star Payton Chohon -

"It is a great honor to play in the All-Star game and I am very excited to play with new players and against new players as well. I expect the game to be up-tempo and high in scoring."
- Wynot girls basketball star Maggie Schulte -

Below are statistical leaders in four categories from each sport. The stats were supplied by the Nebraska Coaches Association.

Volleyball

Kill Leaders
Toni Tupper, Lincoln Northeast, 6-3 OH 509
Marysa Wilkinson, Lincoln Southwest, 6-0 MH/OH/RS 449
Olivia Boender, Waverly, 6-2 OH 411
Kenzie May, Southwest (Bartley), 5-9 OH 399
Dani Most, Giltner, 5-9 MH 388

Block Leaders
Tara Ziegelbein, Lincoln Lutheran, 6-0 MH 87
Brittany Lawrence, St. Patrick's (North Platte), 6-3 MH 84
Alexis Anderson, Millard West (Omaha), 6-0 MH 58
Erin Gross, Tekamah-Herman (Tekamah), 6-1 MH 57
Kasey Hohlen, Norris (Firth), 6-1 MH 57

Dig Leaders
Julia Faltin, Skutt Catholic (Omaha), 5-8 Libero 592
Liz Loseke, Lakeview (Columbus), 5-9 OH 453
Allison Mason, Bertrand, 5-4 Libero 440
Sydney Townsend, Pius X (Lincoln), 5-8 Libero 380
Taylor Thiele, Aurora, 5-11 MH/OH 355

Assist Leaders
Sydney O'Shaughnessy, Marian (Omaha), 5-9 S 764
Ellie Geyer, Humphrey/Holy Family (Humphrey), 5-7 S 618
Shayla Conner, Kearney Catholic, 5-7 S 615
Alex Banker, Omaha Skutt, 5-9 RS/S 552
Katie Placke, Northwest (Grand Island), 6-0 RS/S 402

Girls Basketball

Scoring Leaders
Mckenzie Brown, Northwest (Grand Island), 5-10 23.0
Brandan Tighe, Homer, 5-6 22.0
Kaylee Jensen, Humphrey/Holy Family, 6-4 21.8
Lauren Lehmkuhl, Wakefield, 5-11 18.5
Maggie Schulte, Wynot, 6-0 18.2

Rebound Leaders
Lauren Lehmkuhl, Wakefield, 14.2
Paige Ballinger, Pender, 6-1 11.0
Kaylee Jensen, Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family, 6-4 10.3
Jenscena Hansen, Deshler, 5-8 9.1
Rachel Jelden, Holdrege, 6-1 8.0

Assist Leaders
Maegan Hiatt, Hershey, 5-5 4.5
Taylor Menke, Friend, 5-11 4.4
Megan Kucks, Elkhorn South, 5-9 4.2
Bailey Smith, Columbus, 5-6 4.1
Ashlea Kerr, Chadron, 6-0 4.0

Steal Leaders
Jade Gottier, Boone Central (Albion), 5-9 4.3
Taylor Menke, Friend, 5-11 4.2
Mary Janovich, Gretna, 5-7 4.0
Maegan Hiatt, Hershey, 5-5 3.5
McKenzie Brown, Northwest, 5-10 3.3

Boys Basketball

Scoring Leaders
Lane Rohrich, Pierce, 6-1 27.1
Rylee Reinertson, Gibbon, 6-3 26.0
Adam Moon, St. Mary's (O'Neill), 6-8 23.8
Logan Power, Lincoln Christian (Lincoln), 6-4 22.0
Ty Danielson, York, 6-3 20.1

Rebound Leaders
Mitchell Hahn, Fremont, 6-7 11.0
Adam Moon, O'Neill St. Mary's, 6-8 10.7
Logan Power, Lincoln Christian, 6-4 10.7
Zach Flott, Ralston, 6-5 10.1
Luke Hegemann, Howells-Dodge, 6-5 10.0

Assist Leaders
Damien Austen, Kearney, 5-7 5.5
Rylee Reinertson, Gibbon, 6-3 5.4
Ty Danielson, York, 6-3 4.9
Jalen Barry, Wayne, 5-11 4.7
Matt Thomas, Elkhorn South, 6-0 4.5

Steal Leaders
Rylee Reinertson, Gibbon, 6-3 5.3
Nolan White, Exeter-Milligan (Exeter), 6-2 3.1
Lane Rohrich, Pierce, 6-1 3.0
Matt Thomas, Elkhorn South, 6-0 2.6
Damien Austen, Kearney, 5-7 2.5

Softball

Batting Average Leaders
Emily Franzen, Gothenburg, 1B .608
Kaylan Jablonski, Skutt Catholic (Omaha), 1B/P .603
Gina Metzler, Papillion-LaVista (Papillion), OF .581
Taylor Otte, Wahoo, SS/2B/OF .560
Brittany Gill, Lincoln Southwest (Lincoln), OF .544
Taylor Kadavy, York, P .544

RBI Leaders
Megan May, Lincoln Southeast, C 57
Shelby Schacher, Northwest (Grand Island), C 45
Albany Starman, Beatrice, LF/DP 42
Karlye Cygan, Lincoln Southwest, OF/P 39
Jessica Kleine, Grand Island, 1B/P 38

ERA Leaders
Jaylee Hinrichs, Lincoln Southeast, P 0.66
Taylor Kadavy, York, P 1.29
Michaela Woodward, Norris (Firth), P/1B 1.79
Nicki Larsen, Waverly, P/1B/OF 2.00
Karlye Cygan, Lincoln Southwest, OF/P 2.62
Jessica Kleine, Grand Island, 1B/P 2.80

Strikeout Leaders
Jaylee Hinrichs, Lincoln Southeast, P 306
Taylor Kadavy, York, P 226
Michaela Woodward, Norris (Firth), P/1B 188
Nicki Larsen, Waverly, P/1B/OF 180
Karlye Cygan, Lincoln Southwest, OF/P 84
Jessica Kleine, Grand Island, 1B/P 24