As
Omaha North expeditiously approaches the midway point of its 2014 football season, history is dead set against the Vikings to repeat as Class A champion.
Larry Martin's Vikings, however, are built for winning championships.
Headlined by three returning first team Super-State athletes, two on offense and another on defense, Omaha North possesses a volatile mixture of championship game experience and talent.
A winner of eight straight games dating back to last season, Omaha North began the 2014 season with a late touchdown and 20-13 win over MaxPreps' No. 7 team Millard West. The Vikings followed that with a 42-0 blanking of Omaha Burke and a 63-7 throttling of first-year Class A opponent South Sioux City.
"This is a competitive group," 15-year Viking head coach Martin said of his senior class. "They love competition.
"I could see our experience come out in the opener against Millard West. Late in the game, against one of the best teams in the state, we needed to put points on the board. The guys said, ‘Hey we're going to go down and score.' And they did. They have a lot of confidence and they are a competitive bunch."
Beginning with the Wildcats in the opener and through a three game stretch starting this weekend against MaxPreps' No. 3
Bellevue West, Martin and his defending Class A champion Vikings have been handed a slate that only a champion could conquer.
With all of the experience he returns this season, Martin doesn't mind playing the schedule that's been placed before him.
"I like it this year because we have a lot (of experience) coming back," quipped Martin of his schedule. "It'll be a grind. It's going to be a game in, game out kind of thing this year. In my opinion, we play three of the top six teams in Class A."
Following Thursday's Battle Royale against the Thunderbirds, Omaha North will travel to second-ranked Omaha Creighton Prep Sept. 26 and then visit No. 8 Omaha Central Oct. 3. The Vikings will host Omaha South before traveling to No. 9 Omaha Westside Oct. 17 and then a home game against Bellevue East rounds out the Vikings' regular season.
Omaha North (3-0) is well equipped to handle such a stretch and become the first Class A school to win back-to-back Class A state football championships since Lincoln Southeast completed the feat in 1997 and 1998. Fifteen returning starters have taken over their old posts. The Vikings, who have participated in the past two Class A state championship games, have won 15 of their last 16 games and 25 of the last 29 contests.
In all, Martin returns 26 lettermen led by first team Super-State 3,000-yard rusher
Calvin Strong and
Michael Decker, who earned first team Super-State honors by clearing room for the phenomenal running back to roam. The Omaha North offense is once again lighting up the scoreboard.
Strong (5-9, 175, senior) rushed for 3,008 yards on 355 carries and scored 43 touchdowns a year ago. So far this season the speedster has gained 385 yards rushing on 36 carries and has scored three times in two games.
Despite the fun he had gouging North opponents for amazing chunks of yardage a year ago, Strong isn't as concerned with putting up eye-popping numbers this time around - just winning football games.
"I want to get what I can this year," Strong said of his rushing total as a senior. "I want to help my team win. I set high standards for myself and I'm looking to improve myself so I can do my part in getting us another championship. It'd be cool to get 3,000 yards again, but I just want to go out and do what I can to help get this team back to the championship."
Larry Martin's third first team Super-State returnee is
Jason Martin (5-9, 193, senior), a top notch inside linebacker, who is leading the way on the stop side of the ball with 23 tackles through a pair of games. Five of those stops have resulted in negative yardage for the opposition.
Joining Decker (6-3, 280, senior) up front offensively are returning starters
Neal Sellers (6-4, 305, senior) and
Justin Edwards (6-2, 270, senior). Last year's starting signal caller
Payton Nelson (6-0, 175, senior) joins Strong in the backfield. Back to run interference for Strong, and catch a few balls along the way, is tight end
Devalon Whitcomb (6-3, 230, Senior).
Marquise Lewis (5-11, 180, senior) and
Grant Martin (6-2, 180, junior) are also returning targets for Nelson.
Joining Jason Martin in the second level of defense is returning regular linebacker
Cole Bixler (6-1, 205, Sr.). Three starters return on the defensive line, including
Jaylin One-Feather (6-4, 230, Sr.),
Jordan Johnson (6-0, 260, Sr.) and
Justin Jemison (5-11, 190, Jr.). Lewis and
Davion Reed (5-9, 180, Sr.) return at cornerback, while
Tavion Seals (5-6, 150, Jr.) is back at safety.
Anthony Workman (6-0, 275, Sr.),
Quayshawn Qualls (6-0, 235, Sr.) and
Kendrick Parker (5-10, 230, So.) have returned after earning letters a year ago, and are filling in on the offensive line. Parker is also playing up front on defense.
Tyrus Harris (5-10, 165, Sr.) is getting playing time at running back and linebacker.
James Morton (5-10, 160, Sr.) and
Terry Thomas (5-10, 160, Jr.) have returned to the lineup after earning monikers in the secondary a year ago, while Thomas and
Chris Crouch (5-7, 170, Jr.) are added targets for Nelson.
Omaha North opposition received a big dose of Strong night in and night out a year ago. But this season, coach Martin is bound and determined to push the ball upfield with a more balanced offense. To date, Omaha North has rushed the ball 87 times for 812 yards and completed 22 of 38 aerials for 474 more yards in the first two contests, while outscoring its opposition 125-20 collectively in the first three contests of 2014.
"We have to continue to throw the ball," Larry Martin said. "We have to take advantage of what the defense is giving us. When they put a lot of guys in the box, we're going to have to be able to throw the ball. We have to continue to be flexible on offense and play fast and physical on defense."
While the offense is abusing opposing defenses with physical, time-consuming drives, Martin's defense continues to bully opposing offenses into submission and shorten their stay on the field.
"We are a very aggressive defense and we get the job done," Jason Martin said. "We get after it and we keep coming until the whistle blows. We play all out all of the time.
"I truly believe we are one of the most physical football teams there is. Our pads are always popping. We all make each other better. I go up against Michael (Decker) everyday in practice, and there aren't a lot of players as talented as he is. He definitely makes me a better football player."
The way Jason Martin sees it, playing a brutal schedule, like the Vikings do, is a surefire way for Martin and company to get home field advantage throughout the playoffs.
"There wasn't any of this getting better as time goes on stuff," Jason Martin said. "We couldn't afford to. We had to be focused from the start. There is no coming out flat when you play the schedule we are this year. We had to come out full throttle."
As the season continues to roll on, Larry Martin said this Vikings club needs to find its own identity. It's time to forget about what has been achieved in past years and for this class to start focusing on its senior season under his guidance.
Larry Martin, 157-81 at Omaha North, said he does remind his players from time to time about the close plays that could have gone either way during the past two postseason runs that allowed Omaha North's season to move on to the championship game, and not send them home.
"We have to prepare ourselves to play our best all of the time," Larry Martin said. "We don't want regrets. This group has been easy to coach. They trust us coaches. They've demonstrated that. They're playing hard and they're having fun."
