Small Town Ball

Ashland-Greenwood's Barrett Kitrell is staying in Nebraska. The offensive lineman commit talks about his decision to pick Nebraska football over other college football suitors, his goals for his upcoming senior season, and his relationship with coach Matt Rhule and Geep Wade. 0:00 Announcing Commitment Before Start of Senior Year 0:58 Choosing Nebraska Football Over Other Schools 2:16 When Did Was...

There’s a new state record holder in pole vault. 🌟 Kearney Catholic’s Alyssa Onnen caught up with Austin Jacobsen after she cleared 13-04.25 to break the all-state pole vault record at the Gothenburg invite. 0:00 INTRO 0:15 Having a Good Feeling Entering the Day 0:58 Breaking the Record at Gothenburg Invite 1:33 Chasing Other Records and Continuing Improvement 2:42 Motivation to Keep Hitting New...

Keian Kaiser has a new home in the Big Ten. The Sidney, Neb. native and Penn State football commit joins Austin Jacobsen on Small Town Ball, breaking down the WILD timeline of events that led to his eventual commitment to the Nittany Lions. Kaiser details his passion for Penn State's rich tradition of linebackers, what led to his decision to leave Iowa State, his new expectations joining the Big T...

The Class C1 football championship game is SET! Austin Jacobsen is joined by Sidney football coach Ryan Smith to PREVIEW the Class C1 title game between the Sidney Red Raiders and the Wahoo Warriors. Can Sidney SLOW DOWN the unstoppable running game of Wahoo? Will the Red Raiders bring home their FIRST state championship in school history? 0:00 INTRO 0:38 Sidney Football PREVIEW | Red Raiders coac...

The Class C2 football championship game is SET! Austin Jacobsen is joined by Bishop Neumann coach Joe Pavlik and Grand Island Central Catholic coach Jeff Ashby on Small Town Ball to PREVIEW the final game of the season in Class C2. Bishop Neumann is under a NEW CHAMPIONSHIP MINDSET with first-year coach Joe Pavlik, while GICC is following its coach's EXPERIENCE into potentially the FIRST football...

The Class D1 football championship game is SET! Austin Jacobsen is joined by Sandy Creek football coach Andrew Kuta and Crofton football coach Johnnie Ostermeyer on Small Town Ball to PREVIEW the D1 title game. Sandy Creek aims to REPEAT its championship from 2024 with a NEW-LOOK team, while Crofton has the HIGH-SCORING ability to knock Sandy Creek from its crown. Which team will have the BIGGEST...

The Class D2 football championship is SET! Austin Jacobsen is joined by Wynot football coach Steve Heimes and O'Neill St. Mary's coach Tony Allen to prepare for the HIGH-SCORING affair in Lincoln for the D2 title. Can Wynot SLOW DOWN Gage Hedstrom's EXPLOSIVE ability, and can the Cardinal keep up in an offensive SHOOTOUT? 0:00 INTRO 1:26 Wynot Football PREVIEW | Blue Devil Coach Steve Heimes 17:45...

Garden County and Southwest football are READY for a Western Nebraska showdown for the Class D6 championship game. Host Austin Jacobsen is joined by Garden County football coach Chad Dormann and Southwest football coach Christian Arterburn on Small Town Ball to preview their playoff runs and how EACH team's DYNAMIC STARS can lead each program to their first state title. INTRO Garden County Footbal...

Hastings St. Cecilia had its WALK-OFF MOMENT in Monday's Class C state softball championship. Austin Jacobsen caught up with coach Matt Rossow and player of the game Maddy Bauer following the contest and the Bluehawks' first-ever state title in softball. About SMALL TOWN BALL: Austin Jacobsen brings a new perspective of Nebraska high school sports from the rural areas of the state. He’s joined wee...

Central City and Hastings St. Cecilia softball are ready for a Central Nebraska SHOWDOWN for the Class C state title matchup on Monday in Lincoln's Bowlin Stadium. Austin Jacobsen is joined by Central City coach Neely Moser and St. Cecilia coach Matt Rossow to discuss how the programs' fought through their respective state tournament runs in Hastings, how the two teams will handle the biggest stag...

Johnson County Central volleyball is ready for its NEXT STEP! Coach Tim Hedger joins Austin Jacobsen on Small Town Ball to discuss his team's INCREDIBLE 25-0 start to the season, and how the growth of the program continued to build into a CONTENDER. The team has a new MENTAL EDGE after taking down rival Freeman twice in 2025, as the team continues to tally up wins, tournament championships, and mo...

Bridgeport football proved AGAIN that team culture ALWAYS wins. Coach Jeremy Reimers joins Austin Jacobsen on Small Town Ball to discuss his team's EPIC 20-point comeback against Hemingford on Friday night to secure a FOURTH-STRAIGHT district championship. What have the Bulldogs learned since the start of the season, and how does the program's CULTURE of CONSISTENCY make a difference on the gridir...

An ACTION-PACKED week seven of Nebraska high school football had SEVERAL epic comebacks across all levels of the state. Austin Jacobsen runs through the past week of action on the latest episode of Small Town Ball and highlights the BIGGEST storylines from Class C1 to 6-man football. Despite few BIG upsets, several teams continued to separate themselves from the rest of the pack, setting up an epi...

Hampton football is in its FINAL FLIGHT as a program - and CONTINUES to rise as an underdog in 6-man football. Austin Jacobsen is joined by coach Jereme Jones to discuss how his 11-man roster has been DECIMATED by injuries, but the team continues to keep rallying despite playing their tough opponents. Will Hampton SHOCK the 6-man field with an upset over Stuart on Friday? About SMALL TOWN BALL: Au...

Local media MATTERS for small-town Nebraska communities and athletics. KRVN Sports Director Jayson Jorgensen joins Austin Jacobsen on the latest episode of Small Town Ball to discuss the IMPACT of KRVN's coverage across Central Nebraska. Jayson also dives into the six-man teams he's seen so far through the start of the 2025 season, his experiences as the voice for UNK Athletics covering the Lopers...

The Overton volleyball program has been a TOP TARGET in Class D since 2019... can the Eagles bring back ANOTHER state title in 2025? Coach Hayley Ryan joins Austin Jacobsen on Small Town Ball to discuss her teams STANDOUT start to the 2025 season as the Eagles have reached SIX STRAIGHT championship tournaments since 2019. What did it takes to climb the hurdle into championship territory, and how d...

High school football had a CHALKY weekend - except for a few TOP TEN SHOWDOWNS! Austin Jacobsen recaps the BUSY weekend of Nebraska high school football action from across the state in the latest episode of Small Town Ball. Wahoo continued its DOMINANCE in Class C1, while 8-Man action had several TOP TEN matchups. About SMALL TOWN BALL: Austin Jacobsen brings a new perspective of Nebraska high sch...

Mount Michael football is on a STRONG start to the 2025 season - but will the Knights survive a CHALLENGING three-game stretch? Austin Jacobsen is joined by coach Jay Landstrom to discuss the 3-0 start to the season for Mount Michael Benedictine and to preview the upcoming Friday nigh tilt with Columbus Lakeview. Will the Knights offensive balance and aggressive defense be enough to keep them in t...

Grand Island Central Catholic is on a DOMINANT start to the 2025 football season. Crusaders' coach Jeff Ashby joins Austin Jacobsen to discuss GICC's HOT START to the season, and how the team can keep up the program's new standard through the rest of 2025. Is Class C2 closer than first predicted? About SMALL TOWN BALL: Austin Jacobsen brings a new perspective of Nebraska high school sports from th...

Central City softball is BACK in the Class C title conversation after a tumultuous and injury-prone 2024 season. Coach Neely Moser joins Austin Jacobsen to discuss her team's growth from the past season, and how 2024 taught the Bison how much success the program can have in future years. Central City is a thriving community that relies on its own strengths to develop talent, and Coach Moser dives...

MONSTER matchups ended in DOMINANT BLOWOUTS across all the classes in Nebraska high school football. Austin Jacobsen dives into ALL the top scores and matchups from the past week of Nebraska high school football for classes C1, C2, 8-Man, and 6-Man football. Running backs EXPLODED for huge days last weekend, while several teams showcased top-ten talent in BIG upsets. About SMALL TOWN BALL: Austin...

Shelby-Rising City football could be the NEW top contender in Class D1 after STUNNING No. 1 Sandy Creek in week two. Coach Zach Kubik joins Austin Jacobsen to recap the program-changing win and the ELECTRIC atmosphere in Shelby, Neb. The Huskies' HAVOC defense could become a state championship-contender, and SRC's program has been building for the moment. About SMALL TOWN BALL: Austin Jacobsen bri...

Week Two of Nebraska high school football provided PLENTY of upsets and SURPRISING results. Austin Jacobsen breaks down the results from ALL the top ten-teams from Class C1, C2, D1, D2, and 6-Man football. Wahoo continued to showcase it is head-and-shoulders above the rest of the C1 field. Did Mount Michael Benedictine have the biggest surprise of the weekend? Sandy Creek FELL to Shelby-Rising Cit...

The Bloomfield Bees had the STATEMENT win of the first week of the 8-man football season. Austin Jacobsen is joined by Bees' coach Matt Kuchar to discuss the week one victory, and the pride his program has built through the nearly-four decade run of postseason success. How did the program recover from a disappointing 4-5 campaign in 2024 to rebound and DEMOLISH last year's Class D1 runner-up in St...

Week one included plenty of WILD results from all the classes in Nebraska high school football. Austin Jacobsen breaks down ALL the top games from Classes C1, C2, 8-Man, and 6-man. Bishop Neumann SHOCKED with a win over the Class C2 favorite Norfolk Catholic. Sidney dominated in its top-10 season-opener at Cozad. Will Ashland-Greenwood keep up with Wahoo in week two? Sandy Creek is as good as adve...