Crete Has Sights on Playoffs After Back to Back Losing Seasons

CRETE - After back to back 3-6 campaigns, the Crete Cardinals are hoping to make a playoff run in the third year under Head Coach, Reed Manstedt. They will have to do so without their leading passer and rusher from a year ago, Rhett Harms. He is currently playing at Air Force. One guy expected to pick up the load is Senior Jonah Weyand. He is the leading rusher, returner and second leading receiver coming back this season. "The number one thing about Jonah is that he is a phenomenal leader. He's a young man who is first to get into the weight room, one of the last to leave. Just absolutely does everything he can to put the team first. That's one of the special things about him is he is by far one of our best young men from a team standpoint on our team," said Coach Manstedt. Despite finishing with a losing record the last two years, nearly half of the starters on offense and defense are back, giving the Cardinals high expectations. "We're definitely working a lot harder than we were last year. Because of last year, it motivates us to keep working harder. I think we've really gotten stronger as a team through the struggles we had last year," declared Senior Jed Bond. With leaders like Jonah Weyand and Jed Bond leading the way, the Cardinals have their sights set on the postseason. "The last couple years have not necessarily been where we wanted to go. I think we've worked too hard this summer to not get a reward out of it. Making the playoffs would be something big, and going further would be even better. That's our main goal. That's really what we expect. We just expect great leadership out of everybody, no matter what grade you're in. If you're a sophomore playing, you better be a leader. If you're a junior, you better be a leader. Obviously as seniors, we love taking that role on and we look forward to it," stated Weyand. The Cardinals open with Seward to start their season. You can hear that game live on Ol Red 99-5. Stay tuned all year long for Cardinal football coverage at News Channel Nebraska.
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