Limon vs. Strasburg

Friday, September 10, 2021

Limon High School

Quotes from Limon Head Coach Mike O'Dwyer:

Expectations heading into the 2021 football season

MO: I really felt like we had a great core of kids coming back. Lots of upper classmen with great experience. We have a great group of seniors who have played significant time for us since they were sophomores and they'll be a reliable group for us. And I really like our junior class. Good numbers there, and good-sized kids. We're a little bit bigger this year and I really think this season will hinge on how well these juniors develop and play. So, we'll see.

Thoughts after their week one victory over Meeker

MO: It was tough to travel five and half hours to play but that's all apart of playing 1A ball. I think our boys were a little angry when we got there because they were sick of being on the bus. We ran the ball against Meeker which is always a big goal of ours and we stopped the run which is a bonus. Our defensive front played great and I think only gave up 55 yards rushing. We're young in the defensive back field and weren't tested much last Friday, so we'll see how they hold up once we play a team that throws the ball a little more. But I think we have a lot of upside and potential this year. 

Thoughts on the developing rivalry with Strasburg

MO: It really has developed into a great rivalry over the past five or six years. They were a 2A school for a long time, so we didn't see them much. But since they dropped back down to 1A, it's been great competition for both schools. I think they've played in the state title game for five years in a row so hats off to them. They are very talented and that competition has made us better. There have been a couple games where they have just handed it to us so that really gave us an opportunity to challenge our players and elevate our game. So, I think the rivalry has made our team better because Strasburg has forced us to play better in the regular season and the post season. I think we're the benchmark for each other and we're looking forward to Friday.

Thoughts on Friday night's matchup with Strasburg

MO: Well, it's going to be tough like it always is. They're a bigger school so each year, it seems like Strasburg just reloads with very talented, well coached kids. We actually play up a classification, so our pool of players is always a little smaller. But they have some very talented kids that we need to be ready for. Zach Marrero, the running back, is someone we'll have to keep in check because he can play. And their quarterback comes from a long line of quarterbacks from this area and he's going to present a great challenge to our defense. Not to mention they have a very talented offensive line. They will be a handful.

Quotes from Strasburg Head Coach Brian Brown:

Expectations heading into the 2021 football season

BB: To be honest with you, we were very unsure of how this season was going to play out for us. We have a senior heavy offensive line, most were starters last year, so that is always a plus when you have experience up front. But we're pretty inexperienced at the skill position but we like our talent. We have a sophomore quarterback who hasn't played much so we're going to do everything we can to support him and lean on the offensive line as much as we can, especially early on. Defensively, I like our talent.

Thoughts after their week two victory over Yuma and their week loss to Platte Valley

BB: I feel like we've really matured and grown up a lot over the past few weeks. I think last year's team was more experienced, but our schedule wasn't quite as tough as this year's so it's hard to compare the two. So, with this year's team not having that experience and having such a touch early part to the schedule, we've learned a ton after just two games. I'm happy with how our team has handled the game speed and we've had several younger players step up and accept the challenge of tough high school football. After just two weeks I think one thing is for sure… we won't be intimidated by anybody, and we'll play physical with anybody. 

Thoughts on the developing rivalry with Limon

BB: When we first moved to 1A back in 2016, we started to play Limon as part of our regular schedule. We've always played Limon at the youth and middle school levels so between the two communities, there has always been great competition. So, adding them to our high school schedule just ramped it up that much more and it's become a great rivalry. We're only about 50 miles apart, both rural schools with lots of passion with the fans. It's been electric at times when we get together with Limon. 

Thoughts on Friday night's matchup with Strasburg

BB: I think this will be a football game with very little surprises. We know each other very well and I think each side knows what to expect from the other. Limon is very physical and very talented. Their running back Jeremiah Leeper is a great back and the quarterback is very smart and accurate. And if things aren't going to plan on offense, they can always turn to their defense with their bigs up front. Their linebackers are very aggressive. We just need to play our game, eliminate the mistakes and play well in all three phases. Looking forward to it.