Grand Island eager to end Kearney dominance

Extra electricity sizzles through the air on the night of the first high school football game of the season.

The lights seem a little brighter.

The hits are a little harder, a little louder.

The crowd's enthusiasm is unleashed after eight long months of pigskin-free purgatory.

And then there are the players.

But while every opening night generates excitement, not all games are created equal.

In Central Nebraska, example No. 1 has to be Grand Island Senior High vs. Kearney. Or Kearney High vs. Grand Island for those who reside on the western side of the rivalry.

While the Islander-Bearcat rivalry remains strong across the entire sports schedule, football provides the biggest stage in front of the biggest crowd.

 Even though Kearney has dominated the series over the past decade, the rivalry remains strong. With the game moved back to the season opener after two years as the regular season finale, it can serve as motivation all offseason long -- especially for the Islanders, who have lost the last seven meetings and haven't won since the 2002 season opener.

"It should put a sense of urgency into us," said Grand Island coach Jeff Tomlin, who is 0-6 against Kearney during his five years with the Islanders. "If not, we're missing the boat. We should have extra motivation and it should keep you motivated in the offseason.

"The kids had a good offseason, so we'll see how we play."

The answer to who the Islanders' rival is seems to be unanimous among the players -- it's the Bearcats.

"They are our biggest rival," said senior quarterback Logan Almond, who hasn't beaten the Bearcats on the football field since freshman football. "We want to get off to a good start against Kearney. Getting a win would be big for our program."

Senior running back Curtis Hudiburgh said: "They are our biggest (rival). They've always been up there. They have good kids."

After being dominated in four straight meetings, the Islanders took the defending Class A champion Bearcats to the limit last year before falling 26-14.

That was part of a strong second-half of the season that saw Grand Island finish 8-3 after being edged out by eventual state champion Omaha Central in the quarterfinals.

Getting one final shot at the Bearcats is an opportunity the G.I. seniors want to make the most of.

"We're pretty motivated," senior linebacker/running back Braden Taylor said. "The last couple of years they beat us. I hope this is our year. We want to beat them bad."

On paper, this lines up to be the Islanders' year. They return eight starters on offense and four on defense. They are ranked No. 6 in Class A by the Omaha World-Herald and Lincoln Journal Star.

Kearney, on the other hand, returns one starter -- running back/linebacker Brady Roeder.

Grand Island isn't counting this one as an automatic addition to the win column, though. Kearney is still preseason No. 9 by the Omaha World-Herald and No. 10 by the Lincoln Journal Star.

The Bearcats have won 10 of the last 12 meetings, including all eight in Kearney.

"I expect typical Kearney football," Tomlin said. "They'll have excellent speed and solid defense. They have good size up front and are sound defensively.

"Even though they have one starter back, they have another 11 to 12 guys who played half of every game. We know we'll be playing against an excellent football team."

When the game kicks off at 7 p.m. Friday at Kearney's Foster Field, another chapter in the rivalry will be added. 

E-mail Dale Miller