NEBRASKA CITY- In a rotary meeting earlier this week, the Nebraska City football took the podium to talk about more than just the on-field results.

Nebraska City head coach Kaleb Walker talked about teamwork for the Pioneers and Walker's "we are the same" philosophy on the field for the players. 

Off the field, Walker showed that the Pioneers football team is more involved in the community than just Friday night football games. Walker described how Nebraska City football has been at the forefront of community events like "farm to fork," bullriding, and first responder's night.

Coach Walker also shared some more of his coaching philosophy from this season when talking about the teams week to week mindset. 

 

"Touch the line on everything we do," Walker said at the podium. "The way we do anything is the way we do everything—doesn't matter how good you are."

Senior Braden Thompson was also praised for breaking the single season receiving record for Nebraska City against Falls City. Thompson had six catches for 211 yards and three touchdowns in the Pioneers 57-28 win.

Thompson and fellow senior MJ Nelson were two of the leaders on the field, leading the Pioneers in passing and receiving statistics. Nelson finished the 2021 year with 1,136 yards passing and 23 total touchdowns. Thompson finished with 33 catches (just shy of 50% of Nelson's completions) for 630 yards and nine touchdowns.

The Pioneers also outscored opponents 335-242 this season, while accumulating 19 turnovers on defense. 

Nebraska City football closed out the 2021 campaign with a 6-3 record and a win at home 27-26 against Lincoln Christian. The Pioneers narrowed the gap before halftime with a pass from Nelson to Thompson from 12-yards out with less than ten seconds in the first half.