Way Too Early Preview: Omaha North

“State Champions!!!”

There wasn’t much else an Omaha North fan had to say on November 21st as the Vikings claimed their eighth football championship, third in the last five seasons. Although they are losing a 2,000 yard rusher, the hard-hitting smashmouth football that head coach Larry Martin brings to the field is not going away.

Overview:

The Omaha North Vikings concluded a 12-1 season on top as they won the NSAA Class A state football championship. Aside from the championship win over Kearney, North also picked up significant wins over Omaha Burke and Millard South. Their only loss was against Lincoln Pius X in the final week of the season.

Key Players Lost:

Milton Sargbah, RB: The 2017 Nebraska Gatorade Player of the Year ran for 5,087 yards in his three seasons as a Viking, with 2,355 of those coming in his senior season. Sargbah rushed for at least 200 yards in seven of North’s 13 games this past season. He is committed to Iowa Western.

Syriuz Pittman, LB: The Nebraska-Lincoln commit made 157 tackles in 13 games his senior year, an average of 12.1 per game.

Key Players Returned:

Zander Gray, RB/DB: Living in the background of Sargbah, Gray quietly rushed for 1,707 yards on 199 carries for an average of 8.6 yards per game in 2017. He also picked up 19 tackles on the defensive end.

Malachi O’Neal, DB/WR: O’Neal led Omaha North’s non-seniors with 79 tackles in his junior season. He racked up two sacks for a total of 10 yards lost, along with 8.5 tackles for loss. On special teams, he gained 166 yards on kickoff returns.

Way Too Early Season Prediction:

Although they’re losing the majority of their playmaking defensive backs (Mumphrey, Johnson, Pittman, and Jai’Dyn Hughes), the Vikings should still be a top-tier team in 2018. I can see them having troubles with one or two opponents, but I can’t see them going worse than 7-2. Maybe a perfect season could be in store, you never know with Omaha North.