Last Friday, the Nevada Tigers captured their first district title after a 25-year drought with a 33-13 win over Carl Junction. Now they advance to the Class 4 state quarterfinals this Saturday.

Nevada has come up short in the district championships for the last two years in being runner-ups. Now to be district champs is a goal that this group set at the beginning of the season.

Nevada finally was able to get over that hump and find themselves in the state quarterfinals on the road at Kearney on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Head Coach Wes Beachler said, “So it’s a team that’s experienced at this level and we’re kind of new this level. So I think we’ve got to play well and we have to play as a unit. And you know, our slogan is Every player, every play. And we’re going to have to do that to come up with a win on Saturday.”

Talan Chandler said, “I think it’s just going to come down to us just being calm, playing our game, just focusing on your job, every play. You know, you can’t make the game bigger than it is. You have to just do your job. Just trust the man beside you and you can get the job done. I mean, like I said, every player, every play, just do your job, every play, and the outcome will be what you hope it can be.”

The Tigers are averaging just over 40 points per game and are allowing 15 points per game. An interesting fact about Nevada is they play very well on the road as the Tigers are 6-0 the season.

Tyler Longobardi said, “Defense has got to step up, step up big. They’re good at physical big defense offensive line of their backfield, very physical, strong. They love running the ball, and love big pass plays. They have it all.”