Friday night lights are back for Week 5.
The recruiting class of 2019 is a special group in Nebraska as many of the top in-state players will go on to play college football at the Division I level. Nebraska currently has verbal commitments from all five of the states’ top five players after the recent commitment of 4-star tight end Chris Hickman.
Throughout the fall, we'll chronicle what you need to know about each player and their season so far.
Linebacker Nick Henrich
Omaha Burke Schedule
| DATE | OPPONENT |
| Aug. 24 | Lincoln Southeast (H) – 49-28 W |
| Aug. 31 | Millard West (H) – 31-14 W |
| Sept. 7 | Omaha Central (A) – 35-7 W |
| Sept. 14 | Omaha North (A) – 41-24 W |
| Sept. 21 | Elkhorn (H) |
| Sept. 28 | Gretna (A) |
| Oct. 4 | Fremont (H) |
| Oct. 12 | Millard North (A) |
| Oct. 19 | Papillion LaVista (H) |
What you need to know about Henrich
Nick Henrich represented a huge recruiting win for Nebraska when he announced that he was joining the 2019 class in July. Not only is he the best player in the state of Nebraska, but he is one of the best inside linebacker prospects in the country. It was especially important for the new staff to land him to show they meant business about keeping the best talent home. Henrich is an excellent prospect with good leadership qualities.
Game to watch
On Sept. 14, Burke faced Omaha North in one of the best rivalry games in the state. The games between these two schools are always highly competitive. Burke was looking for revenge as North won 29-28 last season in the playoffs, going on to win the Class A state title.
Burke received that revenge, defeating the Vikings 41-24.
What to know this week
The Bulldogs went to 4-0 on the season after taking down Omaha North 41-24 last week. Henrich was all over the field for Burke as he and his teammates were tasked with slowing down Omaha North star running back Zander Gray. This week Burke returns home to take on Elkhorn.
Athlete Garrett Snodgrass
York Schedule
| DATE | OPPONENT |
| Aug. 24 | Alliance (A) – 55-14 W |
| Aug. 31 | Blair (H) – 50-28 W |
| Sept. 7 | McCook (H) – 20-13 L |
| Sept. 14 | Skutt Catholic (A) – 42-37 L |
| Sept. 21 | Beatrice (A) |
| Sept. 28 | Hastings (H) |
| Oct. 4 | Northwest (A) |
| Oct. 12 | Seward (A) |
| Oct. 19 | Crete (H) |
What you need to know about Snodgrass
Snodgrass is a do-everything player for his York team. He has potential at multiple positions but his ultimate college spot is unclear. Last season on defense he recorded 90 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, three pass breakups, one interception and blocked three field goal attempts.
Game to watch
Sept. 14 was a busy day for rematch games around the state. Last season, York beat Skutt Catholic 31-0 to win the Class B state title. This year, the Dukes had to travel to Omaha to take on Skyhawks.
Unfortunately, York dropped the matchup with Skutt 42-37.
What to know this week
Snodgrass accounted for three scores on the ground last Friday but it wasn't quite enough. The Dukes lost a tough one to Omaha Skutt 42-37 in a shootout. This week, York is travelling Beatrice to take on the Orange.
Defensive Lineman Ethan Piper
Norfolk Catholic Schedule
| DATE | OPPONENT |
| Aug. 24 | Pierce (A) – 48-29 L |
| Aug. 31 | David City Aquinas (H) – 31-7 W |
| Sept. 7 | St. Paul (H) – 49-20 W |
| Sept. 14 | BDS (A) – 49-14 W |
| Sept. 21 | Crofton (H) |
| Sept. 28 | Hartington Cedar Catholic (A) |
| Oct. 5 | Battle Creek (H) |
| Oct. 12 | Stanton (A) |
| Oct. 19 | Ponca (A) |
What you need to know about Piper
Piper is a good prospect who stars on both the offensive and defensive line for Norfolk Catholic. He projects as a defensive lineman right now for Nebraska. His quotes to me after he committed to Nebraska will make him an instant fan favorite.
"It sounds cliché to say that it is every Nebraska kids' dream to wear the [scarlet] and white, but it is," Piper said in March. "I grew up idolizing [Ndamukong] Suh and had Blackshirt posters all over my room. In fact, to be honest, I still have one up. Our family never had season tickets but would scratch up enough money to go to at least one game every year. I'd sit next to old ladies who I [had] never met who would give me their leftover popcorn and we'd leave as friends. It's not just a game or a sport here in Nebraska but the lifeblood of so many.”
Game to watch
The Knights will face five playoff teams from last season. Their toughest game is against Ponca on Oct. 19, which finished 2017 at 10-1. That game will be a tough road test late in the season before the state playoffs begin.
What to know this week
Norfolk Catholic got a another big victory last Friday night. The team rolled to a 49-14 win over BDS on the road. Piper was good in the trenches all night for the Knights. Senior running back Dylan Kautz chipped in two touchdowns as well. This week Norfolk Catholic takes on Crofton at home.
Outside Linebacker Garrett Nelson
Scottsbluff Schedule
| DATE | OPPONENT |
| Aug. 24 | North Platte (A) – 41-20 W |
| Aug. 31 | Hastings (H) – 48-14 W |
| Sept. 7 | Northwest (H) – 25-10 W |
| Sept. 14 | Sterling (A) – 48-18 W |
| Sept. 21 | Gering (H) |
| Sept. 28 | Sidney (H) |
| Oct. 5 | Lexington (A) |
| Oct. 12 | Alliance (A) |
| Oct. 19 | McCook (H) |
What you need to know about Nelson
Nelson was the first player to commit to the class of 2019 for Nebraska. He did so back on June 24, 2017. Nelson is a Husker legacy as both of his parents are Nebraska alumni. His father, Chris Nelson, was an All-American wrestler for the Huskers in the early 1990s. His grandfather, Ken Parish, was the head football coach at Cozad during the 1960s and 1970s and has been a big part of Nelson’s life on and off the field.
Game to watch
Last season, the Bearcats’ only regular season loss was to McCook in a nail-biter, 17-14 at home. This year Scottsbluff will look to avenge that loss when they face off against McCook on Oct. 19.
What to know this week
The Bearcats went to 4-0 last Friday after beaing Sterling, 48-18. They continued their roll on the season having won every game by double-digits. Nebraska defensive end/outside linebacker committ Garrett Nelson had a sack for a safety in the game. This week they return home to face Gering.
Tight End Chris Hickman
What you need to know about Hickman
On September 15th, Hickman became the fifth and final player that Nebraska has offered in-state to verbally committed to Nebraska. The Huskers won a tough recruiting battle for him after quickly building a relationship with the versatile athlete.
What to know this week
The Bulldogs went to 4-0 on the season after taking down Omaha North 41-24 last week. Inside linebacker coach Barrett Ruud and tight end coach Sean Beckton were in attendance for the game and saw Hickman have this nice touchdown catch to set the tone in the game.
TOUCHDOWN Omaha Burke. Chris Hickman with a touchdown catch from Tyler Chadwick. (1) Omaha Burke lead (8) Omaha North 7-0 pic.twitter.com/6dpZGfVmMS
— Omaha High School Football (@OmahaHSFootball) September 15, 2018
This week Burke returns home to take on Elkhorn.
Game I’ll be attending this week:
This week, I’ll be taking in Omaha Westside vs Creighton Prep. The big rivalry game was scheduled for the Thursday night orginally but moved to Friday night due to lightning in the forecast for Thursday night. Westside has been a big surprise team this season and 2021 CB Avante Dickerson is a big reason why. I'll also being keeping an eye on Creighton Prep DE Luke Sims.
Greg is the Recruiting Analyst for Hail Varsity and has covered Husker athletics since 2013. He has always had a passion for sports while growing up in the Chicago area. As he got older and had to hang up his cleats and sneakers, he realized his passion for sports went beyond just watching and attending games. He has covered many events from the Rose Bowl to championship boxing matches. If he’s not talking sports, he’s hovering over his grill. He is married to an amazing woman, Kim, and they have a dog that barks when Greg yells at the TV during games.
