Allison Hernandez, Kaitlyn Johnson, Dane Larsen and Seagan Packett-Trisdale represented Blair High School one more time in athletic competition Friday and Saturday evening.
The recently-graduated Bears are all-stars, participating in the Nebraska High School Senior Soccer Showcase and the 65th annual Shrine Bowl football game, respectively.
Hernandez, Johnson play match in Ralston
First up, Hernandez and Johnson competed Friday in support of Nebraska Special Olympics during the Senior Soccer Showcase in Ralston. The Firehouse Subs Class B team topped the Bears' Ba-Dra-Mi Farms squad, 3-1. Magana Valdovinos of South Sioux City scored the winning goal, while Omaha Mercy goalkeeper claimed MVP honors, according to the Lincoln Journal Star.
Rain stopped just in time before the match for two of BHS' 2023 standouts to close out their prep careers.
“Just getting to play again,” Hernandez said when asked what she was looking forward to prior to the match. “Wearing the Blair uniform one more time.”
Johnson, meanwhile, was able to play in goal after an injury cost her time late during her senior spring with the Bears.
“It feels good especially since I didn't get to play in the last two games of the actual season,” she said.
Johnson signed with the Hastings College basketball team this past school year, while Hernandez pledged to play college soccer at Newman University in Kansas. For one more match, though, they shared the Ralston High School pitch as teammates.
“I was looking forward to it because, last year, the girls who did it talked about it,” Hernandez said. “I wanted to experience playing with other girls other than my own teammates. So, I was excited for it.”
Bears play 1 last prep football game
Larsen and Packett-Trisdale, meanwhile, competed for the North squad during Saturday's Shrine Bowl in Kearney. The Bears' team fell short, 17-7, but helped raise money for the Shriners Hospital for Children with their efforts.
Rain and lightning delays, however, threw off the game day schedule. It started late and was later stopped again as storms moved through the area.
Play picked up for good after 8 p.m. — 2 hours after the original start time — but the game clock ran for the rest of regulation with a short halftime break.
In the end, the South's Cal Newell of Lincoln Southwest and Papillion-La Vista South's Ayden Barnby were named the night's offensive and defensive MVPs, respectively.
Newell and Aurora's Carlos Collazo scored the victorious roster's touchdowns, while Wayne's Alex Phelps scored the North's early before the second lightning delay. Lincoln Southeast's Nate McCashland hit a South field goal, too.
Larsen, a linebacker, closed out his days BHS football tenure with three total tackles for the North. Two of the future Wayne State Wildcat's takedowns were unassisted.
Packett-Trisdale earned a solo tackle on the defensive line, too. He signed with the Peru State Bobcats this past school year.
Up next
All-star competition isn't done for Washington County athletes and coaches, though.
On Saturday, Yoan Camejo of Blair and Fort Calhoun's Lance and Ely Olberding are set to compete in the Nebraska Scholastic Wrestling Coaches Association (NSWCA) Senior All-Star Dual in Grand Island. Matches are set to begin at 11 a.m.
The dual coincides with the NSWCA Hall of Fame induction of former FCHS wrestling coach Jim Meyer on Friday.
Then, on July 24, Pioneers boys basketball coach TJ O'Connor will help lead a team during the Nebraska Coaches Association (NCA) All-Star game at Lincoln North Star. The game tips at 6 p.m.
Two days later, July 26, the NCA All-Star softball game is set for a 5 p.m. start at Nebraska's Bowlin Stadium in Lincoln. Recent BHS graduate Tessa Villotta and Bears coach Jennifer Fangmeier were announced as participants earlier this year.
