SEASON PREVIEW: Orangemen Football ready for new season

The entire 2024 Orangemen Football season can be heard on 94.7 FM/1450 AM KWBE

BEATRICE, NEB. - Beatrice Football is readying for another year.

Head Coach Jeff Kezeor says the 2024 Orangemen are putting back to back losing seasons in the rear view mirror, looking to start the year on the right foot.

“Our boys are ready to get things back up and going,” Kezeor said. “Get back in the win column and continue to compete.”

Beatrice will be led on offense by junior Merrick Johnson at quarterback, but his career has been more than the man under center. Last year, he served as the junior varsity quarterback and punter and took over the role of varsity running back and linebacker midseason in 2023.

He says it helped round his game, but quarterback is his sweet spot.

“Quarterback is what I’ve played most of my life, but I can run the ball and it was fun, they put me there and I did my best to help the team,” Johnson said. “Going on defense I did the same, do my best and help the team out.”

Now Johnson jumps from varsity running back to QB, and his head coach says the transition’s gone well.

“I think he [Johnson] is really relaxed at the quarterback position,” Kezeor said. “He’s gotten really comfortable with that and taken a lot of reps in the summer in seven-on-seven leagues so he’s really developed into a strong dual-threat quarterback for us.”

For senior running back John Riesen and Coach Kezeor, the most exciting part of the 2024 Orangemen isn’t any certain skill set, rather the young teams drive. Beatrice has just six seniors, but the younger players Arne’t backing down from the challenge.

“We got a lot of new people at new positions,” Riesen said. “We had a lot of people graduate, but I’m excited to get the ball rolling, we had the 2-7 season last year so I’m excited to see what we can do this year.”

“With six seniors, you have to call on a lot of underclassmen to fill those spots,” Kezeor said. “Sometimes when you get in those roles and positions, you see a lot of younger guys shy away, but this year we haven’t seen that, but seen guys get hungrier.”

Beatrice kicks off the year under the lights on Friday at the House of Orange, hosting McCook. The Bison enter off a 4-5 year last season in C-1, but Joe Vetrovsky’s group makes the jump back up to Class B in 2024.

Kick off is set for 7 pm.

The entire 2024 Orangemen Football season can be heard on 94.7 FM/1450 AM KWBE.