Unbeaten Bellevue West still on path to back-to-back titles
BELLEVUE, Neb. (BVM) 鈥� Defending a state title is not an easy feat for a high school football team during a normal season.
In this a year that is anything but normal, Bellevue West has managed to navigate its strangest season ever without a loss and still appears to be on the path toward back-to-back championships.
The No. 1-seeded Thunderbirds enter the quarterfinal round of the Class A playoffs after having played only six games this season. Normally, if a team plays a full regular season and reaches the state final, they will have played 13 games total, just as Bellevue West did a year ago when it captured the title. But this season due to various COVID-19-related cancelations and scheduling issues, the most games the Thunderbirds can hope to play is nine 鈥� with four in a row to end the year. Friday鈥檚 quarterfinal clash with No. 9 Kearney will mark just the third time this season that Bellevue West has played two consecutive games without a week off.
鈥淲e joke with the staff and with the kids, 鈥楢re we able to string four in a row if we can get there?,鈥欌�� Bellevue West head coach Michael Huffman said. 鈥淚 guess we鈥檒l find out.鈥�
When the Thunderbirds do get to play, they can take the field with plenty of confidence knowing they have the most future high-level Division I college players of any high school team in the state. Leading that star-studded group is senior wide receiver Keagan Johnson, a 6-foot-1 University of Iowa commit who鈥檚 caught 47 passes for 899 yards and 10 touchdowns and also rushed for 100 yards and five touchdowns while also running the team鈥檚 version of the Wildcat offense, the 鈥淭hundercat.鈥�
Keagan is the third in line of a trio of talented Johnson brothers who previously starred in high school before taking their talents to Division I college programs. His oldest brother, C.J., was Nebraska鈥檚 2014 Gatorade Player of the Year and broke state records for career receptions and receiving yards before moving on to play at the University of Wyoming. His other brother, Cade, played at South Dakota State where he became an FCS All-American.
Keagan has everything a potential star Big Ten wide receiver needs and more, according to Huffman.
鈥淭he thing that鈥檚 most unique about Keagan is he has all the flash, the speed, the shakes, all that stuff, but he鈥檚 incredibly physical,鈥� Huffman said. 鈥淗e takes a lot of pride in his blocking.鈥�
A prime example of that occurred earlier this season when Keagan provided the key block on a long touchdown run by freshman receiver Daevonn Hall, who took a reverse 84 yards to the end zone thanks in large part to Keagan鈥檚 unselfish play.
鈥淲hat superstar is not only not upset that he鈥檚 not getting the reverse call, but is out there pancaking a DB so a freshman can get his run?,鈥� Huffman said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 just a neat, neat kid. 鈥� He鈥檚 a good dude and he鈥檚 a leader and that鈥檚 what I鈥檓 most happy with. He鈥檚 always been a good player, but now he鈥檚 become a vocal leader and it鈥檚 just been really neat to see that development.鈥�
Keagan might not be the only potential future Hawkeye on the Thunderbirds鈥� roster. Hall also already has an offer from Iowa, but the 6-foot-1, 175-pound freshman speedster who can already box jump 50 inches isn鈥檛 even close to reaching his full potential as an athlete. Hall is a standout basketball player who鈥檚 only in his second year of playing football.聽
鈥淲e鈥檙e just getting him to play fast and man, when he does it, he just has these jets,鈥� Huffman said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 barely scratched the surface. I would put it at a two out of 10.鈥�
Bellevue West also has a pair of junior receivers/tight ends who will likely be playing FBS college football in a couple of years. The 6-foot-6 duo of Micah Riley (22 receptions, 304 yards) and Kaden Helms (21 receptions, 264 yards) play slot receivers in Huffman鈥檚 spread offense and have offers from several Big Ten programs. While they have a different skill set, they鈥檙e both matchup problems for opposing defenses.
鈥淢icah has all of his offers because he鈥檚 nasty,鈥� Huffman said. 鈥淗e hits and he drives people when he blocks. 鈥� He鈥檚 not going to out-run a defensive back, but Helms on the other hand is. We can still get him out on verticals and corner routes. 鈥� Although it seems like they鈥檇 be the same player, they鈥檙e not even close. But they鈥檙e great to have.鈥�
The same can certainly be said for junior running back LJ Richardson, who isn鈥檛 sitting on Division I offers 鈥� at least not yet 鈥� but is clearly one of Bellevue West鈥檚 most valuable players. He鈥檚 rushed for 1,042 yards and 14 TDs in just six games, only one of which the Thunderbirds didn鈥檛 pull their starters early after forcing a running clock. Huffman said that while Richardson doesn鈥檛 have the offers yet, he expects they鈥檒l be coming soon.
鈥淚 think he鈥檒l go from about zero offers to eight in about a week,鈥� Huffman said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a handful. When things are blocked right, you can get your yards, but (LJ) gets yards when we screw up blocking. He鈥檒l turn something that should be no gain into two, three, four yards and that doesn鈥檛 sound like anything but over the course of the game and 25 carries, that adds up.鈥�
Junior quarterback Luke Johannsen is the big beneficiary of all the weapons the Thunderbirds have on offense, but the transfer from Bellevue East has also been a big help for his new team after winning the starting job in the preseason. After some early-season struggles, Johannsen has become more comfortable running a complex offense for the Thunderbirds and he鈥檚 thrown only two interceptions while completing 67% of his passes for 1,651 yards and 20 TDs.聽
鈥淗e is very intelligent,鈥� Huffman said. 鈥淲hat I鈥檓 really excited about is the idea of having a two-year quarterback, because I鈥檝e only had one of those, and the last time I had one he broke just about every record in the state. I鈥檓 pretty excited for that. He鈥檚 well exceeded my expectations.鈥�
Expectations don鈥檛 get much higher than that which Bellevue West sets for itself. The Thunderbirds are 62-6 since 2015, including two 13-0 seasons which ended with state championships (2016 and 2019). They won鈥檛 have the chance to reach 13 wins this season, but they鈥檒l settle for 9-0, with four games in a row to end what鈥檚 been a weird season.
Should the defending champs reach the title game, a date with No. 2-seed Omaha Westside likely looms in the final. The Warriors, who lost to Bellevue West last year in the title game, are looking to end a 38-year state title drought. And like the Thunderbirds, they鈥檒l bring plenty of future Division I college players to battle.
鈥淏oth of us have work to do, but it would be exciting,鈥� Huffman said. 鈥淎s coaches you don鈥檛 talk about it with the kids and I鈥檓 sure their coaches aren鈥檛 either, but you鈥檙e oblivious if you think some people aren鈥檛 looking at that. It鈥檇 be fun because man, you want to talk about some star power, with those two rosters on the field, those are some big-time players, especially around this area of the country.鈥�
