High School Fall Varsity Sports Preview: Bellevue West

Bellevue West Fall Varsity Sports Previews for football, softball, volleyball, cross country, boys tennis, and girls golf as provided by the coaches.

Football

• Head Coach: Michael Huffman
• 12th Year as Head Coach at West
• Assistant Coaches: Brent Litz, Mike Pokorski, Jeremy Anderson, Joe Dolincheck, Jake Gentile, Zach Acamo, JD Culjat, Derrell Bradford, Charles Rosenthal, Kenny Staskiewicz, Matt Henry, Jair Myrick
• Record Last Year: 7-4
• Returning Starters: 3 on Offense, 4 on Defense

Season Outlook: The 2024 Thunderbirds will feature many new faces as they work to improve on last year’s 7-4 quarter-final loss campaign. Although nine consecutive years of winning a playoff game has been great, the team is looking for more in 2024.

The offense will be almost a complete reset with only three returning starters. Talented ‘26 QB Will Anderson will take over the Thunderbird offense. He brings a strong arm and possesses dual threat ability which should help to keep defenses honest. Senior TJ Whaley is the lone returning skill position starter and looks to lead a young but talented group of receivers. Track speedster Jermaine Green will step into one of the outside spots and will be able to stretch the field vertically. Junior Kaprice Keith will be one of a few TBirds playing both ways. His ball skills and athleticism should elevate the offense. Running back will begin the season by committee and look for someone to take over the role of feature back. The offensive line returns two starters in Bryce Luehring and Ryland Schweiss. There will be some good size and strength, how they all mesh and their overall physical toughness will go a long way in determining the success of the ‘24 squad.

The Thunderbirds look to continue their moving and attacking style of defense in 2024. The defensive line will be led by seniors Pono Dudoit and Stanley Haeder. Both have the speed and motor to be extremely disruptive. The linebacker group is deep with a significant number of players in position to contribute led by seniors Cesar Valencia and Macklin Kennedy. The secondary will be led by returning starter Kaprice Keith who is receiving considerable recruiting attention for his talents in the back half of the defense. Corners will be new but look for a breakout season by sophomore Tristian Gerez-James and few other young talents.

The Thunderbird special teams will be rebuilt. For the first time in our tenure here there will be some options for PATs and kickoffs. QB Anderson will take over our roll out punting duties to give us a pass, run, punt option. The returners will all be new but should be a strength. Long and short snappers all return.

A few players to keep an eye on include:

• Kaprice Keith: Son of former CFL and NFL player Kenton Keith he is smooth with elite ball skills. Started as a 10th grader at FS but will move into a two-way role this year adding receiver to his game.
• Will Anderson: Big arm with the ability to run. Has worked extremely hard to improve his touch this offseason. His ability to make any throw on the field along with his dual threat capability will bode well for our offense.
• Jermaine Green: Fastest 10th grader we have had PRing at 10.80 in the 100 meters this spring. He blocked well in his opportunities last year but had too many drops. He will improve on that and will become one in a long line of stud wideouts at Bellevue West.
• Pono Dudiot: Really played well last year at defensive end in our 4-3 scheme. We are going to use him in a stand up position this year and allow him to rush the passer, fill gaps, and drop into coverage. He will also get opportunities to run the ball especially in short yardage situations.
• TJ Whaley: Very skilled pass catcher and blocker from his TE/Slot receiver position. Big target that allows us to attack the middle of the field in the passing game.

The Thunderbirds start their 2024 season on Friday, August 30th, with an away game at Omaha Central.

Boys Tennis

• Head Coach: Matthew Lauritsen
• 1st Year as Head Coach
• Assistant Coach: Lou Harrison
• Dual Record Last Year: 10-2

Season Outlook: I look forward to our guys learning and growing into varsity players. I’m anticipating major jumps from our guys, even on a day-to-day basis. We’ll lean on senior Braylon Chism and sophomore Owen Arko to lead us this season. They both have the athleticism and experience to win matches themselves and help bring other players along as well. I think there’s a handful of JV players from last year that were serious about getting better this summer to prepare for the upcoming season.

I think our group of players will make Bellevue West proud with how they play and conduct themselves in the classroom and the community.

The boys tennis team opens season play on Thursday, August 29, at 4:00pm with a home match vs. Gross Catholic High School.

Volleyball

• Head Coach: Christina Krajicek
• 11th Year as Head Coach at West
• Assistant Coaches: Courtney Morehead, Christa Roberts, Kacie Anderson (JV), Emma Allison (Reserve), Morgan Whitehead (Freshmen)
• Last Year’s Record: 30-10
• Returning Starters: 5

Season Outlook: We are senior-heavy, and I look forward to seeing what the group can accomplish this year! We are very excited for the season and to build off what we learned from last year. 

Team Leader: Madison Emery – senior – setter – she will play a huge leader for this group this year.   Her ability to control the floor with her presence and leadership.

Most Improved: Anna Fiaman, her consistency and ability to read the ball defensively. Tessa Reitsma, will be a big offensive option for us this year.

The volleyball teams start the season next week on Thursday, August 29, 2024 @ Bellevue West vs Papillion LaVista with sets at 4, 5, 6, and 7pm.

Cross Country

• Head Coach: Larissa Knudson
• 6th Year as Head Coach at West
• Assistant Coaches: Brandon Crenshaw

Season Outlook: Our cross country team is fairly young (we only had 4 graduating seniors last season). Many of them have been very consistent during this summer off-season, training 5-6 days per week. We are excited to see how this commitment and work ethic translates in our first competition this ’24 season. 

On the girls’ team, Tatum Neilson has been very consistent in her training. She shows up for our summer practices with a positive attitude and has become more mature in her approach towards training, ensuring her reps are high quality. Also, Zoe Ryan, a previous state qualifier, has balanced her club soccer performances with summer cross country training well this off-season. In addition she has been a great recruiter, encouraging more girls to join our team. 

On the boys’ team, Justin Miller and Jailen Anderson, two seniors returning to our varsity team, are great leaders by example. They both are quiet but never shy away from a hard workout. Both show up and encourage their teammates to give their best efforts. In addition, Jon Parks is a strong leader of our junior varsity squad. He does a great job of ensuring that everyone feels included and finds humor in even the most challenging of practices.

We anticipate solid improvements from 3 of our runners: Judson Gregory, Payton Kobza, and Cian McMahon. Judson and Payton train together. They pushed each other throughout the last XC season and during the ’24 track and field season. They regularly choose to challenge themselves, adding another hill or 5 more minutes to a long run. Cian has attended more summer sessions this year, balancing club soccer with base building. He is looking more relaxed during longer workouts because he has a stronger base and a better understanding of how to pace. Because of all these training improvements (both physically and mentally), we are excited to see how Cian, Judson, and Payton have progressed in their performances.

I am sure that most coaches will say this, but we have the privilege of working with some of the best young people in our community. Our runners demonstrate great perseverance every day by completing tough workouts. They create a community where everyone is welcome regardless of how fast they may run. In addition, they excel in their academics and are extremely well-rounded, as they are actively involved in so many other co-curricular and extra-curricular activities and clubs. We are lucky to interact with every member of our team. 

The cross country squad kicks off the year at the Class of the Metro Meet hosted by Papillion La Vista High School at Walnut Creek on Saturday, August 31st with the first race scheduled to begin at 7:20am.

Softball

• Head Coach:  Josie Chronic Rasmussen
• 1st Year as Head Coach at West
• Assistant Coaches: Alyssa Gappa, Payton Akers, Auggie Rasmussen, Cayla Nielsen, Josh Chronic
• Last Year’s Record: 11-18

Season Outlook:  We are excited to develop the girls and a culture for Bellevue West softball   

Team Leaders: A couple of seniors, Aubrey White (P), Elli Reyes (3B/1B), Daytona Hall (C), Karmyn Powell (OF), have had a lot of varsity experience throughout their high school careers, who can help guide the underclassmen. Our sophomore class, Jaycee Woodard (SS), Aubrey Busch (2B), Grace Veik (P/3B), and Brooklyn Phephles (OF), will be huge in making this team come together; they are committed and truly want to see us win.    

We have a good group of incoming freshmen that will definitely get varsity time and will be big in developing our culture. We are excited to create a new name for Bellevue West softball!

The softball team begins its 2024 season this week with a Thursday evening matchup vs. Westview at Lied Activity Center. The opening pitch is at 6:00pm.

Girls Golf

• Head Coach: Rick Mintken
• 7th Year as Head Coach at West
• Assistant Coaches: Laura Scott, Travis Reineke

Season Outlook: We have lots of girls with experience coming back and we are looking forward to seeing growth and improvement. Chloe Grabenbauer, Aspen Glotfelty, Hailey Reineke will bring a combined 12 years of golf experience to the team. Ileina Fern is a senior who just started last year and could see some varsity tournaments. Millie Schwabe and Gabi Merkle will be underclassmen who will contribute to the varsity team throughout the year.

The Bellevue West girls golf team is made up of a great group of young women who take care of business in the classroom, many of them taking advanced courses and participating in numerous clubs and other sports throughout the year. It is a pleasure to coach this group of kids every year! 

The team starts its season at Miracle Hills this Thursday, August 22nd.