Bill Busch, Ron Busch, Tammy Schindler;  Greg Parr, President-Elect Jason Konicek presented the awards

2026 Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award

Ron Busch

In 1962, Coach Ron Busch invited Husker Coach Bob Devaney to speak at Spencer High School’s athletic banquet. Busch’s goal wasn’t just to feature the legendary coach, but to proudly showcase a highlights reel of his football players. Devaney stayed so late enjoying the camaraderie, that locals had to line up their cars and shine their headlights along the rural runway, just so Devaney’s small plane was able to take off in the dark. Meanwhile, Busch measured the success of that evening in different terms – his reel piqued Devaney’s attention enough to offer one senior a full-ride scholarship to play for the Huskers.

Since the first time he donned a coaching whistle in 1957, Coach Busch has sought unique opportunities to help players shine. Hundreds of those were highly-talented players who won games, titles, and recognition—but Busch also took immense pride in making sure every player had a valued role on the team. He built a culture of camaraderie that ran deeper than any Xs and Os.

Unofficially, Busch’s coaching career has never ended, as his love of the game and his players has never waned. The examples of this are plentiful, but a recent one exemplifies it well. Just a few months ago, a former player (from Busch’s 1961 Oakdale team) surprised him by stopping by. Despite 65 years having passed by, the two of them sat and recalled plays, teammates, pep talks, shenanigans, and more.

Officially, Coach Busch stepped away from the sideline in 2004 (at age 70), after decades spent building connections with players and fellow assistant coaches in Oakland, Oakdale, Spencer, Tekamah-Herman, George (Iowa), Fullerton, Pender, Plainview, and Creighton. He also coached track, baseball, and basketball at many of those stops. His time in Pender allowed him the privilege of coaching his own son, Bill Busch, who went on to become a Division 1 football coach for 35 years.

His biggest fan and loyal supporter has always been his wife, Sharon. His immediate family – Tammy & Steve Schindler and their sons & families; Bill & Laura Busch and their girls – are also VIP members of his fan club.

Ron’s legacy as a coach is defined less by the victories or records, but by the abundance of stories remembered and shared, even six decades later.

Greg Parr

2026 Outstanding Contributor Award

Thank you very much for this incredible honor. I am grateful and humbled to be selected as the 2026 Outstanding Contributor Award recipient. Athletics has always been a big part of my life. I played all sports in Madison from 1976 to 1979, and that passion carried into coaching, where I began as a high school boys basketball coach in 1997 at Lutheran High Northeast until 1999. I then moved to Neligh, where I coached boys’ basketball from 2000 to 2010 and served as an assistant football coach.  During my time in Neligh, George Loofe (the head FB coach I assisted with) was a great mentor and advisor to me. He had a strong influence on my development both in athletics and leadership.

In August of 2004, my wife Kristy and I started Custom Sports in Neligh, where we operated from 2004 to 2010. All three of our sons have become part of the business—Richard Parr, Matt Parr, and Justin Parr—which has made it even more special for our family. After a year in Battle Creek, we were honored by being awarded the NSAA contract in 2011 and moved to our current location in Norfolk. Glen Morgan and Jay Bellar were a substantial influence in encouraging me to pursue the NSAA contract, and I am very thankful for their support. We are proud to still be serving the NSAA today, and over the years have also added partnerships with the Nebraska Coaches Association, USA Softball, AAU, and Huskerland Wrestling. We take a great deal of pride in serving these organizations. What started with just four employees has grown into a team of 16 full-time staff members today.

What I learned through athletics—hard work, teamwork, and leadership—has played a key role in growing our business and building a talented team of employees.  I’m very thankful for the opportunities athletics have given me and for the many relationships built along the way. I am grateful for being part of this All-Star Game and sharing that moment with everyone.

….And we’re off to the races as Ron Busch tosses the coin!

13th NEN all-star football game closes chapter on area’s best athletes

by DAMON COOK, dcook@norfolkdailynews.com

Norfolk Catholic’s Edwin Alarcon and Nathan Timmerman gave the home crowd at Memorial Stadium one final parting gift as the curtains closed on their high school acts.

The Knights’ duo contributed in big ways, helping the Red Team to a 16-6 victory over the White Team in the 13th annual Northeast Nebraska all-star football game on Friday in Norfolk.

Timmerman’s night included 112 yards rushing on 13 attempts, enough to garner him the offensive player of the game plaque.

“It feels better now that my final game here on this field is a win and not a loss, so it feels good,” Timmerman said. “Everyone played good tonight. We came together as a brotherhood, everyone put their past to the side and came together and fought to win.”

The first half saw little offensive action from either side. The best scoring chance from both teams came just before the half, with St. Mary’s Gage Hedstrom driving the ball down the field.

Hedstrom hit Crofton’s Jackson Lynde on an 11-yard completion before galloping 24 yards down the field to set up his team in the red zone.

With the clock running out, Hedstrom tried twice to go to the left side of the field, throwing both times at Archangels Catholic’s Tucker Czarnick, who swatted the first pass and intercepted the second pass to keep the game scoreless heading into the break.

“The first half, especially, we weren’t quite there,” Crofton and Red Team coach Johnnie Ostermeyer said. “We missed a play here, missed a block here. Our angles were a little bit bad, not staying disciplined. I think probably getting to know each other, getting to know what each other does and different things like that.”

For a lot of the boys, Friday was the first time playing alongside each other.

And although they each represented some of the best players across Northeast Nebraska, there was still some chemistry that needed to develop throughout the contest.

“Once we got that figured out at halftime and made adjustments, it seemed like the second half was a lot better, and we were really able to gel and come together,” Ostermeyer said.

The Red Team got things going immediately out of the break. Hedstrom found Timmerman on a 38-yard completion, getting the ball onto the White 31 to kick start their offense.

Timmerman found another 10 yards on third-and-1 from the 22 before rushing seven more to set up a second-and-goal from the 4, which Hedstrom pounded in for the first six points.

Alarcon missed the extra point, something he was very upset with himself for, but he later made up for it by drilling a 53-yard field goal to put the Red Team up 16-0 with 7:11 left to play.

“I got into my head, I lost my confidence,” Alarcon said. “I was hearing stuff too. They’re like, ‘Oh, he’s going to miss it.’ And it got to me, and I missed it. And then I was on the sideline, I was talking to my teammates.

“And they’re like, ‘What’s the chances of this being a kick?’ … Then, we’re just talking and my teams like, ‘Hey, you’ve got this, you’ve got this.’ And the fact that they were making me smile and trying to hype me up, giving me the confidence back — that’s the reason why I was able to make the kick.”

According to Alarcon, that was the longest kick in the history of the all-star game, something he said he had heard.

The length of the kick was impressive, but its importance of simply could not be overstated, especially in the moment. It was the third drive in a row that the Red Team put points on the board, with O’Neill’s Grady Welke punching it in from two yards out with 1:43 left in the third quarter to extend the game to 13-0.

Osteremeyer credited the offensive line for the second-half surge, something the running backs would likely agree with.

With the Red Team up two possessions, they pretty much had the game on lock — although the White Team did put up a fight toward the end of the game, with West Point-Beemer’s Peyton Penrose finding Elkhorn Valley’s Korbin Werner 34 yards down the field for a contested score.

With Alarcon having drilled the long bomb, the White Team had to go for 2, but the Red defense prevailed, essentially icing the game.

“I was just thinking all week, ‘It’s going to be my last game ever,” O’Neill’s Porter Mathews said. “Figured I’d go out there and give it all I got.”

Mathews took home the defensive player of the game plaque for the Red Team.

The contest featured plenty of talk from both sides, hard hits and an overall competitive nature that someone could’ve mistaken for a playoff game rather than an all-star one.

With each senior closing the final door on their high school athletic careers, it was apparent from the first snap how much winning this game meant. But that’s just the culture of Northeast Nebraska sports.

“Northeast Nebraska is just a special place to play football,” Ostermeyer said. “A lot of good teams in every division up here. You see a lot of these kids on the highlights on Friday nights during the season. Now they get to come together on the same team, and they’re behind each other’s back, hooting and hollering, because they remember that kid making a play against them.

“And now they’re going and making it for them. I think that camaraderie, just all that connectedness in Northeast Nebraska, it’s just a big culture up here.”

13th annual NEN all-star game

Red Team 0 0 13 3 — 16

White Team 0 0 0 6 — 6

Scoring

THIRD QUARTER

R: Gage Hedstrom 4 rush (Edwin Alarcon XP no good), 7:57.

R: Grady Welke 2 rush (Jared Rutar XP good), 1:43.

FOURTH QUARTER

R: Alarcon 52 field goal good, 7:11.

W: Peyton Penrose 34 pass to Korbin Werner (2-pt no good), 4:42.

2026

All Star Team Captains

White Team:  Tanner Wagner (Norfolk), Casey Schnebel (Battle Creek), Korbin Werner (Elkhorn Valley), and Cohen Skiff (Norfolk)

Red Team:  Gage Hedstrom (St Marys), Sam Wiebelhaus (Cedar Catholic), Boston Krueger (Pierce), and Jagger Sims (South Sioux City)

Most Valuable Teammates

White Team: #42 Korbin Werner (Elkhorn Valley)

Red Team: #89 Jagger Sims (South Sioux City)

Most Valuable Players

Defensive Red Team Most Valuable Player: #53 Gatlin Davidson (Stanton)

Defensive White Team Most Valuable Player: #3 Porter Matthews (O’Neil)

Offensive Red Team Most Valuable Player: #7 Nathan Timmerman (Norfolk Catholic)

Offensive White Team Most Valuable Player: #42 Korbin Wener (Elkhorn Valley)

Officials:

Linesman Travis Baumann

Umpire Jordan Wells

Referee Larry Wells

Line Judge Kyle Finke

Back Judge Shane Anderson

Sam Hahn plays another perfect Star Spangled Banner again! 

3 Cheer Squads Leading Their Teams On!!

We can’t forget our All Star cheer teams.  Those cheering at the game are Norfolk Catholic, Norfolk Public, & Pierce!

2026 Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award Ron Busch In 1962, Coach Ron Busch invited Husker Coach Bob Devaney to speak at Spencer High School’s athletic banquet. Busch’s goal wasn’t just to feature the legendary coach, but to proudly showcase a highlights reel of his football players. Devaney stayed so late enjoying the camaraderie, that locals had […]

(game pictures by Jeromy Vauble, J & T Shots Photography)

Our chain gang were NEN Board members Skiff, Koozer, and Carlson

Samantha Hahn, band instructor at Norfolk Catholic, played the anthem before the game.

Cheerleading squads from Pierce, Norfolk High, Norfolk Catholic, and Battle Creek were on both sidelines

The American Legion Post was there to post colors before the game

Following a Class C1 state football championship last fall, Boone Central sent four players to the 11th annual Northeast Nebraska All-Star Football Classic, tied for the most of any team.
The Cardinals made their presence felt.
A trio of Boone Central players — Hank Hudson, James Fogleman and Parker Borer — provided all three touchdowns for the White Team in a 21-14 victory at Veterans Memorial Field on Saturday.
“I knew we had a great group of guys, and coming in to practice with us four, it was great,” Fogleman said. “I was glad that both the Boone kids and other kids that we played against had a chance to ball out in this game.” Fogleman won the offensive MVP award for the White Team, racking up 96 yards passing and 40 yards rushing to go along with one passing touchdown.
“It was kind of unexpected, but it’s nice because I’m not going to get to put on the pads again, so it’s good to go out with a bang,” Fogleman said.

Both teams pitched shutouts to start the game, with the score tied at 0-0 after the first quarter.
Shortly after the second quarter started, the Red Team broke the seal, with Norfolk Catholic’s Carter Janssen connecting with Lutheran High Northeast’s Tate Collison on a 58-yard play-action touchdown. Collison made a terrific play, making an almost blind over-the-shoulder catch before running nearly 30 yards to pay dirt. “I really wanted these boys to play for each other today, and I thought they did that,” said Red Team coach Mike Hassler of Wakefield.
The White Team responded with a drive late in the second quarter to tie things up.
Its offense, which had been struggling to gain traction, found a spark by running the option as Borer was able to find the edge multiple times, scampering for 48 yards on six carries during the drive. On first and 10 from the Red Team’s 33-yard line, Fogleman lofted a pass to Battle Creek’s Blake Borchers, who made an acrobatic catch at the 2-yard line to set up Hudson’s short plunge on the next play, evening the game at 7-7.
“Offensively, we just tried to do what works and get the ball to Parker (Borer), which worked there,” Fogleman said.
The White Team then got the ball back at the 49-yard line with only 48 seconds to go in the half, but instead of running the clock out, White Team coach Cory Valasek of Riverside decided to try for a score. It paid off. Fogleman connected on a long pass down the right side of the field to Elkhorn Valley’s Dawson Hansen for a 49-yard score and a 14-7 halftime lead.
“That was big. Anytime you can get momentum going into halftime and get the ball again to start the second half, it can blow it open,” Valasek said. “That play really did it for us today.”
“We came into the game going run heavy, but we knew we could throw it over the top if we got the
backers flowing down,” Fogleman said. “We were actually trying to hit the quick out there, but both of the backers covered it so I just took the shot and it worked out. That was a big game changer for us.”
The White Team extended the lead to 21-7 on its first drive of the third quarter.
A kickoff return by Spencer Hille of Plainview set the squad up at its own 40-yard line, and a steady diet of runs combined with a 15-yard face-mask penalty put the ball on the 1-yard line, where Borer punched it in on third and goal.
The White Team’s defense managed to hold the Red Team off the board in the second half until late in the fourth quarter, with defensive MVP Dylon Lueking of Elgin Public/Pope John making a number of tackles to disrupt the Red Team’s running game.
“Defensively, we were limited to running a 4-3 and couldn’t blitz, but good players make good plays, and we were fortunate to have a lot of good players do that today,” Valasek said.
A late score with less than two minutes left made things interesting.
The Red Team turned to a no-huddle offense with Hartington-Newcastle quarterback Riley Sudbeck in an attempt to go up-tempo. The Wildcat graduate led an 11-play, 61-yard drive that he finished with a quarterback keeper for a 1-yard touchdown with 1:52 left on the clock to cut the lead to 21-14.
“We just got to the point where I told the offensive coaches, ‘We have to start going for it,’ and we
emptied everything from the playbook,” Hassler said. “Whatever we worked on over the week, we tried to use, and we spread them out and found something that worked to get ourselves back into the game.”
The Red Team got the ball back at its own 25-yard line with 38 seconds remaining and had a chance to send the game to overtime, but the White Team sealed the win as Sudbeck had a pass tipped up into the air, which Oakland-Craig’s Lincoln Benne picked off for a game-ending interception. “When you get into all-star games, it’s really just athletes making plays, and they did that there,” Hassler said.
Both sides valued the camaraderie and team-building over the past week as it was the last chance to suit up for many of the players.
“There’s a lot of guys on teams that have played against each other for four years and might not have been the best of friends, but they practice all week long and end up becoming good friends,” Valasek said. “I think that’s the best part about this.”

“We just wanted to have fun,” Fogleman said. “A lot of these guys, it’s their last time putting on the pads, including me, so we wanted to go out there and have fun, and it was a great game and a great experience.”
“A lot of these boys, it’s their last chance to strap on a helmet, so we really wanted them to cherish this, almost as a gift,” Hassler said. “This is a memory that they’re going to cherish, so just go out there and don’t regret anything, and I think the kids took advantage of that gift. It was a great opportunity.”
With the win, the White Team avenged its 42-14 loss in last year’s game. The White Team now leads the all-time series 7-4 and has won five of the past six matchups.
While Fogleman and Lueking won the White Team’s MVP awards, Stanton’s Mitchell Hupp won the best teammate award. Pierce’s Keenan Valverde won the offensive MVP for the Red Team, rushing for 67 yards and kicking two extra points, while Norfolk Catholic’s Mason Weidner won the defensive MVP. Ben Sousek of Norfolk Catholic won the best teammate award.

Northeast Nebraska All-Star Football Classic
Red 0 7 0 7 — 14
White 0 14 7 0 — 21
SECOND QUARTER
R: Tate Collison (LHNE) 58 pass from Carter Janssen (NC) (Keenan Valverde (PIE) kick)
W: Hank Hudson (BC) 2 run (Samuel Zazueta (NOR) kick)
W: Dawson Hansen (EV) 49 pass from James Fogleman (BC) (Zazueta kick)
THIRD QUARTER
W: Parker Borer (BC) 1 run (Zazueta kick)
FOURTH QUARTER
R: Riley Sudbeck (HN) 1 run (Valverde kick)

June 8, 2024 Official Stats for NEN ALL STAR FOOTBALL CLASSIC

White Team:

Rushing:

Parker Borer- 30/133 yds, 1 TD

James Fogleman- 7/45yds

Hank Hudson- 1/2yds, 1 TD

Landon Weindandt- 1/-4yds

Mitchell Hupp- 2/18yds

Total Rushing Yards- 41 carries for 194 yards

Receiving:

Landon Weindandt- 1/6yds

Spencer Hille- 1/12yds

Blake Borchers- 1/30yds

Dawson Hansen- 2/62yds, 1 TD

Parker Borer- 1/-5

Total Receiving Yards- 105 yards

Passing:

James Fogleman- 6/10 105, 1 TD

Punting:

Sam Zazueta- 4/158, 39.5 avg

Kicking:

Sam Zazueta- 4/233, 58.25 avg with 2 touch backs

Same Zazueta- 3/3 Extra Points, 0/1 49yd field goal attempt

Kick Returns:

Spencer Hille- 2/57yds long return was 34yds

Blake Borchers- 1/0yds

Scoring:

Parker Borer- 6

Hank Hudson- 6

Dawson Hansen- 6

Sam Zazueta- 3

Tackling:

Ryan Brichacek- 2 assisted

Landon Weinandt- 1 assisted

Colton Klosen- 2 unassisted, 3 assisted

Hank Hudson- 3 unassisted, 6 assisted

Dylon Lueking- 9 unassisted, 2 assisted, 2 pass deflections

Landen Redding- 2 assisted

Cameron Korth- 2 unassisted, 1 assisted

Blake Henn- 3 unassisted, 4 assisted

Lincoln Benne- 1 unassisted, 1 assisted, 1 Interception

Kyler Case- 1 assisted

Dylan Higby- 1 unassisted, 1 assisted

Mitchell Hupp- 1 unassisted

Connor Kreikemeier- 1 unassisted, 4 assisted

Parker Wiedeman- 1 unassisted

Mavrick Hagemann- 2 unassisted

Trent Patzel- 1 assisted

Brendan Weber- 1 assisted

Red Team:

Rushing:

Keenan Valverde- 14/66yds

Clayton Carney- 2/5yds

Riley Sudbeck- 10/26yds, 1 TD

Carter Janssen- 4/5yds

Dayton Sudbeck- 2/-4yds

Total Rushing Yards- 32 carries for 98 yards

Receiving:

Clayton Carney- 2/23yds

Carson Wieseler- 3/39yds

Tate Collison- 5/80yds, 1 TD

Total Receiving yards- 142 yards

Passing:

Riley Sudbeck- 7/15, 67yds, 1 INT

Carter Janssen- 3/6, 71yds, 1 TD

Punting:

Riley Sudbeck- 6/198, 33 yard average

Punt Returns:

Wiley Ziegler- 3/41, 13.6 average return

Kicking:

Keenan Valverde- 3/99, 33yd average

Keenan Valverde- 2/2 extra points

Kick Returns:

Wiley Ziegler- 1/17, 17yd average

Keenan Valverde- 1/15, 15yd average

Scoring:

Riley Sudbeck- 6

Tate Collison- 6

Keenan Valverde- 2

Tackling:

Dalton Lamprecht- 1 unassisted, 1 assisted

Mason Weidner- 2 unassisted, 7 assisted

Champion White- 2 unassisted, 5 assisted, 2 Pass Deflections

Karsan Albers- 4 unassisted, 3 assisted

Ty Thoene- 2 unassisted, 1 assisted

Ian Laetsch- 2 unassisted

Michael Dickens- 1 unassisted, 4 assisted

Garrett Schultz- 2 unassisted, 2 assisted

Carter Janssen- 1 unassisted, 1 assisted

Tucker Shabram- 2 assisted

Casey Jeannoutot- 1 unassisted, 4 assisted

Hunter Heikes- 2 assisted

Keenan Valverde- 1 unassisted

Chase Schroeder- 1 assisted

Caleb Davis- 1 assisted

Wiley Ziegler- 2 assisted, 2 Pass Deflections

Zach Meier- 3 unassisted, 1 assisted

Ben Sousek- 1 unassisted

William Paxton- 2 assisted

William Steffen- 1 assisted

2013-2024 Northeast Nebraska All-Star Football Classic Records

Team Records

Series Record – Red 4 wins – White 7 wins

Most Yards Rushing – Red – 260 – 2014

Most Yards Passing – Red – 423 – 2018

Most Total Yards – Red – 513 – 2018

Most First Downs – White – 23 – 2016

Most Points – White – 49 – 2016

Most Total Points Combined – 75 – 2018

Most Passes Attempted – White – 43 – 2014

Most Passes Completed – White – 23 – 2018

Most Pass Interceptions – White – 3 – 2019, 2021

Most Fumbles Recovered – White – 2 – 2017

Red – 2 – 2019

Individual Records

Longest Rushing TD – Taggart Bailey – Pierce – Red – 31 – 2016

Longest Passing TD – Bryce Kerkman – West Holt – Red – 81 – 2018

Longest TD Reception – Mason Lee – Wayne – Red – 81 – 2018

Most Yards Rushing – Noah Scott – Randoph – Red – 154 – 2019

Most Yards Passing – Alex Thramer – O’Neill – White – 348 – 2018

Most Carries – Noah Scott – Randolph – Red – 34 – 2019

Most Passes Completed – Alex Thramer – O’Neill – White – 23 – 2018

Most Pass Receptions – Mason Lee – Wayne – Red – 10 – 2018

Most Yards Receiving – Mason Lee – Wayne – Red – 275 – 2018

Most Receiving Touchdowns – Mason Lee – Wayne – Red – 3 – 2018

Most Rushing Touchdowns – Karter Kerkman – Norfolk Catholic – Red – 3 – 2023

Most Passing Touchdowns – Gunner Fuelberth – Norfolk – White – 5 – 2016

Longest Kickoff Return – Grant Meyer – Logan View – White – 45 yds – 2017

Longest Punt Return – Sutton Pohlman – Stanton – White – 42 yds – 2021

Most Interceptions – Sutton Pohlman – Stanton – White -2 – 2021
Longest Interception Return – Ty Martinsen – Riverside – 51 yds – 2019

Most PAT’s –Quinton Heineman – Pender – Red – 6 – 2023
Most FG’s – Devan Roth – Pierce – Red – 2 – 2019

Connor Clayton – Norfolk – White – 2 – 2019
Longest FG – Devan Roth – Pierce – Red – 46 yds – 2019
Longest Punt –  Peyton Mathews – O’Neill – White – 58 yds –  2021
Most Tackles – Jared Janssen – Crofton – Red – 13 – 2018