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HARTINGTON — Third-year Hartington-Newcastle head football coach Rusty Fuller lost a lot of his offensive firepower from last season’s 7-2 team due to graduation but welcomes back a lot of inside talent from 2024.
“We will be huge up front with four of our front five back from last year,” said Fuller. “We have several other lineman to fill in for that last starter. We should be very physical and be able to handle the line of scrimmage this year.”
And the cupboard is far from bare in the skill positions as well. “Austin Sudbeck and Jason Heimes will need to provide our rushing attack this year,” said the coach. “We will also have big play abilities from Will Feilmeier at the wide receiver position and with Austin’s passing ability we will have a new look on the offensive side of the ball.”
The HNS defense will begin and end up front. “We should be very big and sound up front,” said Fuller. “If we can develop a secondary, we will be very good.”
The “upfront” players the coach is referring to are Ashton Wakeley, Lincoln Grutsch, Colton Cavanaugh and Carter Kelly.
Wakeley, Grutsch and Cavanaugh will be on the interior on both sides of the ball while Kelly provides a big target offensively at tight end and will set the edge on defense.
“Ashton is big and physical, has a good motor on defense and a great run blocker at the tight end spot,” said Fuller of Wakeley. “He is on the ‘watch list’ for one of the top defensive lineman in the state. He should have a very good senior season.”
The coach also likes what he sees in Grutsch. “Lincoln is a three-year starter for us in the line,” said the coach. “He is a very capable run blocker and has played center and guard. He should be one of the best linemen in the state.”
He also gave special mention to Cavanaugh. “Colton is very athletic for a lineman,” Fuller said. “He is a great run blocker, can get up to the next level of the defense very quickly and he is also a three-year starter for us.”
The coach called Kelly one of the team’s “best workers” and he is a mismatch for opposing defenses standing 6-foot-5-inches.
Jason Heimes will be the “go-to” back for the Wildcats. “Jason is a hard runner who really came on for us at the end of last year,” the coach said. “He is the brother of Cole and Lane Heimes who were super athletic and good football players and I see Jason having a breakthrough year for us with the potential to go well over the 1,000-yard mark. He has the ability to run through a lot of tackles.”
Sudbeck is sitting in the front seat to become this season’s signal-caller for the ‘Cats. In addition to the players already mentioned, the Wildcats also return seven other players who earned letters last season with three of them bringing starting experience from past seasons.
Brayden Lammers, Aidan Collier and Ty Opfer all three started in some games last season and Kyptin Collier, Mason Krause, Keatyn Arens and Chris Kneifl all lettered.
HNS will head west to open the 2025 season, traveling to Ainsworth to take on the Bulldogs on Aug. 29.
The Wildcats will host Wakefield on Sept. 5 then hit the road again for a game against Lutheran High Northeast in Norfolk on Sept. 12.
Niobrara/Verdigre comes to Hartington on Sept. 19 for the Wildcats’ homecoming game before HNS travels to Crofton to finish out the month on Sept. 26.
The Parent’s Night game is set for Oct. 3 when the Wildcats take on Wausa/Osmond in Hartington before traveling to Boyd County on Oct. 10.
