Programming note: Ol' Red 99-5 plans to broadcast Sterling at Deshler on 9/23 and Sterling vs. Meridian on 10/22.

STERLING, NE — It takes hard work to get through a Sterling football practice.

“A lot of sweat, a lot of people talking and a lot of people hitting,” senior Andrew Richardson said.

And that’s how it should be for a team with goals like the Jets have. Sterling didn’t lose last season until a 50-point defeat to McCool Junction in the 6-man state championship game. Richardson says that loss is fueling this year’s team

“It’s always a constant reminder in our heads," Richardson said. "When we’re lifting weights, we always got that bar above us. We’re thinking, ‘hey, we gotta get that goal this year.’”

Richardson is one of four seniors along with Garrett Hier, Tanner McDonald and Kody Goracke. Their freshman year was Sterling’s first as a six-man team and the first under head coach Brent Heusman.

“They’ve been through the wars and everything," Heusman said. "They’ve done a great job with leadership and just kind of showing the younger guys what to do. Those four - they’ll take us as far as we’re going to go.”

Heusman played on Sterling state championship teams in 1991 and 92. He says there was concern the program was losing its hard-nosed nature after the 2017 season.

“The year we went 0-8 we kind of thought we were losing the culture a bit," Heusman said. "These guys, once we got them as freshmen, the culture has kind of shifted now back the other way.”

The Jets won their regular season games by an average of 48 points last season but they expect tougher tests this year. Richardson says they’re looking forward to the challenge.

“This year we’re a team to look for because we’re mentally tough," Richardson said. "We’re going to come at you every day, we’ll come at you every down. We’re ready to play.”