In-State Tour: Omaha Westside

The HuskerOnline team hit the road in February for our 17th annual In-State Tour where we scour the state of Nebraska in search of the best up-and-coming football talent.

On our second stop of the 2020 In-State Tour, we checked in at Omaha Westside which is home of 2021 Rivals250 defensive back Avante Dickerson among others.

In-State Tour: Elkhorn South

Head coach: Brett Froendt

2019 Record: 10-3 (Class A State Runner-up)

Season rewind: "“We had a lot of growth [last year]. It’s not often you have teams that learn from bad experiences and we got beat two games and got beat pretty good. But they learned so much from that and they really picked up their games. They took that as an opportunity to learn. We went out and coached them up and they took it. Not all teams do that from year to year. We were able to make some adjustments, the kids trusted the coaches, they trusted the game plan and most importantly, they trusted each other. It made for a pretty magical run through the playoffs because we not only played well, we dominated. It was exciting to see that.”

Froendt on CB Avante Dickerson: “He’s been special since he was a freshman. He’s just a special talent. God-given talents and he’s a great, coachable kid and he has been since he was a freshman.

“His discipline on defense, his eyes, are the best I’ve ever seen on a kid his age. His talent speaks for itself. Offensively, we look to get him in different places so people can’t match up against him. I know he fought through some injuries this year and we’re looking to get him healthy.

“He needs to get in the weight room and get stronger and if he does, I think he’s going to have a magical and special year for us.

“No question, [his best position in college is] at cornerback. He’s got raw, pure skills, he’s got the hips, the ball skills and certainly he’s got the foot speed. He’s purely a corner at the next level, no question.”

Dickerson's take: “Throughout the whole season I struggled with some injuries. All throughout the season I was dealing with the hamstring injury. It was hard work not letting that get to you because you still have the whole season left and teammates that are still fighting with you to make it to the state championship. It was hard, but all of the guys on the team are fighting so you just fight with them.

“I’m just working out, lifting and obviously getting ready for spring track. I didn’t get to state last year because I had that injury and I was out for the season, but I’m hoping for this season, getting to state and wearing that medal across my neck.”

Recruiting: Dickerson's most recent visit was to Lincoln for Nebraska's Junior Day. He currently has 14 offers to his name after a flurry of offers over the past few weeks.

“I just take [the recruiting attention] like I’m blessed," Dickerson said. "I’m one of those kids that is blessed to be ranked in the country. Not many kids have that opportunity to I’m just blessed to be able to be ranked, be able to have offers from colleges and getting all of the attention that I have.

“I’m hearing a lot from Nebraska, I’m hearing a little bit from Penn State, Georgia, Florida, Missouri and I think there are some new schools that I haven’t been hearing a lot from that are starting to come. It’s all just kind of a new thing to me.

“Coach [Travis] Fisher, the cornerbacks coach at Nebraska, I have a really good relationship with him. Going down there all of the time, I like talking with him, going up to look at film, teach me technique and how they are going to use me, and I like how they are going to do that. He says [I’d be] strictly a lockdown corner for them. I love being man-to-man and getting the ball to my offense.

“I’m not sure when I can take official visits, but when that time comes, I will probably let everyone know on Twitter and everything. I’ll probably take two in the spring and the rest in the summer. I’d like to have a decision done either before my senior season or after. It’s just if I know where I want to go before my senior season or if I don’t, I’ll do it after."

Froendt on lineman Cade Haberman: “One of our reasons for the run at the end was getting Cade more active on certain spots on defense. He’s a difference maker. We talk about play makers on offense, but he’s a play maker on the line on both sides of the ball. He’s one of the most special linemen we’ve had here in a long time. I’d put him in the top three since I’ve been here.

“I think he’s got a lot of high-end talent, great work ethic, and more importantly, he’s a great leader. I’m excited to have him for one more year because he’s going to anchor our team.

“He’s a multi-sport athlete, [coaches] love his competitiveness, they love his toughness and he hasn’t just shown that for one year, it’s been sustained. He started as a freshman; he’s been playing on both sides of the ball for two years. I think he’s right up there with the Harrison Phillips kid. He can move well, too. He’s athletic, he’s fast. On the defensive side of the ball, I think he’s going to be a pretty special athlete.

“He could play on both sides [in college]. He’s just a competitor, he’s tough and I’d sure play him on the defensive side, but everyone has their own thing.”

Haberman's take: “[I improved] on the defensive side. My sophomore year I was 100 percent on offense and I rotated on defense. This year I did both almost 100 percent of the time. I knew that that was a part of my game I needed to improve a lot so that was a big focus going into the offseason and I think I did.

“I think my speed has helped me a lot, especially against some of those bigger guys and also my mental attitude. I work a lot with our team psychologist, I’ve been working with him a lot since I was a freshman. Actually, after games I used to get really bad headaches, just from the stress of all of it. I started working with him about it and I haven’t had a headache since. It’s hard to get in my head, people try it every game. I’m never out of it. I never think we’re out of the game. Even when we were down by 35 points in the state championship game with five minutes left on the clock.

“Getting bigger, stronger, faster is obviously the goal every year. I just want to be the best in the state. I’m a competitive dude. I love winning, I hate losing. So I just want to be the best in the state. I want people to know when they’re going against me they’re going against the best in the state. I’m not trying to come off arrogant, that’s just my goal. That’s what I try to do every time I go out there. Every time I wrestle against someone, every time I throw the shot or discus. That’s just my goal. I want to be the best in the state.”

Recruiting: “I have an offer from South Dakota State. North Dakota has been talking with me a lot. I have been on a few visits to Iowa and Iowa State. The Iowa coach told me I’m not the most flashy, but I just get my job done every play. He said I would fit great in my system. North Dakota actually likes me a lot on the offensive side."

Froendt on quarterback Cole Payton: “He’s a big, strong, athletic kid. Last winter, when we went through our testing, he just started popping. He was showing numbers that are just awesome, SEC-level athlete level. The LSU coach was even telling us, ‘hey, these numbers are SEC-level athlete numbers.’

“That’s kind of where I started realizing that this kid has some special ability. The kid works relentlessly in the weight room, he’s a great team guy and certainly he makes our offense better when we use his legs. He’s been able to diversify our offense a little bit. He’d love to play some defense; we’re just trying to figure out how to make that fit. I think, at the next level, some teams are looking at him to play that side of the football possibly because he’s a big, strong athletic kid that knows the game well."

Payton's take: “I’m just proud of our coaches, our whole team, I think our seniors did a really good job of setting the tone. We have some shoes to fill, but we definitely have the people to do it. I think I’m even more confident [for next year] than I was going into my junior year because the more experience we have. We have all of these kids that have been playing since their sophomore, junior season’s.

“I’d say [I've improved the most on] my mental side. If you asked any of my teammates, I have a level head and I’m working on the leadership part, but definitely my mental side. I think, compared to my sophomore year, I gained a lot of speed and that really helped our team out and definitely caught some other teams by surprise.

“Definitely [working on] my knowledge of the game. Working with our offensive coordinator and recognizing blitzes and knowing what audibles we can run based on the defense. Also, working on the mechanics of my arm, especially playing baseball, I’ve got to keep it in football mode.”

Recruiting: “I have an offer from South Dakota State. Then, it’s been mainly Nebraska and North Dakota State. It’s been mainly those game day invites.

“I’m going to go to South Dakota State’s Junior Day and then during the summer I’m going to go to the Husker camps and maybe Iowa State’s camp.”

Froendt on safety Koby Bretz: “Koby Bretz is a special talent. He played safety for us this year and some wideout and he was nursing an injury all year long and so he’s a special player. I think he’s one of the best safeties that I have seen here in a long time and certainly in Class A.

“He’s got the size, he’s got the speed, he’s still learning the game a little bit, but he’s getting better game-by-game. He’s a special talent, special athlete. I think teams that have played us have already seen that and coaches have certainly noticed that throughout his junior year too as he’s started getting plenty of attention from that.”

Recruiting: Bretz is still waiting on his first offer at this time. He is mainly hearing from Nebraska, South Dakota State and North Dakota State right now.

Froendt on running back Raoul Kolani: “Raoul Kolani is another player for us that fought through some injury for us this year, he had to sit out a couple games, but he’s going to be a pretty solid player for us at I-back and linebacker next year. Tough kid, fast kid, relentless worker. So I think he’s going to factor into some pretty important roles for us next year as well.”

Recruiting: Kolani's recruiting process is just starting to really pick up at this time.