CUSTER — Good, old-fashioned hard work has shaped the kids on the Custer-Hysham-Melstone football team, as several work on farms and ranches throughout the year.
“Just working every day. It helps to never give up and always figure out a way to get it done. Not be soft, I guess," said senior Nolan Kamerman.
“It's great, because they have a work ethic. They don't come off the couch watching TV and go to practice. They come out of a semi truck with their boots on. They put their tennis shoes on and now they're playing football," said coach Brad Hoffman.
Kamerman is the do-it-all stud for the 6-Man Rebels, playing primarily quarterback. That’s a position he was thrust into last year when the starter tore his ACL, and that experience has proved invaluable.
“It helps a lot to know what I'm doing back there instead of just kind of being tossed back there," Kamerman said. "It helped me get prepared and really build confidence back there. It's really changed this year and I can see the field way better than I did last year."
“He felt a lot more confident and we did a lot of 7-on-7s and open fields and stuff like that and he had to play quarterback, so that helped," Hoffman said.
The hits have come hard and heavy for the Rebels this season. They’ve lost a pair of games to teams inside the top five of MTN Sports' football power rankings, but they’re hoping it all pays off in the end.
“It's a good challenge. It's making the kids work hard. We're going to be battle tested when this thing is over with. Our conference, every game. There's not an easy one on the list," Hoffman said.
The Rebels are back in action on Friday night at Jordan.
