By Dennis Kellogg
Director of Communications
Football is a game of strategy. Offensive plays and defensive alignments are represented by Xs and Os on a coach’s clipboard. The Jr. Bolts youth football program in Lincoln, though, takes that strategy to another level – incorporating the Catholic faith into its game plan.
“So much of what we’re trying to do here is so much more than football,” said Taylor Ashburn, president and one of the founders of Jr. Bolts Football. “We’re proud of our Catholic identity, and when you look at our mission statement, that’s first and foremost.”
The mission is based on the core values of pride, success, development, fun, support and attitude. Ashburn, a 1999 graduate of Pius X High School in Lincoln who played on two state football championship teams, said Jr. Bolts football is bigger than wins and losses.
“We have an opportunity to use football as a way to shape young men into being better classmates, better sons, better brothers, and ultimately, better adults when they get off to the working world someday,” Ashburn said.
Jr. Bolts Football is in its inaugural season. Jr. Bolts basketball and baseball teams are gearing up to begin soon, and a youth wrestling club has existed for a number of years.
The football program is made up of seven teams of third- through eighth-graders. There are 160 boys participating, and 100 of those are playing organized football for the first time. The players come from Catholic elementary schools across Lincoln, and they compete against other city teams in the Lincoln Youth Football League.
The hope is by bringing both the boys and the parents from the various Catholic elementary and middle schools in Lincoln together in one football program, it will create a bond that lasts through their high school years at Pius X.
“Creating connection as early as possible between all the different parishes I think can only serve to help the overall Catholic community in Lincoln,” said Thunderbolts Varsity Head Football Coach Ryan Kearney, who is a Pius X graduate and longtime teacher at the school. “If people from St. Michael’s and Martyrs know each other when their children are third-graders all the way up until they go to Pius and through Pius, I mean, how can that not be a great thing for the Catholic community in Lincoln?”
Jr. Bolts Football is an independent program operated and managed by volunteers and not by Pius X High School. The primary sponsor of the program is Sandhills Global, which provided the equipment, including shoulder pads, helmets, practice and game jerseys and pants. Ashburn said that without Sandhills Global’s support, and the sponsorships of several other local businesses, it would have been very difficult to get the program started.
Ten-year-old fifth-grader Henry Bixenmann from St. Michael School is in his first year of football. “I’ve met some friends from Cathedral, St. Peter’s and Blessed Sacrament,” Henry said. He added that practicing on the Pius X High School field and praying are two things that make the football program different.
“We can pray before every practice and we can pray together,” he said.
Ashley Schueth agrees the faith aspect takes priority in Jr. Bolts Football. She and her husband Jake are both Pius graduates and their sons, seventh-grader Luke and fourth-grader Mark, attend Cathedral of the Risen Christ School and play for the Jr. Bolts.
“I’ve been to a lot of practices and the coaches are so awesome,” Schueth said. “Every time after practice, they’re up there. They pray with the kids. They say, ‘Pope Pius X, pray for us!’ Everybody yells it out. I mean, it’s just such a bonding experience. And as a parent to see that, it’s wonderful.”
There are 44 volunteer coaches who work with the young players during practices three times a week and Sunday games. They mentor the boys in football and faith. Each practice begins with the coaches leading a prayer. They also talk about a different theme each week of the season, such as “Jesus served others. What’s one way you served your team this week?” And, “A football team is like the Body of Christ – many parts, one team. What’s your role?”
Ashburn said the teams have become a “de facto youth group.” He said the coaches’ role can also help them grow in their own faith as well.
“Everybody’s in a different place in their lives and when I approached this faith component with these coaches, I said, ‘I’m not asking you to be a theologian and I understand that you can only give what you have,’” Ashburn said. “And so, all I’m asking you is to give your time, your talent, and just be authentic with these boys.”
Guest speakers are also another way to share the Catholic faith with the players. Before one recent practice, former NFL kicker and Pius X graduate Greg Zuerlein stood in the middle of a circle of Jr. Bolts players and told them they needed to have the right priorities to be successful. He said for him, his Catholic faith comes first.
“I just really liked his priorities,” said Zachary Able, an eighth-grade student at St. John the Apostle School who is in his fourth year of youth football. “How he put his faith at the top like me, then his family second and then football third. Basically, the same as me. It was nice to hear somebody else say it.”
“I think that kids look up to their sports heroes as role models and examples,” Ashburn said. “When Greg was able to focus and talk to them about their faith and family and football, I know that resonated. I know the kids will be talking about it tomorrow at school. I know their parents are going to be excited when they hear what went on.”
Like any youth football team, the players in this program work to develop their athletic skills and better understand the game. The idea, though, is to go beyond the game, and teach life lessons, including serving one another.
“On Saturday after practice, the B team, the quarterbacks and receivers, cooked breakfast for the linemen,” Ashburn said. “They had a pancake feed because the big guys up front paved the way to a victory this past week, and the skills players, as we call them, wanted to reward and thank those guys. So, service and being part of a team is just something that football can really teach you.”
“We put our kids in sports for a reason. It’s not just to get wins. It’s bigger than that,” said parent Ashley Schueth. “I want them to work with others. I want them to know how to work on relationships and to get along with others and a team and be responsible for their actions. I want them to learn how to lose. It’s tough. You’re not going to win every game and I think that’s a hard lesson. I think also supporting your teammates, picking them up when they’re down, and being there for them and cheering them on. There’s just so many life lessons in sports.”
For Ashburn, who has dedicated many hours to coordinating Jr. Bolts Football and doesn’t even currently have a son playing in the program, the game plan is to bring together boys from Catholic schools across Lincoln and help them grow into successful young men who will eventually represent Pius X High School on and off the football field. The key to that plan – and this entire effort – is a shared Catholic faith.
“Faith isn’t just a component, it’s the foundation. So, we’re going to start with the foundation, and we’re going to build on top of that.”
SNR photos | Natalie Bender and Cathy Blankenau Bender
Editor's note: see more photos here:
Game - A
Game - B
Game - C
Game - Rookie
Watch the interviews here:
