Lincoln Patriots Seeking Redemption This Week Following Tough Loss

The Lincoln Patriots left Howard Wood Field last Saturday in a much different manner after a 49-7 loss to Roosevelt. Now they're looking to bounce back against Brookings.

It was a tough night for the Patriots, who entered the game on a 24 game winning streak, and everything seemed off against a city rival. Head coach Aaron Beavers says it was just a bad night for everyone.

"It was pretty simple. We happened to all have a bad night at the same time. A lot had to do with how Roosevelt played. They outplayed us right away and we found ourselves dug into a hole. Then you get outside that comfort zone and try to do things outside of the game plan. In all honesty, I didn't prepare my team well enough and I take full responsibility for that."

Beavers says that he is going to put his team into a much better position. That has been a focal point of practice this week. The atmosphere around practice, following the loss, has been good and the kids have moved on.

"It's no different than if we win and win big. We really enjoy it that night and Saturday we just had to feel bad for one night. Next day, it's over and we're moving on. We don't get hung up on it."

Cole DeBerg took over the quarterback position and has a couple of games under his belt. The junior, and former receiver, has impressed his coach with his ability to take the reigns of the highly looked at spot.

"He's done a really good job. You have to be willing to accept the risk. Maybe he doesn't play a great game, but the team wins, and he's the hero. But he could play a great game, but the team loses, and as a QB you're the goat. He has accepted that risk and is just trying to get better. He was forced into this spot, and I am extremely proud of him."

The team will be back at Howard Wood Field this Friday night hosting Brookings in the second game of a Friday night doubleheader. Beavers says the Bobcats are bringing a lot of size and a great running game to town.

"Big upfront. They match our size if not exceed it. They have a really good running back in the [Gerald] Maxwell kid. We're going to have to play much better defense, more aggressive, and more like we did in Week 2. We need to tackle better. Defensively they line up in a 4-3, similar to us, and have some stunt packages that we're prepared for. For us, it's getting back to basics."

Lincoln and Brookings will be the nightcap of the doubleheader and will have an approximate start time of 8:00. Washington and O'Gorman will kickoff at 5:00 Friday night. Both games can be heard on ESPN 99.1.