Members of the Tri County Northeast (Allen/Emerson-Hubbard) Wolfpack football team will look to improve on a .500 record from last season following a dominant start winning three straight.
Jake Kneifl is entering year number two as the head coach and fifth overall season as a football coach.
Coach Kneifl will be joined by Jason Olesen, Marc Bathke and Blake Eriksen guiding the 20-player program.
The seven seniors are Devin Reinert, Joe Roth, Thatcher Lamp, Dodge Melby, Rauny Figueroa, Nate Franzluebbers and Alex Ankeny.
During the off-season, Tri County Northeast held their own team camp and attended the Epic Team Camp in Osmond. The Wolfpack also participated in a 5-on-5 passing leagues in West Point. For lifting the team lifted four days a week throughout the summer.
During the first weeks of fall practice, the Allen/Emerson-Hubbard co-op was going through the basics of both playbooks and building off of it everyday.
No changes have been made to their team goals.
"Our team goals are the same as last season," said Jake Kneifl. "Be the hardest working team on the field and the more physical team on the field each week."
Again, communication has been a point of emphasis for Tri County Northeast football. From on the field communication to coach to player communication.
Tri County Northeast finished 4-4 last season but lost three straight to end the year after qualifying for the postseason in 2023 ending with a 5-4 record.
This year also marks the fifth year of the Allen/Emerson-Hubbard cooperative agreement.
Following a talented class that recently graduated, two starters on the offensive side, Rauny Figueroa and Thatcher Lamp will return while Lamp is the only returning starter on defense.
"Thatcher Lamp is a physical presence on the field and a player with a great motor," said Jake Kneifl. "Devin Reinert is another leader on the team. He isn’t a returning starter but played some valuable minutes last season."
There will also be plenty of newcomers who will get their time to shine for the Wolfpack in 2025.
"The first one that stands out is Blake Kneifl," said Jake Kneifl. "Blake is a very athletic kid who runs hard. I’m excited to see how he plays this year. Another one I’m excited about is Nate Franzluebbers. Nate has been injured the last two seasons but would have probably started the last two seasons. He will be a leader for us on both sides of the line."
Lamp and Reinert, two senior pieces to Tri County Northeast were highlighted among their media day on August 20 in Allen (for football).
Lamp has been working on getting stronger and more explosive in the weight room.
"Our entire team has also been in the weight room and attending team camps throughout the summer building team chemistry and lifting hard everyday."
During the first weeks of fall camp, the Wolfack team is willing to do anything to have a good season. They have been pushing themselves everyday and are developing a lot of skills that are going to help them be successful.
Lamp is most excited to see how well Tri County Northeast plays as a team.
"How well we can handle adversity," said Lamp. "We are going to have to play together and be the most relentless team on the field if we are going to be successful."
Reinert highlighed more that the team has been putting in the work over the summer and early fall practices.
"We have been working hard to get ready for our first game on August 29 against Bancroft-Rosalie," said Reinert. "We have a lot of younger players that have stepped up to fill the roles of the seniors we loss."
Among team goals include playing as a team with the main focus on the wins and losses. Another is to show up everyday and to put in the work to get better. Each player has their own goal that they are working towards but the end goal is making the playoffs at the end of the season.
Reinert is also excited for the upcoming season.
"To get on the field to compete and show our fans what we have been working on."
The Wolfpack is set to open their season on Friday, August 29 at Bancroft-Rosalie at 7 p.m.
Coach Jake Kneifl talked about the difficulty of scouring your week one opponent.
"You never know if they will throw something different at you from last season," said Jake Kneifl. "B-R (Bancroft-Rosalie) is a well coached team with some great athletes. We had a great first week of practice and have seen some great improvement from some players. We will continue to work on assignments and technique."
The Wolfpack home opener is set for Friday, September 5 against Bloomfield at 7 p.m.
Both Lamp and Reinert shared a message to their fans and family.
"The support that we have for being two very small towns is incredible," said Lamp. "So to everyone that shows up and supports us, thank you. It says a lot about the people in our community."
"We always appreciate the support that our fans/family give us," said Reinert. "We will continue to be the hardest working team on the field. As a team we would like to thank you for your support and hope to see you on Friday nights this fall."
Coach Jake Kneifl expects his team to be the hardest working and more physical team on the field each week.
"These young men have a lot of fire and energy and we are excited to show you what they are capable of."
