With five 2011 playoff teams on its 2012 schedule, Ralston's football team will have a stacked gridiron with which to contend come fall.
The release of the 2012 and 2013 football schedules by the Nebraska School Activities Association last week has the Rams — who finished the 2011 campaign at 8-3 and reached the State quarterfinals — pitted against returning State runner-up Crete in the very first week of the season, tentatively scheduled for Aug. 24.
"In our area and in Class B, overall, you can count on the schedule being pretty tough," RHS coach Tyler Zahn said. "It'll be a nice challenge for our guys to open up with Crete."
In District B-1, the Rams will keep two familiar foes in River Cities Conference rivals Gross Catholic and Skutt Catholic, both teams RHS bested in gaining a 2011 Playoff berth, though Skutt also picked up a wild card berth to State last season.
Another RCC team in Roncalli Catholic rounds out District B-1, having jumped from Class C1 to Class B for 2012, taking the place of Boys Town, which drops to Class C1. The Crimson Pride reached the second round of the 2011 Class C1 State Playoffs.
"Our District is always one of the top ones around and there'll be no change this year," Zahn said. "Gross, Skutt always play us tough and we add a really good team in Roncalli. It'll be a fight."
In other action, RHS will also travel to 2011 quarterfinalist in Blair in Week 3 (Sept. 14).
The Rams have State qualifier Beatrice at home in Week 5 (Sept. 28) — the Orangemen defeated RHS 17-14 to open 2011.
"It's always nice to get Beatrice at home when you can," Zahn said. "They play you tough anywhere, but we'll be glad to be home. And going to Blair will be a good challenge, too."
A few new faces also appear on the RHS docket in Mount Michael Benedictine (Week 1) and Nebraska City (Week 3), teams the Rams haven't faced in nearly a decade and Bennington (Week 4), a team which Ralston has never played.
"It'll be interesting," Zahn said.
"We're not quite sure what a few of those teams have, but we're looking forward to figuring all that out."
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