RPAC Rundown Featured Matchup Preview: Dundy County Stratton Versus Hartington-Newcastle
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On Saturday, the first-ever Nebraska 8-Man Football Classic will take place. Dundy County Stratton is one of the teams competing in the event, as they will play Hartington-New Castle at 4:30 P.M. CT on Saturday, August 29th, at Grand Island Senior High. Let's break down the matchup.
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We begin with Dundy County Stratton. They graduated a ton of experience from last year's 10-1 team. But, they do return some experience. Head coach Mike Spargo gave us an outlook for his squad in 2026. "We graduated a big and talented senior class, with that we also lost all of our offensive production. We will need to move people around to some new positions but we will put the best 8 on the field. Defensively we should still be fast and with the return of Brock Bailey and Breck Horner on the DL should help control the LOS.
Breck Horner and Noah Zoltenko in the backfield should keep our offense explosive, and Trynt Unger, TEs Tagen Yrkoski and Cooper Shaw will all be great options in the passing game. Unger is a very talented Sophomore looking for a breakout season at WR/RB. Tel Donohue and Brock Bailey will anchor the OL, and Freshman Armando Enriquez could look to fill an open OL/DL spot, as well as senior Jack Johnson."
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The Tigers compete in the D3-7 District.
Hartington-New Castle went 6-3 last season, and they compete in Class D1. They have a clear identity, run the football, averaging 249 yards per game on the ground. But they weren't afraid to throw it, as they averaged 175 passing yards per game. According to last season's stats and this year's roster, they return starting QB Austin Sudbeck. He threw for 1,541 yards, rushed for 908 yards, and a total of 32 touchdowns.
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Jason Heimes returns as well; in 2025, he rushed for over 1,000 yards and 17 touchdowns. On defense, Ty Opfer returns after having a season in which he accumulated 91 tackles.
This team could be a really tough squad, and they are known for their physical brand of football. Hartington-New Castle is in the D1-5 District.
Check out the Game Notes, brought to you by Western Select Genetics-Lance Shifflet
