The University of Nebraska at Kearney football program relies heavily on recruiting players from central Nebraska.
The Lopers seemed to have developed a pipeline just 50 miles down the road with Adams Central, where it has found a few solid contributors to its program as of late.
On Wednesday, Jesse Ackerman and Nate Hinrichs became the fifth and sixth former Patriots since 2008 to sign with the Lopers.
Hinrichs, a 6-foot-4, 240-pound defensive lineman, said that the recent success of former Patriot standouts Justin Thiel and Luke Harl at UNK was something that attracted him to the school.
"Being a defensive lineman, and knowing that Luke and Justin had good careers there really helped pave my path for me going there," he said. "They just set an example by starting and how well they played."
Also signing Wednesday from the AC football were Jake Fowler with Hastings College and Creighton Reed with Chadron State.
Pair of STC grads transfer to UNK
Also on Wednesday, the University of Nebraska at Kearney football program announced the transfers of a pair of St. Cecilia graduates in athlete Dalton Sealey and defensive end Justin Small.
Both already are currently enrolled at UNK and are going through winter workouts. Sealey will be a sophomore in the fall and Small will be a junior.
Sealey was most recently at Hastings College, starting as the Broncos' running back in 2011 as a freshman, but was kicked off the team just before the start of the 2012 season after being charged with two counts of distributing marijuana. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 18 at the Adams County Courthouse.
Small was most recently at East Central University in Alda, Okla.
To read more, see Thursday's Hastings Tribune or the Tribune e-edition.>>>
