For decades, Spirit Football has been a staple of youth football in the Omaha, Nebraska and Council Bluffs, Iowa areas. Founded in 1977 by Dan Bellino as a youth tackle football league, Spirit football added NFL flag in 2020 followed by 7v7 in 2023.
With ten teams competing in 7v7 football this year, Spirit Football has no shortage of talented players. According to Spirit Football Director Greg Wittmeier, here are just a few of their best high school players: Quarterbacks Bradin Van Winkle (Plattsmouth), RJ Vitera (Papillion/LaVista), Garrett Schinning (Fremont), Scott Miner II (Westview), Aiden Stacken (Elkhorn), Wide Receivers / Defensive Backs Tavion Johnson (Raymond Central), Hudson Jennings (Fremont), Traceson Skalberg (Plattsmouth), DD Chambers (Papillion South), Kingston Moore (Westview), Grant Harpster (Creighton), and Running backs / Linebackers Sage “Crash” Giddings (Westview), Jagger Cox (Papillion South).
With so many players across their teams, Spirit Football has found 7v7 football to be a great way to get in more reps quickly and at a highly competitive level. The speed of the format forces players of every position to adjust their playstyle, learning to think and react quicker. Spirit’s players also enjoy the “constant action, with more chances to touch the ball and make plays.” While this is all working to improve for the fall, it’s also a fun format for the players to enjoy with their teammates, bringing the team closer together.
In the past year, Spirit has seen great growth in their organization and coaching staff. With a group of coaches “committed to developing athletes and creating a competitive environment”, Spirit achieved a total of 16 championship and runner-up finishes at tournaments last year. As such an impressive record implies, the team has always strived to compete at the highest level, and will continue doing so into this season. With plans for improving the quality of their coaching and offering players even more chances to compete at a high level, Spirit Football means business. According to Director Greg Wittmeier, “our goal is to continue building a strong culture where players enjoy competing, improving, and representing the program and 7v7 as a whole the right way.”
For more information about Spirit Football or to get into contact with them, check out their website and socials below:
Web: spirit-football.com
Instagram: spiritfootball_ne
Facebook: SpiritFootball
X: @spiritFB_NE