Husker recruit, John Levorson

[Husker_Power]

Versatile Levorson keeps a level head

 

A lighter workload is in John Levorson's future.

 

After going hard in three sports for four high school seasons, the Crete athlete finally can focus on only one in college.

 

He enters the Nebraska football program next week, ready to give it a go at defensive back.

 

"He'll do just fine, especially when he can concentrate on just one sport," said Chuck McGinnis, his high school football coach. "He's been pulled in so many directions."

 

While wearing the Cardinals' red, the 6-foot-3, 190-pound Levorson was a three-year starter at quarterback who led Crete to back-to-back state titles, a four-year starter and career scoring leader in basketball and a four-year track athlete who anchored the Class B-champion 1,600 meter relay as a junior and had the best high jump in the state as a senior.

 

A freak hamstring injury that kept him out of the state track meet was disappointing. So was not getting back to state in basketball.

 

But his high school career finishes on an up note.

 

Levorson is the first from Crete to receive The World-Herald's Nebraska high school boys athlete of the year award. He was a captain of the All-Nebraska football team, which he made as a junior and senior, and made second-team All-Nebraska in basketball. He was a three-time Class B all-state selection in basketball.

 

"The experience of it all is what's going to stay with me," he said. "I'm thankful for having good teammates in all sports. You can't be successful without good teammates."

 

Levorson, a finalist as a junior, received the 58-year-old Athlete of the Year award over five others who had stellar multi-sport seasons. Brett Maher of Kearney was a two-time All-Nebraska place-kicker who broke the Class A pole vault record at this year's state meet and also won the gold in the long jump. Jens Scholl of Deshler was the Class D cross country state champion, a Class C-2 all-state basketball player and a three-event winner in Class C track.

 

The other three are juniors who could battle it out as seniors to follow Levorson as the state's top male athlete. Ty Kildow of Millard South was an All-Nebraska wide receiver who has been All-Nebraska twice in basketball. Cole Pensick of Lincoln Northeast, who already has committed to NU in football, was All-Nebraska in football, the gold medalist in the shot put and a fifth-place finisher in his first season of wrestling. Eric Koehlmoos of Pierce was Class C-1 all-state in football and basketball, making the All-Nebraska second and third teams, respectively.

 

Observations of the newspaper's sportswriters are used to select the athletes of the year.

 

Already as a ninth-grader, Levorson was going to be Crete's man of the future in McGinnis' mind.

 

"He was well-advanced for kids that age, in his knowledge of the game and his athletic skills," the coach said. "I probably knew then he was a three-year guy for us.

 

"A lot of things have impressed me about him. He never gets rattled, no matter the situation. He doesn't get caught up in emotion, never gets intimidated. He's bound to find a way to get the job done. Against a McCook or an Elkhorn, he wasn't going to flinch."

 

Levorson went 4-0 against those two teams the past two seasons in either state semifinal or final games. As a junior, he led Crete past favored Elkhorn for the school's first football title in six years. In the encore, his 10-yard touchdown keeper on Crete's only snap in overtime held up for a 14-7 win over McCook.

 

"Another state title was more than I expected would happen for the year," Levorson said. "It was the perfect way to finish off my season, my last game, being there. The rest of my home games will be in Memorial Stadium, so it seemed right."

 

Also meaningful to the son of Dave and Laurie Levorson is setting the career scoring record in basketball, breaking a 35-year-old mark by tallying 1,199 points in four seasons. He played in the state tournament as a sophomore and junior. He averaged 15 points as a senior.

 

If there were do-overs, he said, he'd take one in track. At the district meet, where he took the state lead in the high jump at 6-7¼, he hurt his hamstring before the 1,600-meter relay, overextending on a stretch by almost a foot. Three weeks later, he said, the hamstring still isn't 100 percent.

 

As he hands over Levorson to the Huskers, McGinnis said his former quarterback has the tools to have "a great career" with the Huskers.

 

"Athletically, he's capable. Mentally, he understands the game more than any player I've been around," McGinnis said. "And here's a kid, I think, can get to 215, 220 pounds and still be able to run. I could see him growing into an outside linebacker. He's going to be a big kid."

[huskernumerouno]

Nice article

[husker rob]

congrats to John