NOKOMIS — For the past two seasons, the Nokomis football team was independent following the dissolution of the Prairie State Conference. This season is different due to being accepted into the Lincoln Prairie Conference.
Paul Watson enters his seventh team coaching the Redskins with a 35-27 record, hoping to return to prior performances of the 2021 season. That season, the Redskins earned a playoff berth with a 7-2 record before losing to Central A&M at home.
With Nokomis no longer being independent in football, the Redskins will have to get used to conference scheduling again.
The Nokomis school board approved the move in November 2021, but the conference didn’t vote to approve until after the 2022-23 academic year.
While there are 17 member schools in the Lincoln Prairie Conference, most of them are in athletic coops. For instance, Bement and Cerro Gordo are a co-op. The same applies to Kansas, Shiloh, and Oakland (known as Tri-County), Toledo/Cumberland, and Sullivan/Okaw Valley/Bethany. With Decatur Lutheran only playing 8-man football and Heritage being a full member for four other sports, it breaks down to ten teams. With that setup, Nokomis will not play one of the teams each season.
Watson and the Redskins kick off the season on the road on August 25 to take on Arcola. Steve Snider’s Purple Riders finished in the same predicament as Nokomis in the 2022 season, finishing 4-5. Both teams will be seeking to kick off the season with a win.
Nokomis’ games for September and October
Nokomis will be back at home for a two-week home stretch against Argenta-Oreana on September 1 and Villa Grove on September 8. Clay Haurberg’s Bombers in Argenta-Oreana failed to secure a single win in the conference last season. In comparison, Heath Wilson’s Blue Devils finished the 2022 campaign with a 6-4 mark.
On September 15, Nokomis returns on the road to play Cerro Gordo-Bement. Chris Ridgeway’s Broncos were only able to eke out a single victory in the 2022 season.
The Redskins return home on September 22 as they play host to Tri-County (Oakland, Kansas, Shiloh). Thomas Blake’s Titans were able to secure three wins last season.
Three of the four final weeks of the regular season are on the road. The first away leg represents a September 29 trip to Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond (ALAH) and to Sullivan/Okaw Valley a week later. The final away leg involves a regular-season finale on October 20 in Niantic against Sangamon Valley.
Nokomis’ final home game is on October 13 against Toledo Cumberland.
Full 2023 Redskins football schedule
| Date | Time | H/A | Opponent | Other Site/Game Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 25 | 7:00 | A | Arcola | |
| Sep 1 | 7:00 | H | Argenta (A.-Oreana) | |
| Sep 8 | 7:00 | H | Villa Grove | |
| Sep 15 | 7:00 | A | Cerro Gordo [C.G.-Bement Coop] | |
| Sep 22 | 7:00 | H | Oakland [Tri-County Coop] | |
| Sep 29 | 7:00 | A | Arthur (A.-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond) | |
| Oct 6 | 7:00 | A | Sullivan [Okaw Valley Coop] | |
| Oct 13 | 7:00 | H | Toledo (Cumberland) | |
| Oct 20 | 7:00 | A | Niantic (Sangamon Valley) [Coop] |
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Jake Leonard, a broadcast media and journalism veteran, is the editor-in-chief of Heartland Newsfeed. Leonard is also GM and program director of Heartland Newsfeed Radio Network, wrestling editor and contributing writer for Ambush Sports, a contributing writer for My Sports Vote and Midwest Sports Network, and a former contributor to Bleacher Report and Overtime Heroics. He resides at home in Nokomis, Ill. with his dog Buster.
