We check in on Class 4A Iowa State champion Council Bluffs Lewis Central in the next stop of our In-State Tour.

2022 is the 19th year of the HuskerOnline In-State Tour. Every February since 2004, HuskerOnline profiles the top up-and-coming prospects in the state of Nebraska.

This year our In-State Tour was broken up into two events in Omaha and Lincoln as we profiled all the top prospects in the state.

Our next stop of the 2022 In-State Tour takes us over the river and into Council Bluffs at Class 4A Iowa state champion Lewis Central.

2022 In-State Tour: Gretna | Elkhorn South | Omaha North | Elkhorn | Omaha Burke | Scottsbluff | Omaha Westside | Bellevue West | Omaha Central | Creighton Prep | Pierce | GI Northwest | Lincoln East | Millard South

Head coach: Justin Kammrad

2021 record: 11-2 (Class 4A Iowa State champions)

Season rewind: “I think this team just became really, really close over the first four weeks of our season. We knew we were talented. We sat here a year ago talking about how talented we were and what we thought we could accomplish. We had some ups and downs, we had some adversity hit. When that happened, the guys rallied around one another. They became really, really close, set goals that maybe some others didn’t really truly believe what happened after the first four weeks. They were determined to end that year on a winning note.”

Kammrad’s take on RB Jonathan Humpal: “He’s a kid that is very hard to defend. We typically say he’s a slasher-type kid, but we also played him in the slot quite a bit. We brought in a bigger back at times and put him out to the slots to really give us four versatile receivers. He does so many good things. He’s been playing football a long time. He has the skill set to make people miss to really turn on that second gear that he has and to run by people. He is a little bit lighter, but he runs well behind his pads. He has a lot of power, and so he’s really versatile.

“He’s an every-down back. He can be for some teams and just does a really good job. Early recruitment obviously was Iowa State. He has had some feelers out there from some of the MAC schools as well. Then obviously the FCS schools have been really interested in him. It’s really going to be where he fits for a lot of these schools. Some schools want a bigger back and they want a guy to carry the ball a lot, but he’s a guy that’s going to be able to play multiple positions.”

Humpal’s take: “It felt amazing to be able to win the state championship for the first time in school history. It took a lot of dedication outside of football, in the weight room, outside of practice. It’s what they didn’t see that got us there to win this championship.”

Recruiting: Humpal has offers from both Iowa State and Kansas. He is also being recruited by North Dakota State, Nebraska, South Dakota, Northern Iowa and Northern Illinois.

“I’m keeping things open,” Humpbal said. “Iowa State, they haven’t really talked to me that much since the offer, but they’re talking me here and there.

By the numbers: Humpal was a first-team All-State selection and the recipient of the Iowa Class 4A Nile Kinnick award. As a junior, he led Lewis Central with 1,424 rushing yards on 234 carries for 24 touchdowns. He also had 33 receptions for 424 yards and three touchdowns.

Humpal benches 225, squats 370 and has a 34-inch vertical. He ran 11.23 in the 100, 23.87 in the 200 and 53.97in the 400 as a sophomore.

Kammrad’s take on QB Braylon Kammrad: “The biggest thing for him is just his knowledge of the football game. He’s been around it since he was little. He understands that the game moves a lot slower for him. Then obviously, fundamentally mechanically, he does a really good job as a quarterback to lead us the way that he did and really be able to just distribute the ball to many different guys that we had. It showed his level of maturity and his growth as a football player and as a quarterback. I’m just really excited to have him back again for one more year with the group of guys we have.”

Braylon Kammrad’s take: “I’m not the tallest obviously, so got to be able to utilize just not being able to throw, but being able to run as well.

“We run an Air Raid-type offense. Throw the ball around, do all sorts of stuff. We got a good running back as well, so it makes it easier, so we spread it out on offense.”

Recruiting: Kammrad is being recruited by North Dakota State, South Dakota, South Dakota State and Iowa State. He plans to visit NDSU, ISU and Kansas State this spring/summer.

By the numbers: Kammrad was named first-team All-State for the Titans in 2021. He completed 169-of-273 passes for 2,506 yards and 25 touchdowns. He also rushed for 358 yards and 11 touchdowns.

In the weight room, Kammrad benches 235, squats 385 and has a 32-inch vertical. He carries a 3.5 GPA in the classroom. He is the son of Lewis Central head coach Justin Kammrad, who was a standout football player at the University of Nebraska-Omaha.

Kammrad on LB Owen Thomas:

By the numbers: Thomas benches 270, squats 365 and has a 30 inch vertical. He ran 11.9 in the 100 and 24.2 in the 200 as a freshman. He carries a 4.05 GPA in the classroom.

Kammrad on kicker Boston Hensley: “He was a second team all-state guy, and that’s just because we didn’t kick a whole lot of field goals, but he led the state in touchbacks, kickoff yards, and things like that. Just a very strong football player, also starting a corner for us as well, but we currently have, or did have, two current Division I kickers with Caleb Shudak, who’s at Iowa, and then Drake Nettles who’s at Iowa State, and so Boston is just like those guys.

“Same body frame, same type of leg strength, but more so I think Boston has a little bit more athleticism than Drake, and so I think he has the ability to be able to do a lot of good things. He’s a difference-maker, especially in the kicking game for a school that needs that to be able to change field position. He’s definitely got that ability.”

By the numbers: Hensley was a second-team All-State selection as a junior and he’s been all-conference first-team each of the last two years.

Hensley connected on 5-of-7 field goals and put 53-of-83 kickoffs through the end zone for touchbacks. On defense, he had 42 tackles and three interceptions.

Hensely runs 4.7 in the 40-yard dash, benches 240, squats 420 and has a 27 inch vertical. In the classroom, he carries a 3.3 GPA.

Kammrad on WR Lucci Fidone: “He’s a guy that really came on. We know that he’s extremely talented, extremely explosive as a football player. We knew coming into this year, he’s extremely fast. How were we going to be able to get the ball to him is probably the biggest thing for us. Once we were able to find how he fits with the other pieces that we had, we were able to really exploit his ability.

“He was our leading receiver both with receptions, touchdowns, and yards, and just really has a mismatch problem playing in the slot against some outside linebackers and some strong safeties. He’s able to run by guys. Later in the year, we were able to move him around. We started playing him on the outside as well to just get some matches, some deep threats. He does a lot of really good things that you just can’t teach, and so it’s been really good to have him, and then also to have him come back again. He’ll be a big part of what we do, not only on the offense side but also in the kicking game with return punts and kickoffs as well.”

Recruiting: Fidone is being recruited by Wayne State, Bemidji State, Augustana and Minnesota State.

By the numbers: Fidone had 750 yards receiving and 11 touchdowns as a junior. He was a first-team All-State selection in 2021. He is cousins with current Nebraska tight end Thomas Fidone.

Fidone benches 220, squats 340, has a 33 inch vertical and has been clocked 4.47 seconds in the 40-yard dash. In track, Fidone runs 11.4 in the 100, 23.2 in the 200 and 55.5 in the 400.

Fidone carries a 3.5 GPA in the classroom.

Kammrad on WR Curtis Witte: “He’s one of the very few kids that played for us as a sophomore, and really happened due to an injury. At one point during the year, he stepped in about Week 5 and became our full-time starter and was leading state interceptions. He was our No. 4 receiver, so he played on both sides of the ball as a sophomore for us. Really, he just showed a really huge IQ from playing that safety position and being able to break on the ball.

“I know he’ll have a bigger role this coming year moving from our No. 4 guy to probably our No. 2 guy within our passing game. He’s just a very athletic kid, multi-sport athlete, high jumper and a basketball player. He does a lot of really good stuff for us. His sister currently plays volleyball at Northern Iowa, and so really another kid that has some athletic background with him.”

By the numbers: Witte had 15 catches for 254 yards on offense and 32 tackles, five interceptions and one fumble recovery on defense.

In the weight room, he benches 205, squats 410 and has a 32 inch vertical. He carries a 4.0 GPA in the classroom.

Kammrad on DT Parker Matiyow: “He’ll be a three-year starter for us on the offensive line. He’s done a really good job for us playing defense line as well this year. He’s really going to be the anchor for us, and really has a really good background, with a n uncle that played at Northwestern and his dad played South Dakota. He just has been around the game a long time as well for him. He has really developed. He’s really starting to add some mass to his frame, and we’re expecting a lot of really big things at him this coming fall.”

By the numbers: As a junior, Matiyow had 16 tackles, 8 TFLs and 2.5 sacks. He was named second-team All-District on defense.

Matiyow’s father played football at South Dakota and his uncle at Northwestern.

Matiyow had a 260 bench max, 445 squat max and a 29 inch vertical. He carries a 4.1 GPA in the classroom and scored a 28 on his ACT.

Kammrad on DB Caleb Moore: “He’s one of those guys that started for us as a freshman a year ago. He started for us at the beginning of this year, unfortunately, tore his ACL, so we lost him. We don’t typically play freshmen unless they’re ready at Lewis Central.

“He was one of those kids when he stepped in as a freshman, he played outside linebacker for us. It’s not one of those positions that’s easy. You got to be willing to stick your nose in there, and you got to be physical with people. He showed that ability to be able to do that, so we’re really excited about him and his progress and where he’s going to end up. We’ll see how he comes back from injury, but really has a high ceiling as a football player and excited for him.”

Recruiting: Moore is being recruited by Iowa State, South Dakota State, Northern Iowa,, Wayne State, St. Thomas, Minnesota State, Princeton, Grandview, Windgate and Mckendree.

By the numbers: Moore has played varsity since his freshman year, where he had 32 tackles, 3 TFLs and one interception in 2020. In 2021, he battled injuries and just six tackles, 1 TFL and one interception.

In track, Moore has been timed at 11.9 seconds in the 100-meter dash, 23.8 in the 200 and 19-6 in the long jump.

Moore carries a 3.4 GPA in the classroom.