Most sports fans gain loyalty through family traditions, emotional connections, or the love for star players. These often begin in childhood and deepen over time through shared moments of celebration and sometimes disappointment. My journey into sports, however, followed a different path.

I grew up in a “house divided.” My dad supported the Iowa Hawkeyes, while my mom supported the Nebraska Cornhuskers. I ultimately followed in my dad’s footsteps, a decision that turned out to be the right one. Sorry, Mom.

Like many kids my age, I dreamed of playing football. That dream came to a halt in 2015 when an MRI revealed that I had Chiari malformation, a condition affecting the brain and spinal cord that prevented me from playing physical sports. Although I could no longer play, my passion for football never faded.

In 2020, I discovered a new path. If I could not play the game, I wanted to tell its story. I became interested in sports announcing. I’ve always told people that I have wanted to be like Gus Johnson and Al Michaels. Their ability to bring games to life motivated me to pursue a similar role.

During my eighth grade year, I attended the Access Your Future Night, where I learned about PLV Media. I found out that PLV Media streamed high school sporting events and some of them needed commentators. From that night on, I knew I wanted to join PLV Media as a play-by-play announcer.

My first broadcast was a football game between the Papio South Titans and the North Platte Bulldogs. Although I was nervous, I was also excited. I was fortunate to work alongside an experienced color commentator from PLHS, Armando Alferez, during my freshman and sophomore years. While I handled play-by-play duties, Armando served as a mentor and helped guide me through my early experiences in broadcasting.

During the 2022 varsity football season, the Titans finished with a 6-4 record and made it to the state playoffs, where they lost 42-20 to Bellevue West in the first round. Despite their early exit, my freshman year proved valuable.

At the start of the 2023 school year, I noticed a sports journalism poster in the hallway at Papio South, and decided I wanted to give print journalism a try. I joined the Titan Legacy magazine staff as a reporter and eventually worked my way up to become the sports editor.

That year, the Titan football team finished its regular season 5-5 and returned to the playoffs, while the Monarchs ended with an 8-2 record and hosted a home playoff game. Calling that Monarch playoff matchup at Foundation Field was one of the biggest moments of my career, at that time.

Although the PLHS team lost 48-34 in a close game, the experience was unforgettable. That broadcast marked my final football game with Armando, who graduated from PLHS in May of  2024 and would go on to study at Wayne State College.

That same year, I began commentating boys and girls basketball games for both Papio South and PLHS. Basketball presented a new challenge due to its fast-paced game. I was alongside Armando as a color commentator while he was play-by-play.

My final two seasons of commentating, during my junior and senior years in PLV Media, were the most significant of my career. During the 2024 varsity football season, the Monarchs played the Omaha Central Eagles in a game that was also streamed by Cox. At halftime, I was invited onto the Cox broadcast for an interview, marking a major milestone for me.

That season also introduced me to working with multiple PLV Media color commentators, including Monarchs Caleb Turberville and Stephen Higgs, and Titan V Plasek. Having different color commentators challenged me to adapt to different personalities and styles.

After the 2024-25 school year, I applied to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Journalism and Mass Communications and was accepted in less than a week. I plan to major in sports media communications there.

When the 2025 football season began, it quickly became one to remember. The Titans finished 11-2 and advanced to their first ever state championship game. During the playoffs, I had the opportunity to announce on 1620 The Zone, at the first round matchup against Lincoln North Star. These experiences confirmed that sports media is not just an interest, but a future career I am excited to pursue.

After the football season came to a close, the basketball season started back up. I wanted to commentate, but I would ultimately allow  the underclassmen in PLV Media to gain some experience. I always wanted to take pictures at sporting events to have more experience on my college resume.

Looking back at my four years of commentating, I grew and learned a lot – starting all the way back to my freshman year, and gaining experience through PLV Media commentary and Titan Journalism. My advice after commentating and participating in journalism is this: Do what you love. If you have a set goal in life, obtain that goal, and don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t.