Aurora impresses in own 7-on-7 tourney

At this point in the calendar year, this sports guy can smell the football being tossed around from miles away. 
No, it’s not an itchy rash. It’s a love for the game. 
While the first fall practice isn’t for a few more days, several teams were hard at work Saturday at Aurora’s field turf for a 7-on-7 tournament, working out fine details in offensive and defensive schemes. 
The Huskies swept each of its games on the day while its junior varsity squad also gave other teams some fits throughout the morning workout. 
For the Husky faithful, there’s plenty to be excited about looking to the 2022 season, which kicks off for opening night in less than a month. 
While we all know what Carlos Collazo is capable of from the backfield, it seems as if Aurora will try whatever it can to get him the ball as many times as possible, especially in space.
Seems like a pretty good idea to me. Los ran several crisp routes Saturday and will have a definite say in how the Aurora offense hums. 
Drew Knust has the keys to the offense for a second season and even in 7-on-7 workouts looked much more poised and confident throwing the football. 
Not only that, but he has a ton of targets out there that make what he’s doing look that much easier. 
Carsen Staehr made several jaw-dropping grabs throughout the morning. His speed coupled with an ability to go up and snatch the football is a deadly combo. 
He was also lethal in the special teams return game a year ago, something worth keeping an eye on. 
It was great to see Koby Nachtigal back on the field again after missing the second half of last year with an injury. 
He recovered really quickly from that, performing well throughout the track season and turned several heads with his speed and strength there. 
Nachtigal looked more than comfortable locking down one side of the field defensively and has as much speed as anyone else out there. 
Before his injury, Nachtigal also had some moments in the special teams return game so he and Staehr could provide plenty of fireworks there. 
All I’m saying is, don’t head for the concession stand after a score. 
Speaking of defense, Collazo has as much talent on that side of the ball and quite frankly, other teams went away from him for the most part during the 7-on-7 workouts. 
I would too. 
That makes it challenging for opposing teams, however, because then you’re committing to attacking Knust and Nachtigal on the other side, which we’ve established is no picnic.
If I haven’t made it clear already, Aurora’s defense stands to be pretty good. 
Wade Ohlson caught a few passes from the tight end spot and could be another in a long line of Husky players at that position to really be a playmaker when the lights come on. 
Just as long as somebody keeps him on a donut watch. If you know, you know. 
And if you’re interested in backup QB talk, Aurora has a pretty good one with Booker Scheierman. 
Scheierman was slinging it all day with Aurora’s JV team and coach Kyle Peterson called him over to run a few series with the big boys. 
He’s really growing into the part. He has a huge arm and really understands the reads. I wonder where he picked all of that up from? 
If there’s a concern on the Aurora football team, it surely isn’t at the quarterback position. 
***
For a team that’s actually started to practice, the Huskers have began the grind leading up to its trip across the pond at the end of the month. 
While hometown hero Austin Allen has moved on to bigger and better things, there’s still some A-Town rooting interest for the Big Red. 
Nate Boerkircher has been in a couple headlines recently for good reason. The former Husky was a sponge around Oz over the past couple years and now the younger Boerkircher is trying to take those lessons onto the field. 
Sure, everyone knows that Travis Vokolek is the top tight end in the room, but has battled several injuries since coming to Lincoln. 
Boerkircher played in three games last year, filling in against Buffalo when Oz got dinged up. 
What I found interesting and something I didn’t realize a year ago was they essentially stopped playing Boerkircher in order to preserve his redshirt. 
The new rule change was that players could play in four games without burning a redshirt. 
That means the coaching staff thinks pretty highly of the walk-on from Aurora. 
Just look at these comments from coaches during spring practices:
“He’s been very detailed since the offseason,” tight ends coach Sean Beckton said. “He’s really improved in all facets. He’s become a run blocker. I don’t think he has had a drop all spring. He’s made tough plays.” 
“I’d probably highlight Bork right now,” head coach Scott Frost noted. “He’s doing a really good job and we need some guys to step up at that spot.”
I also enjoyed this anecdote from Beckton’s interview on Sports Nightly last week. 
Essentially, Boerkircher caught the eye of new offensive coordinator Mark Whipple almost right away during spring ball. 
In fact, Whipple believed that Boerkircher was surely a scholarship guy and was surprised when Beckton called him a walk-on. 
“Since day one, I knew his pass-catching skills would give him a chance if he ever got big enough and strong enough,” Beckton said. “He proved it a little bit last year in the opportunities he got. We decided to redshirt him and we knew the future for him was going to be bright.”
Beckton even said during spring practices that if the Husker had to go to Ireland then, Bork would be playing. 
Let’s make it happen.
We made it, everybody. Football season is here.
RICHARD RHODEN can be reached at sports@hamilton.net.