OMAHA (KMTV) — It’s the first week of high school football season and while our local teams are hoping to make some miles on the field, a few of them are about to get some miles in.

Millard South and Creighton Prep travel to out of state for their first games…all for the love of competition.

• Millard South travels to Chandler, Arizona to play Basha High School, while Creighton Prep travels to St. Louis to take on DeSmet Jesuit.
• Schools are responsible for covering travel costs, either from their own budget or through fundraising.
• Videos show teams practicing and graphs show how far they will travel.

TRANSCRIPT OF THE BROADCAST:

(Millard South football coach) Ty Wisdom sees an opportunity to give his players a glimpse into the future.

“We’re going to have a lot of kids play at the next level, and I mean, that’s what these guys do, right?” he said. “You get on a plane, you’ve got to go and you’ve got to be ready, so it’s going to be a big challenge for us, but it’s also going to be a great experience.”

The Patriots travel more than 1,000 miles to take on Basha High School in Chandler, Arizona.

A connection to Wisdom’s past; he used to be a coach at Grand Canyon State.

“They’ve been one of the best teams in Arizona for the last five years,” Wisdom said. “They’re a top-60 national team, so I thought, ‘What a great test.’

“The speed that they have, we don’t have another team in the state that comes close to their size or speed. So it’ll be great for us to see where we are in the first game, but also to see that type of speed.”

The NSAA does not provide financial support to teams for in-state or out-of-state travel, so Millard South raised $45,000 to help cover the cost.

“A lot of times it helps with scheduling,” NSAA Assistant Director Nate Neuhaus said of out-of-state competitions. “We have odd numbers and even numbers, and a lot of times we need out-of-state competitions to accommodate our schedules. So when the pieces fall into place, that’s great.”

This marks the first time Creighton Prep has traveled to another state for a football game.

The Junior Jays drive 6.5 hours southeast to St. Louis to take on DeSmet Jesuit.

Tim Johnk | Creighton Prep Football Coach: “We always looked for a game we could play, maybe with another Jesuit high school,” said Creighton Prep head coach Tim Johnk, “and we just managed to do that these two years.”

Prep ships early Friday morning for a Saturday afternoon game.

“You learn a lot about yourself,” Johnk said. “That’s what we want to see: When you play someone of this caliber, they expose your weaknesses, but there’s also some strengths that come out of it.”

The school takes these types of possibilities into account and includes the costs in its budget.

Junior Jays AD Dr. Daniel Schinzel estimates the total cost for this trip to be $15,000 – $20,000.

“When you can take 64 guys and play a varsity football game somewhere and travel as a team, it kind of feels like college,” Johnk said. “There’s a bonding element in terms of getting on the road, and staying in a hotel room and doing stuff like that, which is really cool.”

Thanks to the NSAA’s home-and-away format, Basha and DeSmet will be coming to the metro next season.

Millard North, which is hosting Cherry Creek from Colorado this year, will travel there in 2025.