Polak lifts No. 1 Thunderbolts

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By BRENT C. WAGNER / Lincoln Journal Star

Nathan Polak may have made high school boys soccer history.

Oh, sure, there’s probably been others that have scored eight goals in a two-game span. The Lincoln Pius X senior had three goals in the Thunderbolts’ 5-0 victory against Lincoln Lutheran on Monday at Spirit Park.

But Polak probably had a different first. With the top two teams in Class B facing off, a couple of newspaper reporters and a television camera were on hand.

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Because the guy who scores three goals usually gets interviewed, Polak took a marker and wrote some talking points on his hand. Things like:

** Give the defense — guys like Marcus Schademann and Cody Poteat — credit, because they don’t get much attention.

** That the outcome wasn’t a huge shock, because Polak has confidence in his teammates.

** How Polak was proud of how well the team played early in the game, in what has become one of the biggest rivalries in Class B.

“I stink at interviews,” Polak said.

That one of the best goal scorers in the state was on the bench for the final 10 minutes of the game with time to think about such things shows what kind of game it was. Playing against a stiff wind in the first half, Pius X still scored four goals. Even against the wind in the second half, the Thunderbolts had better scoring chances.

Jacob Ramsay and Joseph Hilger also scored for the top-ranked Thunderbolts (11-0), who handed No. 2 Lincoln Lutheran its first loss of the season.

Including five goals against Holdrege last weekend, Polak has 16 this season. The five goals in one game are the most he’s scored at any level, Polak said.

“I’m just feeling really confident, and we’ve been doing really well since the Omaha Skutt game, which was a morale boost,” Polak said.

While the Thunderbolts’ victory wasn’t an upset, the manner in which they beat the only other remaining unbeaten team in Class B probably was. Pius X was often able to split defenders in the box, and quickly exploited weaknesses  in the Warriors’ defense.

“You have to be cautious, but I think we are that good,” Pius X coach Harlan Milder said. “We’re not at the level of the best Class A schools, we don’t have that much depth. But in terms of Class B, I feel confident that we have enough depth that we are that good.”

Pius X closes the regular season Thursday, when it hosts Class A No. 8 Millard North.

Reach Brent C. Wagner at 473-7435 or bwagner@journalstar.com.