He sure didn’t look like much of an all-stater that day. No sir.

Noah Shoemaker was only 14 years old but because of a COVID-related lack of players he was thrust into the Cozad American Legion Seniors starting lineup. Based on his approach at the plate in his first at-bat you have to give the credit for having some pretty sharp survival instincts.

“I was standing so far off the plate that when I went to tap the plate I didn’t even reach it,” says Huskerland’s 2024 Class C-1 all-state quarterback. “But I got better.”

That could be said about all this sports, as Noah Shoemaker, a senior at dear old Cozad High, is one of the more decorated athletes in our state.

As for picking a favorite, that’s hard. “I can’t really say which is I favorite, I love all of them,” says Noah, who these days stands 6-foot-3, 190 pounds. “I remember changing my mind about that a million times when I was little.”

Cozad head coach Nick Broz is the wintertime winner, having Noah in his starting lineup. With him (that’s Noah) averaging 16 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals per game, the Haymakers are off to an 9-1 start entering Friday’s titanic clash at unbeaten Ogallala.

“It’s always great to have talented kids in the program that love the sport and want to be the best possible, and Noah has continued to build his game throughout the years,” says Coach Broz. “Early on he was known for his ability to shoot from distance but as he has developed he has become a dynamic driver. With his size, athletic ability, and strength he has become a great defender and rebounder. Obviously we look to him to give us production from a points, assists, and rebounding perspective, but honestly his leadership and positive energy are the most important aspects that he provides our team.

“By the end of his career his name will end up scattered across our all-time records board but when I’ve had discussions with him about his individual goals in the past all he says is that he wants to do is win.

And he’s done just that, in basketball (the Haymakers were 22-game winners in his junior season, 17 wins as a sophomore) as well as football. Last fall he capped a sensational high school football career by passing for 1,910 yards and 25 TDs, rushing for 876 yards rushing and 17 more TDs, adding 51 tackles on defense and punting for a 37.6 yard average, which is mighty good. More importantly he led Cozad to a 7-3 record and the program’s first playoff berth since 2020.

“Noah is a true competitor. He is someone that wants the ball in his hand when the game is on the line and feels comfortable in those situations,” says his CHS head football coach, Jayce Dueland. “In two overtime games he had the winning run from converting a rollout pass into him finding a way in the endzone by running through a tackle at the goal line. He is also a great leader who cares about all his teammates and treats all of them with respect. Hee holds them to the same high standards that he holds himself.”

Little Noah made his debut in organized sports back when he was, well, little, his folks playing a sizeable roll in getting the ball started. “I played all the sports,” remembers Noah. “I wrestled, I was on the swim team, all the other sports. I was constantly playing sports.”

Pay-to-play youth sports have their place but Noah’s fondest childhood sports memories were more loosely organized. See, he had a kindly neighbor who owned an open lot right next door to Shoemakers, and Noah and his friends wore that place out.

“We played baseball and football there, and then we’d go over to another neighbor’s house and lower the basket so we could dunk, and really get after it,” he fondly recalls. “Our neighborhood was loaded with kids, too, so those were great times.”

Born in Kearney but having lived in Cozad his entire life, Noah has a younger brother, Kellen, is on the CHS football and basketball teams with big bro, along with a sixth-grade sister. For fun he enjoys hunting - pheasant, quail, ducks, geese - especially on those trips to Kansas to hunt on property owned by his grandpa. He also enjoys driving around with friends to talk things out, and playing video games.

Noah is also a winner in the classroom, holding down a 4.0 GPA and membership in the National Honor Society. Besides his football and basketball exploits he is also a member of the Cozad High track team, as a junior qualifying for state in the discus. He wore No. 18 in football, having work No. 12 as a freshman but the following year one of the seniors claimed it, so he switched to No. 18 and now sees it as his number. He wears No. 22 in basketball mainly because it was his baseball uniform number back in the day.

Knowing the end of his high school career is just weeks away is a thought that crosses his mind now and then, but he is comforted by getting to live out another of his sporting dreams when he signed to play football at Chadron State College. “I had options but I love the people, the game day visit I took was amazing, and I like the small town feel. My gut told me this was the place I was supposed to be,” says Noah, who once there plans to study exercise or maybe business, too soon to tell. “And the drive isn’t too bad, I can be home in four hours if I want.”

His team has once again proven to be one of the best in Class C-1, though the Haymakers will still be chasing their first state tournament berth since 2014 and only second since 1979. “We have the capability, the talent, to go all the way if we put in the work,” says Noah.