It wasn’t so much a look of endorsement as much as one of support with a touch of curiosity mixed in. It was the look the senior linemen were giving sophomore quarterback Matt Masker when he entered his first varsity game huddle.

It was the third game of Masker’s sophomore season at Kearney Catholic and while he was a known commodity within the program - the kid was gonna be pretty great, pretty sure about that - this was his first time for him to step into the white hot spotlight that shines on the starting varsity QB. How would he react? How would he perform?

While Masker wasn’t entirely sure about the answer to either question he was sure about one thing - he’d earned this moment.

“All that summer I really spent a lot of time on the mental part of the game because even then I knew how important that was,” says Masker, who is about to enter his senior season standing a robust 6-foot-3, 215 pounds. “When I went into that first huddle the seniors looked at me sort of funny but they were always good to me. Our program is built on player trust no matter what grade you are in, and once the game started I was fine.”

So were his teammates, you’d imagine, as Masker that night threw for 200 yards and two TDs. He would go on to throw for over 1,700 yards as a sophomore, setting the stage for a state record setting junior season in which he passed for 2,717 yards and 36 TDs, earning all-state honors in the process.

These days he is now considered one of the top recruiting prospects in Nebraska’s high school Class of 2018, a standing he's done little to diminish in the opening two games of the season, passing for 578 yards and five touchdowns as the Stars have rolled out to a quick 2-0 start.

“I feel like I’ve had a good off-season and feel more prepared than ever before for playing at a high level,” says Masker. He is far from making his college decision but he’s drawn a great deal of recruiting interest across the college spectrum, all the way up to Division I. “I grew up a Husker fan and that would be my dream, to get to play for Nebraska, but I am approaching the whole recruiting thing with the idea there are plenty of options. If Nebraska works out, that would be great, but if not there are lots of other great college football programs where I feel I could fit in and be comfortable.”

The confidence in his voice was surely bolstered by his brilliant junior season in which he also led Kearney Catholic to a 10-2 record and a berth in the Class C-1 state playoff semifinals. In many ways his team’s season was a surprise to many, which made it all the more satisfying to Masker and Co. And through it all Masker reached and perhaps exceeded the high expectations others had for him as a football hero, but not his.

“I expect a lot from myself. I know that others are looking to me to make plays when it matters the most and I like being in that position,” says Masker. “I have great teammates who do a lot of the work to make things happen and together we have found a way to be successful, which is what a team game like football is all about.”

Masker was born at Kearney’s Good Samaritan Hospital, which is, in a delicious touch of serendipity, right across the street from Kearney Catholic school. He loves to fish and craves “time on the boat,” but he’s also a serious student who carries a 3.4 GPA. He’s a member of the Stars basketball team but one of his biggest athletic moments came back in middle school when he was a member of the Kearney team that was Nebraska’s first to play in the Little League World Series.

Masker is also a member of the National Honor Society and is a member of the school’s student council. As for his college studies he plans to major in pre-medicine or business. “I know this, life is too short to not do what you love.”

You know, like making a state football final. No doubt Masker’d love that.