KEARNEY, Neb. — It’s been too long since the Kearney High boys basketball team has played at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

At least that’s the opinion of coach Drake Beranek and his Bearcats.

“I mean, I think it’s pretty evident to everybody that we want to make it to the state tournament," Beranek said. "It’s been long enough where we haven’t been there. We’ve talked about it the last three or four years and we’re going to continue to talk about it until we get back there.”

Star junior Ben Johnson was in middle school in 2019 when Kearney last made State.

“The last time they went to state, my brother was a sophomore and he played," Johnson said. "It would be nice to get back there.”

The Bearcats have reason to set high goals for this season. They return three of their top four scorers from a district final team and added a critical new piece. 

Sophomore Jacob Webber transferred this fall from Scottsdale Christian Academy in Arizona.

“I found out on a Saturday and then me and my dad took off Monday,” Webber said.

The abrupt move is a homecoming for Webber’s parents. His mom is a Kearney High graduate and his dad, John, played for UNK before coaching the Lopers as a graduate assistant. One of his pupils? Drake Beranek.

“In fact, he was one of the most influential skills trainers that I’ve ever — he grew my game individually a ton,” Beranek said.

Jacob excelled enough as a freshman in Arizona to collect a Division l offer from Illinois-Chicago. But Beranek says his former GA’s son could still use some polish, and he might be the right man for the job.

“He’s super skilled," Beranek said. "But there’s some grit and some toughness that he needs to get in his game. I wasn’t that good at anything, but I was kind of tough and I was kind of gritty.”

Beranek’s mindset is already rubbing off.

“Defense is a big part and just overall hustle and everything," Webber said. "He’s already taught me, even when you’re tired, you have to keep going.”

Webber’s been a quick study with the Bearcats’ playbook, but more important to his Kearney teammates, he already has his mind focused on state.

“We’ve already had multiple conversations and stuff," Webber said. "That’s one of the main things that we talk about when we’re all together. We just talk about things that we’re willing to give up, things that we’re willing to add on and do to reach our end goal, which would be a state championship.”