Lincoln High has had its ups and downs in recent seasons, finishing 2-7 in 2023 and winning four games in 2022.

But building a culture and watching growth is what brings Mark Macke joy in his 14th season as head coach of the Links.

With three returning starters on offense and two on defense, the Links will grow tremendously at the skill positions on both sides of the ball – and they need to do it fast.

Two of the three starters on offense are on the O-line, while Jai’Cion Anderson returns for the left on the defensive line.

Lincoln High’s team begins its buildup in Week 1 away at Omaha Bryan before playing Omaha Northwest at Beechner Stadium in Week 2.

The Links defeated Omaha Northwest 35-0 last season.

Here are some takeaways from Lincoln High’s Friday practice.

With a team full of newbies, it’s no secret that the Links still have some work to do. But they also value it.

“I would say we have more inexperience than experience, but it’s fun to watch them get better,” Macke said. “That’s the beauty of being a coach. Some years you have experienced teams with quality players, other years you don’t and you’re rebuilding a little bit. That’s the phase we’re in and as a coaching staff we’re excited to see who’s here and who’s trying.”

But even if they are inexperienced, Macke and the Links have a long list of players who can get playing time and some athleticism.

Cole Butler returns to defense as a 6’1″ linebacker alongside Anderson. Troy Wiltshire will likely back him up on defense and play as a 6’2″, 215-pound tight end.

“That’s why I’m really excited about this season,” Macke noted. “I knew we had a group of guys that hadn’t played a lot of college football. I’m just excited for their opportunity and as a coaching staff, I’m like, ‘Can we get these guys to perform? Can we go from the different phases of offense to special teams to defense?’ We’ve always prided ourselves on always looking organized and structured.”

One bright spot that Macke noticed in the first week of training was the numbers on the field.

The Links were able to easily split the practice groups into freshmen, sophomores and seniors to run multiple repetitions simultaneously. This also allowed for more coaching groups to be formed and experienced leaders to be used.

Returning offensive linemen Gabe Balderas and Jacob Fujan could help the Links’ offense at the start of this seemingly fairly athletic running back group.

“We knew we had some linemen coming back, some big guys who have played a little bit,” Macke said. “Even though they were young a year ago, at least they’ve played college football. I think that could be a strength for us going forward. … The silver lining: I knew our numbers would be thin, but we’ve almost doubled our numbers here. I was a little worried in summer camp, our numbers weren’t very good, but now we’re starting to get kids to come along and give them a taste of what football is like.”