Before social media and smart phones, sports fans tuned into high school athletics through radio broadcasts and read highlights the next day in the local newspaper. But in the last two decades, high school sports coverage has grown, evolving to follow collegiate and professional sports media trends. Now, fans can get instant updates on almost any game or athlete of any class.

A rising household name within Nebraska high school sports media spaces is a LSE Alum who goes by Joshiesty. The person behind this brand, Josiah Harris, dedicates his time to highlighting significant sports moments.

Harris has had a long time enthusiasm for the media and digital software. As a kid, he recalls editing video game clips or Youtube-style videos.

But it wasn’t until his sophomore year of high school when he first picked up a camera, and soon he would begin taking photos at school sporting events.

“At the time, sports content, especially at the high school level, wasn’t nearly as big in Lincoln or Nebraska as it is now,” Harris said. “I saw something online that wasn’t really being done here, and I wanted to bring that along with my own experience to Nebraska.”

On mainly Instagram, Harris has posted images, graphics, and highlight reels of high school athletes and teams in the Lincoln area.

With a follower count just under 5,000, Harris has been able to connect thousands to the exciting realm of high school sports through his viral posts.

Harris prioritizes covering events that matter because those are more memorable, such as rivalry games and city matchups because “it’s not always about records, it’s about energy.”

Games like LSW vs. LSE have brought out entire communities and those are the moments people want captured most, according to Harris.

While Harris’s popularity came mostly from the support of the community, he believes a big part of him garnering a successful brand was due to marketing.

“I created a persona, “Joshiesty”, to give my work identity, personality, and something people could connect to,” Harris said.

In saturated spaces like sports media, it can be hard for creators to differentiate themselves from one another.

But, according to Harris, “people will invest in you if they believe in your creativity and your vision.”

In the weeks leading up to a rival football game between LSE and LSW, Harris announced, with the help of LSE’s Dedicated Fans Association, that he would be making shirts for fans to wear at the game. There were two styles of shirts, one for LSE fans and one for LSW fans.

Exploring different types of marketing and ways to make himself known on social media for his work allows Harris to “build something bigger that creates opportunities for others too.”

At the end of the day, that’s his goal, to create a space for high school athletes to have a platform and something to look back on.

Similarly to Harris, Hurrdat Sports, a prominent sports media company established in 2022 by Bill Hipsher, is a leading force behind a lot of the highlights and stories of all athletes in Nebraska.

Within Hurrdat Sports, there are several brands that cover different aspects of Nebraska athletics. One is NebPreps, which specifically covers high school athletics.

Under this brand they provide statistics of players or teams, photos and video footage that can be freely accessed through social media outlets such as Instagram.

Austin Jacobsen is a Hurrdat Sports field reporter and content creator under NebPreps. He has worked with the parent company of Hurrdat Sports since the fall of 2024 and began working on NebPreps in October 2025.

Jacobsen said he’s always been interested in different forms of media and the ways in which he could talk about sports.

Being from a small town in western Nebraska, Jacobsen knew he wanted to get unique stories, from all parts of the state, out there as well.

“We could just primarily focus on the kids who are committed Division I or are committed to the biggest schools in the area,” Jacobsen said. “But I really like to focus on the kids who have their biggest career moments at the high school level.”

These “moments” could be big winning shots, crosstown games or conference tournament championships.

“A lot of times we only focus on the front runners,” Jacobsen said. “There’s just so many athletes that are behind that mark.”

Due to this, Jacobsen makes the effort to do sports coverage “as far and wide” on sports teams and athletes across all Nebraska classes.

“It’s as simple as just going to a game and talking about what you saw or doing a couple of phone videos,” Jacobsen said.

Through these moments of coverage, Hurrdat Sports is able to create a platform for athletes that give them recognition on social media.

During the LSE vs. LSW girls soccer game last month, LSE’s goalie Lily Pickerel (10) had an outstanding night which was highlighted in an Instagram post by NebPreps.

“I couldn’t believe they had posted me,” Pickerel said. “I immediately clicked on [the post] while screaming for my parents to come look at my phone.”

One of Pickerel’s goals was to preform so well that NebPreps would make a video or post about her, so the support from online and her peers gave her a confidence boost and extra motivation to continue her efforts.

“It made me realize how much my performance truly affects the outcome of games,” Pickerel said. “The post really emphasized my technique and agility.”

Pickerel’s success followed her to the girls soccer district final, where the Knights won in overtime through penalty kicks. After the game, a 10/11 reporter was ready to interview her.

“Everything had just happened so quickly and then I saw the camera man with a microphone coming towards me, I was so shocked,” Pickerel said.

In her moment of spotlight, Pickerel let her adrenaline lead her through the interview. She made sure to emphasize how much her team means to her.

Pickerel said that knowing there are reporters and photographers coming to her games makes them much more exciting.

An important component of the media attention for Pickerel is the opportunity for college coaches to see her key highlights in intense matches.

Jacobsen agrees, feeling that more exposure could lead to more opportunities for an athlete to have further athletic success post high school.

“I would like to think that if someone hears a story or sees a [post] about [an athlete] that a college reaches out to them and they get more opportunities that way,” Jacobsen said.

But, providing opportunities for high school athletes in Nebraska to get noticed by college coaches isn’t the only goal of Hurrdat Sports.

“If their athletic careers end in high school, I just hope we gave them the platform that they deserve to be able to lift up those moments,” Jacobsen said.

While making a platform for others, both Harris and Jacobsen have been able to make one for themselves. Even though they’ve become familiar faces in Nebraska high school sports media, the memories and special moments they share is what makes them continue their work.

“That’s what drives me. Creating outlets for people. Bringing communities together. Giving others a chance to be seen,” Harris said.