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Bellevue West overcame a slew of offensive miscues on Friday night at Faiman Field, including two fumbles and an interception, and stifled Lincoln North Star en route to a 14-6 win in the first round of the Class A playoffs.

The Thunderbirds have now won 10 straight postseason openers.

“I’m just proud,� West coach Michael Huffman said. “Our defense was very good, especially in the red zone, and our offense wasn’t good anywhere. So we’re glad to win.�

North Star (6-4) had one last chance at the end, even after West (7-3) scored with a minute remaining to go up eight.

On the final play, Beaudree Ball’s heave through the night’s crisp air and to the end zone was initially reeled in by a Navigators receiver, but he dropped it upon hitting the ground. It was close enough to make West hesitate for a moment before breaking out in celebration.

“It was just a series of ups and downs,� said Thunderbirds linebacker Jules Dudoit, who pressured Ball before the throw. “My heart definitely skipped.�

West’s defense bent plenty of times but never broke, including a couple times in a roller coaster of a second quarter.

North Star marched with a long, penalty-aided drive that drained half of the quarter. West stuffed the Navigators on the first three goal-to-go plays. On fourth down from the 3, the Thunderbirds hurried Tyrell Chatman, whose throw fell to the turf short of his target in the end zone.

Then West went for it on fourth-and-1 from its own 14 and didn’t convert. And after another stand from the Birds’ defense with its back against the wall, Navigators kicker Max Kleppinger sailed a kick wide left.

North Star entered the break with little to show for a few prime opportunities, and the only heat West ever felt from its miscues was Kleppinger’s 26-yarder, which ricocheted off the upright and in on the final play of the first half.

“We always preach forcing field goals. I mean, teams are gonna get down there,� Huffman said. “That was just a testament to (defensive coordinator) Jake Gentile and his staff and our kids’ belief. It won the game tonight.�

West’s offense struggled all night. Midway through the fourth, the Thunderbirds had a first-and-goal from the 4 and, after multiple penalties, eventually ran their fourth-down play from the 30. It wasn’t successful, and North Star, down 7-6 at the time, took over with a chance to take the lead.

The Thunderbirds’ defense held one more time, though. They forced a punt, and West’s offense chewed clock before quarterback Will Anderson connected with wideout Jermaine Green for a 4-yard touchdown with a little over a minute left.

That was West’s best offense since Anderson connected with Bryce Johnson for 79 yards on the first play of the game and running back Tristan Gerez-James punched it in three plays later.

“I think we came into this game knowing it was gonna be a dogfight,� Dudoit said. “Like, we knew coming in that we were going to have to fight hard, every single down, no matter what.�

Bellevue West will face Kearney in the second round, where the Thunderbirds’ season ended a year ago. It will be the first meeting between the two since West won 55-31 in late 2021.

“We’re thankful to be in the playoffs,� Huffman said. “There’s a lot of kids who had to check in their equipment this week.�