Multiple unbeaten teams going down this week remind us that every single game matters. The state's eight-man teams wrap up the regular season this week and will be the first to start postseason play next week.
Class A
School (Rec.) | Pvs. | Last week
1. Millard South (6-1) | 1 | Lincoln High, W, 63-0
2. Omaha Westside (7-0) | 2 | Elkhorn South, W, 45-3
3. Elkhorn South (6-1) | 3 | Omaha Westside, L, 45-3
4. Kearney (6-1) | 5 | Millard North, W, 36-33
5. Omaha North (5-2) | 6 | South Sioux City, W, 48-7
6. Bellevue West (5-2) | 7 | Lincoln Southwest, W, 28-14
7. Omaha Central (4-3) | 9 | Papillion-La Vista, W, 27-7
People are also reading…
8. Papillion-La Vista (5-2) | 4 | Omaha Central, L, 27-7
9. Millard North (4-3) | 8 | Kearney, L, 36-33
10. Millard West (3-4) | NR | Omaha Northwest, W, 52-0
Contenders: Lincoln Southeast, Creighton Prep, Lincoln North Star, Fremont.
Comments: Omaha Central spanked previous No. 4 Papillion-La Vista 27-7 to shuffle things around. The Eagles move up to No. 7 while the Monarchs drop to No. 8. Creighton Prep’s third straight loss, this one to Fremont, drops the Junior Jays out and makes room for another 3-4 team, Millard West. Why do the Wildcats get in ahead of 5-2 Lincoln Southeast? A brutal first four games, for one, in which Millard West played the current No. 1, 2, and 8 teams, and stayed within five points of the Creighton Prep team Southeast lost to 24-0.
Class B
School (Rec.) | Pvs. | Last week
1. Bennington (7-0) | 1 | Elkhorn, W, 35-7
2. Seward (7-0) | 3 | Blair, W, 20-13
3. Scottsbluff (6-1) | 4 | Hastings, W, 41-6
4. Elkhorn North (6-1) | 5 | Omaha Skutt, W, 28-21
5. Omaha Skutt (6-1) | 2 | Elkhorn North, L, 28-21
6. Norris (5-2) | 6 | Beatrice, W, 44-0
7. Waverly (5-2) | 7 | Plattsmouth, W, 41-0
8. Gretna (4-3) | NR | Platteview, W, 51-14
9. Elkhorn (3-4) | 9 | Bennington, L, 35-7
10. York (5-2) | 8 | GI Northwest, L, 10-7
Contenders: Hastings, McCook, Gering, Gretna East.
Comments: For the second week in a row, No. 2 goes down. This time it was Omaha Skutt falling to Elkhorn North by a touchdown, one week after Elkhorn North lost to Elkhorn by a field goal. That puts Seward on alert, as the unbeaten Bluejays rise to No. 2. Right behind is Scottsbluff, which lost to Seward by one point. Elkhorn North moves to fourth, with Skutt at No. 5. York’s 10-7 loss to Grand Island Northwest, in which the Vikings scored 10 points in the final 3-plus minutes, drops the Dukes to 10th. Hastings, with a loss to York, falls out after a loss to Scottsbluff. Gretna is back in at No. 7.
Class C-1
School (Rec.) | Pvs. | Last week
1. Wahoo (7-0) | 1 | Logan View/S-S, W, 63-6
2. Ashland-Greenwood (6-1) | 2 | Omaha Roncalli, W, 29-26
3. Sidney (7-0) | 3 | Chase County, W, 35-12
4. Chadron (7-0) | 4 | Alliance, W, 54-12
5. Columbus Lakeview (7-0) | 5 | Scotus CC, W, 26-22
6. Central City (6-1) | 7 | Milford, W, 55-7
7. Auburn (6-1) | 8 | Fairbury, W, 41-0
8. Boys Town (6-1) | 9 | Louisville, W, 49-13
9. Fort Calhoun (6-1) | 10 | Omaha Concordia, W, 41-17
10. O’Neill (7-0) | NR | Schuyler, W, 55-14
Contenders: Cozad, Lincoln Christian, Omaha Roncalli, Scotus Central Catholic.
Comments: The only loss in the top 10 was a doozy. Adams Central hit a hook-and-lateral on a 4th-and-15 with 34 seconds left to stun previous No. 6 Cozad 29-26. That means O’Neill — the last undefeated, unranked team in the class — is the new No. 10 this week just in time for back-to-back games against 5-2 Scotus Central Catholic and 7-0 Columbus Lakeview, while Cozad drops out. Wahoo faces its stiffest test since Week 2’s win over Ashland-Greenwood with a trip to No. 9 Fort Calhoun. The top-ranked Warriors have allowed six total points over their last four games, with three shutouts.
Class C-2
School (Rec.) | Pvs. | Last week
1. Norfolk Catholic (7-0) | 1 | Oakland-Craig, W, 48-21
2. Bishop Neumann (6-1) | 2 | Conestoga, W, 50-0
3. Cedar Catholic (6-1) | 3 | Ponca, W, 49-14
4. Battle Creek (6-1) | 4 | West Point-Beemer, W, 28-0
5. Oakland-Craig (5-2) | 5 | Norfolk Catholic, L, 48-21
6. Boone Central (5-2) | 8 | St. Paul, W, 23-7
7. Malcolm (5-2) | 9 | Raymond Central, W, 27-19
8. Grand Island CC (6-1) | 10 | Cross County W, 45-6
9. Raymond Central (6-1) | 6 | Malcolm, L, 27-19
10. Kearney Catholic (6-1) | 7 | Mitchell, L, 41-38
Contenders: Doniphan-Trumbull, Wood River, Valentine.
Comments: Two unbeatens went down this week — previous No. 7 Kearney Catholic fell to 3-4 Mitchell, and previous No. 6 Raymond Central lost to Malcolm in a game the Clippers led 27-7 at one point. The Stars and Mustangs drop to 10th, and ninth, respectively. Malcolm jumps to seventh, while Grand Island Central Catholic rises to eighth. Oakland-Craig stays at fifth despite a loss, because that loss came at the hands of Norfolk Catholic. Valentine, after two losses to currently unbeaten C-1 teams to open the season, is now 5-2 with a 19-point win over the Mitchell team that just beat Kearney Catholic, and just outside the top 10. The Badgers and Stars meet in Week 9.
Class D-1
School (Rec.) | Pvs. | Last week
1. Stanton (7-0) | 1 | Plainview, W, 48-28
2. Sandy Creek (7-0) | 2 | EMF, W, 58-22
3. Arapahoe (7-0) | 3 | Hi-Line, W, 51-12
4. Dundy Co.-Stratton (6-1) | 4 | Alma, W, 42-20
5. Summerland (6-1) | 5 | Laurel-Concord-Coleridge, W, 59-14
6. Crofton (6-1) | 6 | Wausa-Osmond, W, 54-6
7. North Platte SP (6-1) | 7 | Southern Valley, W, forfeit
8. Shelby-Rising City (6-1) | 8 | Mead, W, 52-6
9. Guardian Angels CC (7-0) | 9 | Wisner-Pilger, W, 45-26
10. Pleasanton (7-0) | 10 | West Holt, W, 49-30
Contenders: Thayer Central, Plainview, Hartington-Newcastle, David City, Johnson-Brock, Johnson Co. Central, Lourdes CC.
Comments: An unbeaten week for the top 10, with the closest game being 19 points. This week is the last week of the regular season for the state’s eight-man squads, meaning it’s all about winning to either secure or improve playoff positioning. The postseason should be a good one, too, with the current top 10 containing five unbeaten and five one-loss programs.
Class D-2
School (Rec.) | Pvs. | Last week
1. Sandhills-Thedford (7-0) | 1 | Mullen, W, 76-6
2. Central Valley (6-1) | 2 | Palmer, W, 66-0
3. Humphrey Archangels (7-0) | 3 | Fullerton, W, 54-18
4. BDS (7-0) | 4 | Giltner, W, fft.
5. Riverside (5-2) | 5 | Nebraska Christian, W, 59-20
6. Howells-Dodge (6-1) | 6 | Osceola, W, 50-6
7. Overton (7-0) | 7 | Cambridge, W, 40-32
8. Bancroft-Rosalie (7-0) | 8 | Lyons-Decatur Northeast, W, 54-42
9. Loomis (7-0) | 9 | Bertrand, W, 44-6
10. Wynot (5-2) | 10 | Winside, W, 28-0
Contenders: Cambridge, High Plains, Weeping Water, Creighton, Wilcox-Hildreth.
Comments: No losses and no changes here. A battle of unbeatens to end the season is the highlight as Fort Kearny Conference rivals Overton and Loomis clash for bragging rights and the D2-8 district title. If that game isn’t good enough for you, No. 3 Humphrey Archangels and No. 6 Howells-Dodge tangle in a matchup of programs that have made a habit of winning state titles. Sandhills-Thedford clinched its district title in impressive fashion, routing a one-loss Mullen team 76-6.
Class D-6
School (Rec.) | Pvs. | Last week
1. S-E-M (6-0) | 1 | Paxton, W, 44-21
2. Arthur County (6-0) | 2 | Sioux County, W, 52-18
3. Pawnee City (6-0) | 3 | Sterling, W, 53-0
4. Stuart (5-1) | 4 | Hampton, W, 57-6
5. Hay Springs (6-0) | 5 | Cody-Kilgore, W, 52-19
6. Red Cloud (6-0) | 6 | Silver Lake, W, 53-22
7. Garden County (6-0) | 7 | Leyton, W, 83-49
8. Hampton (4-2) | 8 | Shelton, W, 45-34
9. Wallace (5-1) | 9 | Medicine Valley, W, 14-12
10. Diller-Odell (5-1) | NR | Dorchester, W, 54-19
10. Leyton (4-2) | 10 | Garden County, L, 83-49
Contenders: Southwest, Leyton, Silver Lake, Paxton.
Comments: Garden County hung 83 on previous No. 10 Leyton to knock the Warriors out and make room for Diller-Odell. The Griffins have lost only to unbeaten No. 6 Red Cloud, and get another crack at an unbeaten team this week with a trip to No. 3 Pawnee City. The rest of the rankings remain unchanged as everyone else in the top 10 won.