Nebraska HS Football Class A Week 1 Preview

Game of the Week

No. 1 Omaha Westside vs. No. 7 Creighton Prep (at Burke Stadium)
– This is one of the biggest rivalries in the state of Nebraska. Most of the pundits statewide have installed Omaha Westside as the preseason favorite to reign in Class A. Loaded with weapons all over the place, the top prospects in the recruiting world for Omaha Westside are junior athlete Caleb Benning, sophomore linebacker Christian Jones, wide receiver Jaylen Lloyd and too many others to mention. Creighton Prep is coming off a narrow loss to No. 3 Bellevue West in the final seconds after getting 178 rushing yards and a touchdown from North Dakota State commit Charmar Brown. Creighton Prep rushed for 296 yards in the loss to Bellevue West behind the best offensive front in the state led by Nebraska commit Sam Sledge.

Other Top Games

No. 4 Elkhorn South at No. 8 Lincoln Southeast (4:30 pm at Seacrest Field) –
Having two Nebraska commits opening the season against one another will get some eyes in the afternoon at Searcrest. Elkhorn South’s Maverick Noonan and All-State running back candidate Cole Ballard lead the Storm, while the Knights are led by offensive tackle Gunnar Gottula and running back Max Buttenback.

No. 10 Millard West at No. 6 Millard South –
Both teams are loaded with college talent, but had different outcomes to the 2021 season. Millard West, led by junior quarterback Brody Peterson, should improve from its 3-6 mark from a year ago. The Wildcats have talented and experienced holdovers on defense. Millard South are led by FCS commits Lance Rucker and Gavin Nunnally, plus an intriguing quarterback in baseball star Camden Kozeal.

No. 3 Bellevue West (1-0) at No. 5 Omaha North
– Daniel Kaelin threw for 269 yards and four touchdowns with a pair of juniors in Dae’Vonn Hall and Isaiah McMorris having solid nights in the passing game in a 28-21 win over Creighton Prep. Junior Division I basketball prospect Jacob Arop (6’6/250) started at offensive tackle for the Thunderbirds. Omaha North is led by 1,600-yard rusher Te’Shaun Porter on offense and sophomore Power 5 defensive line prospect Tyson Terry. The Vikings have a chance to make a huge statement on opening night.

Class A (Top 10)

Thursday August 25
Class A
No. 2 Gretna 44, Omaha Burke 0
– No. 2 Gretna rolled to a 44-0 victory over Omaha Burke to open its defense of the Class A state championship from last season. Oklahoma State verbal Zane Flores completed 13-of-16 passes for 160 yards and three touchdowns in the victory, including a 51-yard strike to Joe Roll to give the Dragons a 14-0 lead in the first quarter.
Kearney 14, Lincoln East 6
– Ethan Kowalek broke free on a 68-yard touchdown run with 9:50 left to help Kearney claim a 14-6 road victory over Lincoln East. Lincoln East scored on a 65-yard touchdown run by junior Dash Baumann in the loss. (KSNB Highlights)
Sioux City North (IA) 44, South Sioux City 0
– South Sioux City opened on the road with a 44-0 loss to Sioux City North. Former South Sioux City running back Demarico Young rushed for 196 yards against his former team in the victory for the Stars.

Friday August 26
Lincoln Northeast at Bellevue East
– Lincoln Northeast’s new head coach Javonta Boyd inherits an intriguing roster with solid senior leadership and some talented underclassmen in the cupboard, while Bellevue East also has a new head coach in Aaron Thurmann and sophomore quarterback Mikey Gow.
Norfolk at Columbus (1-0)
– Norfolk opens the season on the road with defensive end Jackson Bos the player of note for the Panthers. Columbus won its opener 28-21 behind 143 yards and three touchdowns from Liam Blaser and a stop at the goal line in the dying seconds over Fremont.
No. 9 Papillion-LaVista South (1-0) at Fremont (0-1)
– Both teams played in Week 0, but suffered different fates. Papio South used 168 yards and three touchdowns by Devyn Jones to turn away a solid North Platte team to open the season with a 35-21 win. Fremont lost at home 28-21 to Columbus behind 380 total yards from quarterback Hudson Cunnings in a losing effort.
Lincoln High at Lincoln Southwest
– Lincoln High is loaded with college talent including Iowa State pledge Beni Ngoyi, Adonis Hutchinson, Javon Leuty, and junior Donald DeFrand Jr. Lincoln Southwest has a very intriguing roster loaded with college talent as well and are led by Northern Iowa linebacker pledge Brogan Ling and Division II commit Grant Berry. Jack Baptista, Cal Newell, and Cooper Jackson are other talents to watch for the Silver Hawks.
Grand Island at North Platte (0-1)
– Expect to see Cohen Evans at quarterback for the Islanders with Jace Chrisman and Bo Douglass providing leadership on defense. North Platte is coming off a season-opening loss to No. 9 Papillion-LaVista South after getting 125 yards and a touchdown from Brock Roblee and a solid performance from Kolten Tilford.
Lincoln North Star at Omaha Benson
– A much improved Lincoln North Star squad led by defensive stalwart Kade Seip takes on what should be another improved team in Benson. Watch out for Benson’s offense, which feature a lot of talent and playmaking ability.
Omaha Northwest at Omaha Central
– Omaha Northwest is a program searching to find its way and have seen numbers dwindle with two new OPS high schools. Omaha Central’s roster has been depleted by transfers, but features offensive lineman Jamison Kemp and junior Caleb Pyfrom.
Omaha Bryan at Omaha South
– Both coming off one-win seasons, Omaha Bryan features linebacker Cole Rickley as the leader. For Omaha South, wide receiver Aric Thomas, quarterback Daeshawn Tolbert and junior Dylan Sheard are the players to watch.
Millard North at Papillion-LaVista
– Millard North’s run-first attack will be led by underrated quarterback Charlie Quaintance and a solid offensive line including Max Hogan and Chris Frazier Jr. The Monarchs have junior running back Payton Prestito and fellow junior Eric Ingwerson (6’7/230) as the headliners on an intriguing roster.