Week 6 Class A Top 10

Comments: They will be talking about the night No. 1 went down in North Platte for the next century. North Platte’s 21-17 shocker over preseason favorite Omaha Westside definitely opened some eyes statewide. As the dust was settling on North Platte’s win, Gretna erased a 23-point deficit in the final seven minutes to beat Bellevue West. Gretna, winners of 11 straight games, goes to No. 1. Westside falls to No. 3. Grand Island is up two spots after winning at Kearney, who falls to No. 7. Bellevue West, still every bit in the state title discussion depending on how the brackets line up, is No. 8. As to what happens next? Who knows? It will sure be an enjoyable ride for the neutral.
Class A Point Leaders, By District/Schedules

Class A

  1. Gretna (6-0) – at No. 9 Papillion-LaVista South (Thurs.) | 2
  2. Elkhorn South (6-0) – at No. 6 Grand Island | 3
  3. Omaha Westside (5-1) – vs. No. 7 Kearney | 1
  4. Omaha North (5-1) – vs. Fremont | 4
  5. Creighton Prep (4-3) – Idle | 7
  6. Grand Island (5-1) – vs. No. 2 Elkhorn South | 8
  7. Kearney (5-1) – at No. 3 Omaah Westside | 5
  8. Bellevue West (4-3) – vs. Bellevue East | 6
  9. Papillion-LaVista South (5-1) – vs. No. 2 Gretna | 9
  10. Millard South (3-3) – vs. Columbus (Thurs.) | 10

Dropped Out: 
None

Teams To Watch:
Lincoln East (3-3) – vs. Lincoln High
Lincoln Southeast (3-3) – at Millard West
Lincoln Southwest (5-1) – at South Sioux City
Millard West (3-3) – vs. Lincoln Southeast
North Platte (3-3) – at Lincoln Northeast (Thurs.)
Papillion-LaVista (3-3) – at Omaha Central (Thurs.)

Player of the Week

Zane Flores | Gretna | QB – The Oklahoma State commit led a furious rally as new No. 1 Gretna stormed back for a 40-37 victory over Bellevue West. Flores threw for 382 yards and accounted for five touchdowns, including three touchdowns in the fourth quarter after Gretna trailed 37-14 with 7:09 remaining. In the final seven minutes, Flores threw for three touchdowns and a pair of two-point conversions as Gretna clawed its way back into the game.

On the recruiting front, it would appear Nebraska whiffed big time on Flores. If you look closely at the situation, when Flores was starting to elevate his game as a junior and Nebraska chose not to offer, the Huskers were operating in a system that required a different skill set at the position. The story is not the same today, but even a new offensive coordinator in Lincoln did not change its stance in the offseason. Nebraska had moved on, and so had Flores. At Oklahoma State, head coach Mike Gundy has literally operated with multiple types of quarterbacks with different skill sets and has adjusted his scheme around what he has. Flores will be no different.

Top Performers

Cole Ballard | Elkhorn South | RB – Ballard rushed for a school record six touchdowns, all in the first half, as Elkhorn South defeated Fremont, 49-7. Ballard now has 40 rushing touchdowns over the last 17 games.

Charmar Brown | Creighton Prep | RB – Brown, a North Dakota State commit, rushed for 98 yards and two touchdowns in a 55-0 win over Creighton Prep. Brown has 939 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns this season.

Gio Contreras | Bellevue West | RB – Contreras rushed for 110 yards and a touchdown and caught six passes for 103 yards and a touchdown in a 40-37 loss to Gretna.

Jaylen Davis | Omaha Benson | QB – Davis accounted for 266 yards and four touchdowns in a 51-45 double-overtime loss to Bellevue East.

Cohen Evans and Cole Thorne | Grand Island – Evans and Thorne hooked up on two crucial touchdown passes as Grand Island defeated previously unbeaten Kearney, 28-21.

Jeremiah Gorham | Omaha Bryan | ATH – Gorham rushed for 87 yards and two touchdowns and added another 83 receiving yards and a score in a 23-21 win over South Sioux City.

Daniel Kaelin | Bellevue West | QB – Kaelin threw for 325 yards and three touchdowns in a 40-37 loss to Gretna. Kaelin is the first quarterback in Nebraska to surpass 2,000 passing yards this season with 2,092 yards and go along with 22 touchdowns.

Devyn Jones | Papillion-LaVista South | RB – Jones rushed for 143 yards and four touchdowns in a 66-8 win over Omaha South. Jones now has 13 rushing touchdowns this season for the Titans.

Andrew Lucas | Bellevue East | RB – Lucas rushed for 103 yards and three touchdowns in a 51-45 double overtime victory over Omaha Benson.

Simon McClannan | Millard South | K/P – McClannan blasted three field goals, including one from 47 yards, in a 22-21 win over Lincoln East. The Kansas State pledge also had a 74-yard punt and hit a 37-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to decide the outcome.

Isaiah McMorris | Bellevue West | WR – McMorris caught 13 passes for 147 yards and a touchdown in a 40-37 loss to Gretna. McMorris has 52 catches for 880 yards and nine touchdowns this season for the Thunderbirds.

Cal Newell | Lincoln Southwest | RB – Newell rushed for 122 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a 17-14 victory over Lincoln Southeast. Newell has 707 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns this season for the Silver Hawks.

Brody Peterson | Millard West | ATH – Peterson rushed for 148 yards and a touchdown in a 40-13 victory over Millard North.

Te’Shaun Porter | Omaha North | RB – Porter rushed for three touchdowns in a 64-0 win over Omaha Northwest. Porter has rushed for 16 touchdowns this season for the Vikings.

Caleb Schnell | Gretna | WR – Schnell caught seven passes for 168 yards and a touchdown in a 40-37 victory over Bellevue West.

Kolten Tilford | North Platte | RB – The South Dakota State pledge rushed for 197 yards and two touchdowns in a 21-17 upset win over then-No. 1 Omaha Westside. Brock Roblee added 122 rushing yards and a score for the Bulldogs.

Caden VerMaas | Millard North | ATH – VerMaas rushed for 146 yards and a touchdown in a 40-13 loss to Millard West.

Jackson Williams | Millard West | WR – Jackson rushed for a touchdown, caught a 73-yard touchdown pass, and returned a punt for a score in a 40-13 victory over rival Millard North.