The first-ever Nebraska HS Football (nebhsfb.com) ratings champion in Class A has been crowned. Congratulations to Omaha Westside, who claimed the fourth state championship in school history and second in the past three seasons. Omaha Westside was ranked No. 1 in the preseason by Nebraska HS Football and most media outlets statewide.

Led by junior quarterback Anthony Rezac, Omaha Westside defeated Gretna 43-41 at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln on November 21, 2022 to capture the state title. Rezac finished the season with 3,355 total yards with more than 2,000 passing and 1,000 rushing yards for the season.

It was a fantastic season worthy of its preseason headlines. The 2022 season saw amazing quarterback play at an elite level in Class A with Zane Flores and junior Daniel Kaelin. Flores, who is headed to Oklahoma State, set the all-time passing record in Nebraska with 9,163 yards. Flores threw for 3,116 yards and 31 touchdowns in 2022 after his run to the state final. Kaelin pushed the single season record in Class A with 3,186 passing yards and a Class A-leading 36 touchdown strikes.

Bellevue West junior wide receiver Isaiah McMorris parlayed his state record 90 receptions into Power 5 offers, while fellow junior teammate Dae’Vonn Hall continues to show play worthy of his Power 5 interest.

Elkhorn South running back Cole Ballard was an Automatic Touchdown Machine (ATM) for his team this season, scoring on 38 occasions for the state quarterfinalist who went unbeaten during the regular season. Ballard set a single game Class A record with seven total touchdowns in a 55-14 win over Omaha Burke. Ballard scored 32 rushing touchdowns, caught four touchdown passes, and returned two punts for scores in 2022. Over the last two seasons of his stat-stuffing career, Ballard rushed for 55 touchdowns.

Lincoln Southwest’s Cal Newell led Class A in rushing with 1,568 yards and tacked on 20 touchdowns in a quarterfinal run for the Silver Hawks. The Omaha South trio of Daeshawn Tolbert, Aric Thomas, and junior Dylan Sheard put up some huge numbers this season. Thomas and Sheard both finished with more than 1,000 receiving yards with the 6’3/200 Thomas snagging 16 touchdown grabs.

The upset of the season took place on September 30, when North Platte took down then top-ranked Omaha Westside 21-17. South Dakota State commit Kolten Tilford rushed for 195 yards and two touchdowns on just 16 carries in a game where the Bulldogs only threw three times. Kearney’s 35-34 road win at Bellevue West also opened eyes statewide and put the Bearcats comfortably in to the Top 10.

Lincoln East athlete Malachi Coleman, Creighton Prep offensive lineman Sam Sledge, Lincoln Southeast offensive tackle Gunnar Gottula, and Elkhorn South defensive end Maverick Noonan are expected to sign with Nebraska on the first day of the National Signing Period, slated for December 21.

Iowa State is expected to ink Lincoln High wide receiver Beni Ngoyi, while Millard South punter Simon McClannan is expected to sign with Kansas State.

Class A’s top available talent in the 2023 class is Omaha Westside kicker Tristan Alvano, who connected on 16 of 21 field goals including a 57-yard bomb earlier this season. Alvano booted five field goals in the state championship game, including one from 45 yards as time expired in a 43-41 win over Gretna. Nebraska extended an offer the morning after his clutch state title game performance.

Nine athletes from Class A are expected to sign with FCS schools in the early signing period. The second National Signing Day for Division I and Division II schools takes place on February 1, 2023 with the period extending through April 1 for Division I schools and August 1 for Division II institutions.

There are handful of talents in Class A that will be on Division I radars from the Class of 2024, which will be detailed more this spring as we draw through the spring and the close we draw to the 2023 season. Without question, schools like Omaha Westside and Bellevue West will see a high volume of high-level college coaches roam its hallways in the coming months. The top overall prospects are Kaelin, McMorris, Hall, Omaha Westside athlete Caleb Benning, and Omaha Central offensive lineman Caleb Pyfrom.

The Class of 2025 will be no different, with Millard North athlete Caden VerMaas, Omaha North defensive lineman Tyson Terry, Omaha Westside linebacker Christian Jones, and Lincoln Southeast defensive end Pierre Allen Jr. being of particular interest locally early on with that list growing in Spring 2023 and beyond. 2024 Prospects | 2025 Prospects

Final Class A Stat Leaders (Stats Cannot Be Considered Accurate. From MaxPreps/Digital Scout)

Passing (Over 1,500 yards) Comp/Att (Pct.), Yards, TDs, INTs
D. Kaelin | Bellevue West (Jr) – 236/371 (.636), 3186, 36, 7
Z. Flores | Gretna – 235/369 (.637), 3116, 31, 7
D. Tolbert | Omaha South – 123/238 (.517), 2250, 23, 11
A. Rezac | Omaha Westside (Jr.) – 168/250 (.672), 2235, 19, 4
T. Beckman | Kearney – 127/194 (.655), 2105, 25, 5
C. Kozeal | Millard South – 137/219 (.626), 1863, 19, 5
J. Worthley | Lincoln East (Soph.) – 119/194 (.613), 1704, 14, 5
C. Rauner | Elkhorn South (Jr.) – 90/151 (.596), 1602, 13, 7

Rushing (Over 1,000 yards) Carries, Yards (Avg.), TDs
C. Newell | Lincoln Southwest – 251, 1568 (6.3), 20
T. Porter | Omaha North – 185, 1532 (8.3), 22
C. Ballard | Elkhorn South – 158, 1469 (9.4), 32
C. Brown | Creighton Prep – 222, 1408 (6.3), 15
M. Buettenback | Lincoln Southeast – 167, 1232 (7.6), 16
P. Prestito | Papillion-La Vista (Jr.) – 154, 1178 (7.6), 10
B. Roblee | North Platte – 221, 1165 (5.3), 12
A. Rezac | Omaha Westside (Jr.) – 162, 1123 (6.9), 19
D. Jones | Papillion-La Vista South – 166, 1064 (6.4), 17
K. Tilford | North Platte – 113, 1026 (9.1), 11

Receiving (Over 600 yards) Receptions, Yards (Avg.), TDs
I. McMorris | Bellevue West – 90, 1297 (14.4), 14
A. Thomas | Omaha South – 67, 1233 (18.4), 16
D. Sheard | Omaha South – 50, 1105 (22.1), 9
D. Hall | Bellevue West – 62, 974 (15.7), 11
C. Schnell | Gretna – 56, 857 (15.3), 5
J. Lloyd | Omaha Westside – 44, 784 (17.8), 5
J. Bapista | Lincoln Southwest – 41, 698 (18.0), 6
K. Roebke | Lincoln East – 36, 649 (18.0), 5
Z. Reuling | Kearney (Jr.) – 37, 643 (17.4), 8

Field Goals
T. Alvano | Omaha Westside – 16/21 (57 Long); J. Licking | Norfolk – 9/10 (43 Long); S. McClannan | Millard South – 8/9; F. Hamilton | Creighton Prep – 8/9 (49 Long); C. Bothwell | Gretna – 8/10 (31 Long)

Interceptions
C. Marsh | Grand Island – 8; B. Sunken | Lincoln North Star, J. Cyza | Fremont, A. Wilcoxson | Gretna, J. Pargo Jr. | Creighton Prep – 5; C. Rickley | Omaha Bryan, J. Davis | Omaha Benson, A. Runge | Gretna – 4

Final Class A Top 10

1. Omaha Westside (12-1)

2. Gretna (12-1)

3. Creighton Prep (8-4)

4. Elkhorn South (10-1)

5. Bellevue West (7-4)

6. Grand Island (9-3)

7. Lincoln Southwest (8-3)

8. Millard South (6-5)

9. Kearney (7-3)

10. Omaha North (6-4)

OLI: North Platte (6-4), Papillion-La Vista South (6-4)

Teams to Watch for 2023: Lincoln Southeast (5-5), Papillion-La Vista (4-6), Millard North (4-5)

2022 Playoff Results

State Championship
Omaha Westside (12-1) 43, Gretna (12-1) 41

Semifinals
Omaha Westside (11-1) 38, Grand Island (9-3) 7
Gretna (12-0) 36 , Creighton Prep (8-4) 14

Quarterfinals

Omaha Westside (10-1) 42, Lincoln Southwest (8-3) 28
Grand Island (9-2) 28, Millard South (6-5) 10
Gretna (11-0) 35, Bellevue West (7-4) 23
Creighton Prep (8-3) 10, Elkhorn South (10-1) 3

First Round

Omaha Westside (9-1) 59, Papillion-La Vista (4-6) 21
Lincoln Southwest (8-2) 31, Millard West (6-4) 17
Grand Island (8-2) 35, Omaha North (6-4) 28
Millard South (6-4) 35, Kearney (7-2) 21

Gretna (10-0) 27, Lincoln Southeast (5-5) 24
Bellevue West (7-3) 42, Papillion-La Vista South (6-4) 20
Elkhorn South (10-0) 48, Lincoln East (5-5) 20
Creighton Prep (7-3) 27, North Platte (6-4) 0

2022 Top Performers (On article, click on name on tags to find all stories on an athlete)

Week 0 – Top Performers
Week 1 – Class A Top Performers 
Week 2 – Class A Top Performers 
Week 3 – Class A Top Performers 
Week 4 – Class A Top Performers 
Week 5 – Class A Top Performers
Week 6 – Class A Top Performers 
Week 7 – Class A Top Performers 
Week 8 – Class A Top Performers 
Week 9 – Class A Top Performers