Nebraska HS Football (nebhsfb.com) Final Regular Season Top 10
By Scott Hansen
NEBHSFB Person
1. Omaha Westside (13-0) 1
2. Elkhorn South (11-2) 3
3. Millard South (10-2) 2
4. Millard West (9-3) 8
5. Omaha North (8-3) 5
6. Grand Island (6-5) NR
7. Kearney (8-2) 4
8. Bellevue West (7-4) 6
9. Gretna (7-3) 7
10. Lincoln East (7-4) 10
Outside Looking In
Lincoln Southeast (6-4) NR
Papillion-La Vista (8-2) 9
Comments: Going wire-to-wire in the top spot, Omaha Westside outscored its opponents 643-46 during the 2023 season en route to its second straight Class A state championship. In the midst of a dynasty, Omaha Westside will be ready to reload in 2023 with a very different lineup, but they are going nowhere. Expect Millard South, Bellevue West, Omaha North, and Kearney to be the main challengers to Westside’s title run. The trick became what to do with Kearney. After initially leaning towards putting the Bearcats much higher due to the entire body of work over the course of the season, it was hard to justify putting Kearney ahead of Grand Island. Kearney and Grand Island split with the Islanders winning in the playoffs and technically on aggregate. Grand Island lost four games to teams that finished in the Top 5, so the deeper you went into it the better and better Grand Island’s season looked. Gretna finishes in the Top 10 at No. 9 and is projected to head down to Class B over the next “realignment” cycle. Papillion-La Vista, unfortunately, is left out due to Lincoln East winning a playoff game and its regular season loss to Lincoln Southeast. Be very aware of Papillion-La Vista in 2024, along with a retooled and perhaps reimagined Millard North. As for the Elite 33 postseason stuff, it has been worked on for about a month but we’ll see if I talk myself out of it again like in 2022.
1, Bennington (13-0) 1
2. Omaha Skutt (11-2) 2
3. Waverly (11-1) 3
4. Elkhorn North (10-2) 4
5. Norris (7-4) 9
6. Blair (6-5) 10
7. Hastings (7-4) NR
8. Scottsbluff (6-5) NR
9. Plattsmouth (7-3) 5
10. York (7-3) 6
Outside Looking In
Grand Island Northwest (5-5) 7
Seward (6-4) 8
Comments: A wire-to-wire No. 1, Bennington has won 39 straight games and the last three Class B state championships. The top four is unchanged from the final regular season ratings. After Elkhorn North at No. 4, it had been a jumble the entire season. Norris and Blair were rewarded for winning a playoff game with the TItans finishing No. 5 due to a head-to-head win over Blair. Hastings makes its first appearance of the season and finishes No. 7 after making outstanding progress. Give some credit to the Tigers, one of the most improved teams in 11-man in 2023. It will be interesting to see where the Class A cutoff ends up when the figures are released by the NSAA. Scottsbluff gets back into the Top 10 at No. 8 thanks to its playoff victory. Bennington probably isn’t going anywhere. If you are looking for the most likely team to threaten Bennington, that’s actually a really good question. Elkhorn will be improved. Gretna East will be considered a sleeper heading into the 2024 season.
1. Boone Central (13-0) 1
2. Wahoo (12-1) 2
3. Ashland-Greenwood (10-2) 3
4. Sidney (10-2) NR
5. Pierce (8-3) 4
6. Adams Central (9-2) 7
7. Auburn (8-3) 9
8. Broken Bow (7-4) NR
9. Omaha Roncalli (7-3) 5
10. Douglas County West (7-3) 6
Outside Looking In
Aurora (6-4) 8
Ogallala (7-3) 10
Comments: A wire-to-wire No. 1 in Class C-1, Boone Central runs the table to finish unbeaten. Wahoo will be considered one of the favorites in the 2024 preseason, finishing at No. 2. With a roster full of contributing junior and sophomores, Wahoo has a defense that will keep it in every single game. Sidney deserves its spot at No. 4 after impressing in the state playoffs. Broken Bow jumps into the No. 8 spot thanks to a playoff win. Looking for a sleeper in 2024, look hard at Aurora (is Aurora really a sleeper?). But you never know. Aurora might end up in Class B. Ashland-Greenwood will be reloading, but have some players coming back. The Bluejays do it right from top to bottom and the pride in their program has been a pleasure to witness.
1. Norfolk Catholic (13-0) 1
2. Ord (10-3) 4
3. Fillmore Central (11-1) 5
4. Yutan (9-3) 9
5. Oakland-Craig (9-2) 3
6. Malcolm (9-2) 6
7. Kearney Catholic (8-3) 8
8. Battle Creek (8-2) 2
9. Mitchell (8-3) NR
10. Wahoo Neumann (7-3) 7
Outside Looking In
Chase County (7-3) NR
Hastings St. Cecilia (7-3) 10
Comments: Norfolk Catholic was the only 11-man state champion not to start the season as the preseason No. 1. The Knights worked quickly to disprove its No. 3 ranking and was in the top spot by Week 3. Norfolk Catholic has won 26 straight games and will be in good shape again in 2024 for a potential run at a state record 13th state title. They have a really good shot to do so. A team that may provide the biggest threat to Norfolk Catholic is Fillmore Central, who finished 11-1 on the campaign. Oakland-Craig, Yutan, and Malcolm will be lurking. Keep an eye on Grand Island Central Catholic, one of the most improved teams in the entire state in 2023. With the offensive line Battle Creek has coming back, they will be able to control the football in a lot of games in 2024.
1. Stanton (12-0) 2
2. Exeter-Milligan/Friend (11-2) 6
3. North Platte St. Patrick’s (10-1) 1
4. Crofton (11-1) 4
5. Sandy Creek (11-1) 5
6. Cross County (10-1) 3
7. Arapahoe (9-2) 8
8. Elkhorn Valley (8-3) NR
9. Plainview (9-1) 7
10. Ravenna (9-1) 9
Outside Looking In
Shelby-Rising City (8-2) 10
Comments: Stanton ran the table towards its first state championship in program history. A top-notch junior class will ensure the Mustangs will be in the discussion yet again in 2024. Full marks to Exeter-Milligan/Friend running back Breckan Schluter, who rushed for more than 3,000 yards in 2023. Preseason favorite North Platte St. Patrick’s, featuring Jackson Roberts and Brecken Erickson, were perhaps deserving of more. Cross County, who has college prospects all over the place on its roster including Illinois pledge Tanner Hollinger, could only get to the quarterfinals. It was a loaded D-1 race in 2023.
1. Sandhills/Thedford (12-1) 9
2. Wynot (12-1) 2
3. South Loup (11-1) 1
4. Howells-Dodge (9-3) 8
5. Dundy County-Stratton (10-1) 3
6. Central Valley (10-1) 5
7. Johnson-Brock (10-1) 6
8. Ainsworth (9-1) 4
9. Humphrey St. Francis (9-2) 7
10. Nebraska City Lourdes (8-2) 10
Comments: In leading Sandhills/Thedford to its first state championship in program history, junior Kyle Cox had 215 carries for 1,436 yards and 26 touchdowns over five playoff games. Cox’s playoff outlay produced the most rushing yards over the entirety of the playoffs in Class D-2 history. With seven one-loss teams, coming up with a final product was difficult. Carter Nelson’s Ainsworth finishes at No. 8. A team to watch for the future is Humphrey St. Francis, who will be one of the top teams in whichever class it ends up after realignment.
1. Sumner-Eddyville-Miller (12-0) 4
2. Hay Springs (8-4) NR
3. Arthur County (9-1) 1
4. Wilcox-Hildreth (9-2) 5
5. Pawnee City (9-1) 2
6. Parkview Christian (8-3) 6
Outside Looking In
Potter-Dix (9-1) 3
Comments: It was fun learning more about the Six Man landscape in 2023. In year one of this website after 25 years away from the state, I had to relearn what these eight and six man schools were. Many were not called the same things as in 1995. I like six man football and hope it hangs around as long as necessary. We’ll try to ramp it up next season with even more Six Man coverage. It would be nice to have a “six man guy.”
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