2025 NSAA Class D-2 State Championship Game
St. Mary’s (12-0) vs. Wynot (11-1)
When: Monday, November 24 at 2:45 pm CT
Where: Memorial Stadium in Lincoln
TV/Stream: Nebraska Public Media
Radio: KBRX – O’Neill, KEXL – Pierce, KNEN – Norfolk, KVHT – Vermillion (SD), Spirit Catholic Radio, KYNT – Yankton (SD)
NSAA Football Finals Headquarters
Class D-2 Playoff Bracket
Live Game Stats
Tickets
St. Mary’s Cardinals (12-0)
Head Coach: Tony Allen
State Championships: 1984 (C-2), 2002 (D-2)
Scoring Offense: 58.8 | Scoring Defense: 16.7
Final NEBHSFB.com Regular Season Rating: No. 4
One-Way to Memorial Stadium: 192.5 miles
St. Mary’s: St. Mary’s has advanced to a state final for the first time since 2002 when it won the title in Class D-2. After a hard-fought 18-13 win over Twin Loup to open the campaign, the Cardinals have rolled to comfortable victories en route to Lincoln. This game will be a rematch of the 2025 Class D-2 state championship game in basketball which St. Mary’s won, 63-51.
Leading an offense that has scored over 60 points in a game six times this season is record-setting signal caller Gage Hedstrom (3,760 total yards, 80 total TD’s). Hedstrom broke the Class D-2 state record for touchdowns over a career and comes into the final game with 186 (104 passing, 82 rushing). With Hedstrom operating the controls, the Cardinals average 378.2 yards per game. Junior Ben Barlow (61 receptions, 989 yards, 20 TD’s) is a big play threat in the passing game, while Lane Bybee (463 receiving yards, 7 TD’s) provides an additional threat on offense.
On defense, Hedstrom (114 tackles, 7 TFL, 5 TFL) is amongst the leaders along with Dalton Herley (110 tackles, 20 TFL, 5 TFL) and Bybee (105 tackles, 17 TFL, 6 sacks). Barlow (63 tackles, 7 INT’s) was amongst the Class D-2 leaders in interceptions this season coming into the final tied for second.
Wynot Blue Devils (11-1)
Head Coach: Steve Heimes
State Championships: None
Scoring Offense: 56.3 | Scoring Defense: 19.7
Final NEBHSFB.com Regular Season Rating: No. 3
One-Way to Memorial Stadium: 160.8 miles
Wynot: After making a historic run to the state final in 2023, Wynot is back in Lincoln for another shot to win its first state football title in school history. The Blue Devils have compiled a 39-7 record over the past four seasons despite facing a brutal schedule and have qualified for the playoffs for 17 straight seasons.
Devin Brummer (1,745 passing yards, 31 TD’s) has proved to be a steady hand operating an offense that averages a shade over 307 yards per contest. Junior Lane Heimes (999 rushing yards, 26 TD’s) is the top option out of the backfield for the Blue Devils. Kotner Koch (59 receptions, 781 yards, 10 TD’s) leads the receivers, while junior Braylon Hans (547 receiving yards, 10 TD’s) plays a pivotal role in the passing game.
Lane Heimes (115 tackles, 7.5 TFL) leads Wynot in tackles by a long shot, while junior Nixen Heimes (71 tackles), Parker Schmidt (71 tackles, 8.5 TFL), and Hans (59 tackles, 9.5 TFL, 5.5 sacks, 4 INT’s) are main contributors on defense for the Blue Devils. Koch (70 tackles, 7 INT’s) will be lurking in the secondary.
2025 Class D-2 State Playoffs
Semifinals
St. Mary’s 52 , Howells-Dodge 28
Wynot 45, Central Valley 28
Quarterfinals
Howells-Dodge 30, Lawrence-Nelson 8
St. Mary’s 66, Sanndhills/Thedford 24
Wynot 43, Hitchcock County 12
Central Valley 34, Archangels Catholic 20
Second Round
Howells-Dodge 44, Overton 8
Lawrence-Nelson 78, Elmwood-Murdock 42
Sandhills/Thedford 28, Anselmo-Merna 20
St. Mary’s 46, Burwell 6
Hitchcock County 24, Twin Loup 10
Wynot 64, Mullen 13
Archangels Catholic 50, Loomis 0
Central Valley 54, Deshler 16
First Round
Howells-Dodge 60, Hyannis `12
Overton 49. Elgin/Pope John 42
Lawrence-Nelson 59, Osceola 14
Elmwood-Murdock 58, Bancroft-Rosalie 14
Anselmo-Merna 58, Lyons-Decatur Northeast 22
Sandhills/Thedford 46, Winside 12
Burwell 49, BDS 30
St. Mary’s 60, Creighton 16
Hitchcock County 42, Franklin 14
Twin Loup 56, Neligh-Oakdale 22
Mullen 54, Maxwell 13
Wynot 44, Fullerton 8
Archangels Catholic 48, Weeping Water 20
Loomis 66, Cambridge 30
Deshler 50, Elm Creek 28
Central Valley 60, Wilcox-Hildreth 6
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