2025 NSAA Class D-6 State Championship Game
Garden County (11-0) vs. Southwest (11-0)
When: Friday November 21 at 7:00 pm CT
Where: Ron and Carol Cope Stadium in Kearney
TV/Stream: NCN Nebraska (NFHS Network – $)
– (Note: If you have NCN on cable or over-the-air, the game will be free. If not, it’s behind the NFHS Network paywall)
Radio: KOID – McCook, KSID – Sidney, KQHK – McCook
Live Game Stats
NSAA Football Finals Headquarters
Class D-6 Playoff Bracket
Tickets
Last Meeting: 2024 NSAA Playoff First Round – Garden County, 50-23

Garden County Eagles (11-0)
Head Coach: Chad Dormann
State Championships: None
Scoring Offense: 61.6 | Scoring Defense: 16.0
Final NEBHSFB.com Regular Season Rating: No. 1
One-Way to Cope Stadium: 191.4 miles

Garden County: With the exception of two wins over Stuart to include the state semifinals, Garden County has made a comfortable trek to Kearney in an attempt to win its first-ever state championship in program history. Last season, the Eagles finished 10-1 and lost out in the semifinals to Sumner-Eddyville-Miller. A useless fact that does not matter, Garden County (Oshkosh) has only two state basketball tournament wins in history with the last coming in 1921. In football, the Eagles have fared much better, especially in the late 2010’s. 

The Eagles heavily rely on their ground game, averaging 314.1 rushing yards per game this season, while attempting fewer than six passes per game. When it is time to put the ball in the air, junior Kole Fornander (549 passing yards, 9 TD’s; 800 rushing yards, 19 TD’s, 15.1 yards per carry) can throw it when he needs to while being a huge weapon on the ground. Senior Wilsie Lobner (946 rushing yards, 17 TD’s; 210 receiving yards, 3 TD’s) is also a valuable target on offense. Lobner leads the Eagles in both rushing and receiving.

On defense, junior Jase Roberson (108 tackles, INT) leads Garden County in tackles. Kyan Kramer (76 tackles, 2 INT’s), Lobner (72 tackles, 3 INT’s), Lane Brenneman (59 tackles, 6 TFL, 5 sacks) and Fornander (51 tackles, 3 INT’s) are key contributors for the Eagles.

Southwest Roughriders (11-0)
Head Coach: Christian Arterburn
State Championships: None
Scoring Offense: 52.1 | Scoring Defense: 15.1
Final NEBHSFB.com Regular Season Rating: No. 4
One-Way to Cope Stadium: 86.7 miles

Southwest: After three straight seasons of falling short in the Class D-6 playoff first round, Southwest ran the table to finish the season with an unblemished mark heading into its shot for a first-ever state championship in program history.  In fact, Southwest had only one playoff win before this season coming in 2004. 

Quarterback play is a huge reason why the Roughriders have made a run. Houston Billeter (2,608 total yards, 50 total TD’s) has been stellar in his senior campaign leading the Roughriders on offense. Junior Jacob Barber (1,000 total yards, 21 total TD’s) has been a viable second option in the running and passing games for Southwest, averaging 27.1 yards per catch. Junior Deric Kelley (511 receiving yards, 9 TD’s) is another threat for the Roughriders with his 6-foot-4 frame.

A defense that allows just 15.1 points per game and is coming off a shutout win over Red Cloud in the semifinals, led by junior Gage Hammond (117 tackles, 4 sacks, 2 INT’s). Barber (94 tackles, 3 INT’s), Kelley (77 tackles, 12 TFL), and Billeter (71 tackles, 4 INT’s) have also performed well for the Roughriders. A freshman to watch is Bo Truksa (57 tackles, 5 TFL). 

2025 NSAA D-6 Playoffs  

Semifinals
Garden County 44, Stuart 28
Southwest 35, Red Cloud 0

Quarterfinals
Garden County 42, Silver Lake 6
Stuart 31, Leyton 25
Southwest 27, S-E-M 23
Red Cloud 54, Wallace 36

First Round
Garden County 73, Crawford 18
Silver Lake 39, Arthur County 28
Leyton 63, Pawnee City 14
Stuart 47, Meridian 7
Southwest 60, Lewiston 14
S-E-M 62, Potter-Dix 14
Wallace 51, Hampton 20
Red Cloud 58, Wauneta-Palisade 12