Nebraska high school football Top 25 rankings (10/3/2023)
Deep in its territory, a fourth-quarter gamble paid off big for Bellevue West last Friday.
Trailing 13-7 with four minutes left, Nebraska quarterback commit – and punter – Daniel Kaelin tossed a first down to CJ Gauff before driving the field and scoring, solidifying a 14-13 win over Gretna.
It was a much-needed victory for the Thunderbirds, who have struggled with consistency all season. This win pushes Bell West up our power rankings.
1. Omaha Westside (6-0, 2-0 district)
Quarterback Anthony Rezac threw for three scores and ran for another during a 63-0 route of North Platte. Running back Jahmez Ross was another huge factor, rushing for 173 yards and a score helping the Warriors remain undefeated on the year. Up next is a huge game against No. 5 Kearney.
2. Millard South (6-0, 2-0 district)
Jett Thomala threw for 278 yards and three scores during a 45-21 win over Lincoln East. It was 17-14 South heading into the fourth quarter, before a 28-point explosion led the Patriots to a comfortable win. Up next is an away district game against Columbus.
3. Millard West (5-1, 2-0 district)
It wasn't the Wildcats’ best performance, but they managed to pull off a 28-21 win over Millard North, a team that hasn’t been able to find its footing over the course of this year. Still, the Wildcats level of play and competition has them in our No. 3 spot. This week, they face Lincoln Southeast on the road.
4. Omaha North (5-1, 1-0 district)
Omaha North is coming off a 69-0 win over Omaha Northwest. Expect this week to be ugly, as well, when the Vikings head to face 1-6 Fremont Friday. Grand Island and Elkhorn South could be more challenging games as the season concludes, but it’s very possible Omaha North will finish out the season unbeaten.
5. Kearney (6-0, 1-0 district)
Kearney will have a golden opportunity Friday when they host unbeaten Omaha Westside. The Bearcats will have their hands full, though, as they face a talent-loaded Warrior squad. It should also be noted that Kearney had its hands full with Grand Island this past week, beating the Islanders 10-7. It will take a lot more for Kearney to pull this one off.
6. Elkhorn South (5-1, 2-0 district)
Quarterback Madden Riggs threw for 118 yards and two scores, and got some help with another four scores coming out of his backfield during a 51-7 win over Fremont. This Friday, the Storm host 4-2 Grand Island. We give south the nod in this one, but expect a much more competitive game.
7. Bellevue West (4-3, 2-0 district)
Led by a fourth-quarter fake punt deep inside its own territory, Bellevue West clawed itself to a much-needed 14-13 win over Gretna. Nebraska commit Daniel Kaelin threw for three scores to lead his team. Next up is a rivalry game against Bellevue East, which we believe the Thunderbirds will win.
8. Gretna (4-2, 1-1 district)
Gretna this week drops a spot below Bellevue West after its heartbreaking loss. We expect Gretna to bounce back this Friday when they play Papillion-La Vista South. It will be interesting to see how this squad responds after such an emotional letdown last week.
9. Creighton Prep (3-4, 2-0 district)
It’s been a rocky year for the Jr. Jays, but they are doing everything they need to get to state, starting off 2-0 in district play. Last week, they beat Omaha Central 34-28. This week, they host 5-1 Papillion-La Vista. We have this as a 50/50 game.
10. Papillion-La Vista (5-1, 2-0 district)
Senior Payton Prestito rushed for 164 yards and four scores during a lopsided win over Omaha Burke. The going will be much tougher this week, as the Monarchs hit the road to face Creighton Prep. The deciding factor in this one will be whether PLV can sustain a run attack against the Jr. Jay defense.
11. Lincoln East (4-2, 1-1 district)
East is coming off a 45-21 loss to Millard South. There’s no moral victory here, but the Spartans were down just three heading into the fourth quarter – that counts for something. Look for the Spartans to get back on track this week when they face 2-4 Lincoln High.
12. Norfolk (4-2, 1-1 district)
CJ Hoffman threw for 148 yards and a score, and running back Rowdy Bauer ran for 163 and three scores during a win over Lincoln Northeast. We like Norfolk to win this week, when they face 3-3 Lincoln North Star at home in a non-district matchup.
13. Grand Island (4-2, 1-0 district)
Grand Island nearly pulled off a great win over rival Kearney, but ultimately fell 10-7 last Friday. If this team could go 1-1 during its next two games against Elkhorn South and Omaha North, that would be a major win. It’s likely, though, that they will lose the next two.
14. Papillion-La Vista South (4-2, 1-0 district)
Sam Schuler threw for 79 yards and three scores helping his team to a 59-6 win over Omaha South. Ben McClung rushed for 109 and a score, as well. This week, PLVS heads to Gretna to face a Dragons team coming off a tough loss to Bellevue West. This could be close early, but we expect Gretna to pull ahead in the second half.
15. Bellevue East (4-2, 0-1 district)
The Chieftains are coming off a 55-0 win over Omaha Benson. This week, it’s rivalry week, as East hosts its crosstown counterpart Bellevue West. East has a better record, but the talent gap between the two squads is hard to overlook. We like West in this matchup.
16. Bennington (6-0, 2-0 district)
Staying perfect, the Class B Badgers move up four spots in this week’s rankings. Peyton Sanmann threw for 230 yards and two scores during last week’s win over Blair. Running back Quinton Archer ran for 94 yards and found the endzone twice. Up next is an away district game at Westview.
17. South Sioux City (5-1, 1-1 district)
South Sioux plummeted in last week's rankings after a drubbing from Millard West. They responded well though last Friday, picking up a win over Omaha Bryan. Though Bryan isn’t a great team, we saw enough to move the Cardinals up a few slots this week. This week, they hit the road to take on Lincoln Southwest.
18. Elkhorn North (6-0, 2-0 district)
The Wolves won 35-17 against Elkhorn High last Friday to remain perfect on the season. Look for this team to roll past Elkhorn Mt. Michael this week before heading into a huge game against Class B No. 1 Bennington.
19. Lincoln North Star (3-3, 1-1 district)
The Navigators won 38-6 last week over Lincoln High. This week, they hit the road for a non-district game against Norfolk. We think that Norfolk’s rushing attack will cause problems for the Navigators’ defense. We give the edge to the Panthers.
20. Lincoln Southeast (3-3, 1-1 district)
Southeast is coming off a 30-14 win over Lincoln Southwest. We think that Southeast will lose to Millard West this week, but will have a chance to win its final two games over Omaha Bryan and South Sioux City to have a chance at securing a playoff spot.
21. Waverly (6-0, 1-0 district)
Waverly is one of three unbeatens remaining in Nebraska Class B. They are coming off a 27-13 win over Scottsbluff. Nolan Maahs threw for 191 and a score, leading his team to victory. Up next is Gretna East.
22. Omaha Bryan (3-3, 0-2 district)
Since starting the season 2-0, the Bears have gone 1-3 since. We think they will likely fall this week to Millard North, who has certainly struggled, but only lost by seven to No. 3 Millard West. A loss here will probably drop Bryan from our Top 25 rankings.
23. Skutt Catholic (5-1, 1-0 district)
Since its week-one 14-13 loss to Bennington, Skutt has rattled off five straight wins in impressive fashion. Most recently, they beat Lincoln Pius X 62-9. This week, they face 4-2 Ralston. We give the nod to Skutt in this matchup.
24. Omaha Central (2-4, 0-1 district)
Central isn’t a bad football team, but they have struggled all year with closing out games late. This past week, they lost to Creighton Prep 34-28. This week, the going doesn’t get easier when they face Papillion La-Vista. The Eagles final two games against Benson and Burke should be wins.
25. Columbus (2-4, 0-1 district)
The Discoverers started the year 2-1, but have lost their last three. Look for it to be four straight when they face Millard South at home Friday. Fortunately, the following three games to conclude the season are all winnable. Let’s see what happens.
Next 5: Lincoln Southwest, North Platte, York, Plattsmouth, Elkhorn
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