SBLive Nebraska high school football Power 25 how they fared: Regular season wraps up

By Nathan Charles

Every member of the top 25, with the exception of one, will move on to the postseason in either Class A, B or C-1. The lone team left out was No. 23 Millard North due to a loss to Southwest that dropped the Mustangs to 4-5. They were two spots behind the final wildcard qualifier in the points standings. The top 10 of the SBLive Power 25 includes the top seven of Class A plus the 11 and 13 seeds. Also in there is Bennington, the top seed for the Class B playoffs. Aurora, the top seed in Class C-1 is one spot out of the SBLive 25 at No. 11.

Feature photo: Bennington wrapped up its second straight unbeaten regular season with a win Thursday at Mount Michael. The Badgers head into the postseason as the No. 1 seed in Class B. (Mount Michael Football Twitter.

No. 1 Elkhorn South won 42-6 vs. No. 9 Omaha North

Quarterback Carson Rauner accounted for three touchdowns in the first half, running back Cole Ballard had two in the second and Elkhorn South completed its first unbeaten season in Class A. Rauner threw a 29-yard touchdown pass, a 25-yard touchdown pass and found the end zone on a 2-yard run to make it 21-0 at halftime. Ballard started the second half with an 84-yard touchdown run then added then broke free again later on a 45-yard scoring run. Elkhorn South is the three seed for the Class A playoffs and hosts 5-4 Lincoln East.

No. 2 Gretna won 28-6 vs. No. 17 Lincoln East

Gretna quarterback Zane Flores finished the year with 26 touchdown passes after tossing three more scores in a win that completed the first unbeaten season for the Dragons in Class A. Tyson Boganowski caught two of those scoring throws and ends the regular season with six touchdown catches. East kicker Colin Nehe provided the only Spartan points. Gretna locked up the No. 2 seed for the Class A playoffs and hosts Lincoln Southeast in the first round.

No. 3 Westside won 63-7 at Lincoln Northeast

The Warriors scored 49 points before halftime then inserted the backups and looked ahead to the postseason. Quarterback Anthony Rezac passed for 139 yards and ran for 54 in limited action. Defensively, the Warriors held the Rockets to 11 of 25 passing and gave up just 39 rushing yards on 29 attempts. Westside is 8-1 and the top seed in the Class A playoffs. The playoffs start with a matchup against 4-5 Papillion-La Vista.

No. 4 Bennington won 52-14 at Mount Michael

The Badgers wrapped up their second straight unbeaten season with a big second quarter. Bennington led 7-0 through the first 12 minutes, scored three times in the next 12 minutes then put it away for good with 24 points in the fourth. Running back Nick Colvert and wide receiver Jonathan Williams both had over 100 yards and quarterback Trey Bird threw four touchdown passes. Bennington earned the top seed for the Class B playoffs and faces Beatrice in the first round.

No. 5 Bellevue West won 42-20 at No. 14 Papillion-La Vista South

Quarterback Danny Kaelin passed for his third straight game with more than 300 yards and sixth of the season. Kaelin was 19 of 29 throwing for 357 yards and five touchdowns. He threw two touchdowns to Dae’vonn Hall and one each to Isaiah McMorris, Ben Goodwater and Cayden Echternach. Hall and McMorris both tied for the team lead with 139 receiving yards. Bell West scored the first 14 points and 21 of the next 24 when Papio South cut it to 14-10 early in the second quarter. The T-Birds close the regular year 6-3 and are the seven seed for the Class A playoffs. That means an immediate rematch with Papio South, the 10 seed.

No. 6 Creighton Prep won 44-13 vs. Benson

Prep completed a perfect district record and finished the schedule on a five-game winning streak. The defense held Benson quarterback Jaylen Davis to 9 for 23 throwing and picked him off twice, including a 95-yard pick-six by Nicholas Kieny. Prep came back from a 1-3 start for the 11 seed in the Class A playoffs and will travel to North Platte.

No. 7 Grand Island won 52-0 at Omaha Northwest

The Islanders built a 24-0 first-quarter lead and finished off their first shutout win of the season. Caleb Richardson scored the first and third touchdowns of the opening 12 minutes on runs of 40 yards and 3 yards. In between, Heider Alba Meda connected on a 28-yard field goal and Justyce Hostetler found the end zone on a 45-yard run. The defense held the Huskies to 81 total yards on 54 plays. Grand Island improved to 7-2, is the four seed for the Class A playoffs and hosts 6-3 Omaha North in the first round.

No. 8 Kearney won 34-10 at Norfolk

Up 6-3, Kearney quarterback Treyven Beckman pushed his team to a 17-point advantage on a pair of 80-yard touchdown passes to Jack Dahlgren and Zander Reuling. He then located Karter Lee for a late first-half touchdown and an insurmountable 27-3 halftime advantage. An eight-minute drive in the third quarter that finished with a short touchdown pass to Beau Skala completed the Bearcat scoring. Kearney is 7-2 and the fifth seed for the Class A playoffs. Millard South comes calling for the first round with a 5-4 record and four wins out of the last five after starting 1-3.

No. 9 Omaha North lost 42-6 at No. 1 Elkhorn South.

Te’Shaun Porter got his, but everything else was a struggle for North. The senior running back had his seventh game of 100 yards or more this season and averaged 5.7 yards per carry for 102 total but was held out of the end zone. Quarterback Sebastian Circo was harassed all night by the Elkhorn South defensive front and was just 6 of 16 throwing with two interceptions. The Vikings had just 25 more yards on 11 carries from three other backs who touched the ball. North ended the year with back-to-back losses, fell to 6-3 and slid all the way down to the 13 seed for the Class A playoffs. North faces a rematch for the first round of the playoffs – a road game at Grand Island. The Islanders beat the Vikings 31-21 during Week 8 in Omaha.

No. 10 North Platte won 36-29 vs. No. 25 Papillion-La Vista

Kolten Tilford’s 10-yard touchdown run with 1:18 remaining provided the winning score and made it four straight victories for North Platte. The Bulldogs led 21-7 at the half but fumbled away their first drive after halftime and threw an interception with a 28-21 advantage that led to a Papio scoring drive. The Monarchs turned it into a touchdown and converted the two-point try for a 29-28 lead with under four minutes remaining. North Platte answered with a scoring drive capped by Tilford. He had 161 yards and three scores, fellow running back Brock Roblee picked up 159 yards on 32 carries and had a touchdown and Hayden Brauer had 81 rushing yards. North Platte improved to 6-3 and is the six seed for the Class A postseason. A dangerous Creighton Prep team comes calling for a first-round matchup.

No. 11 Aurora won 49-21 at Central City

Aurora allowed Central City to respond to both of its first two touchdown drives but then scored the next three and built a 21-point advantage. Quarterback Drew Knust had touchdown runs of 40, 7 and 1 while running back Maddex Egger had a pair of 2-yard touchdown runs. Aurora is the top seed for the Class A playoffs and hosts 6-3 Scotus Central Catholic in the first round. Potential rematches with Boone Central and Ashland-Greenwood await in the semifinals.

No. 12 Millard South won 34-14 at Lincoln High

Millard South worked through three turnovers and eight penalties in the first half. Despite those mistakes and miscues, the Patriots led 20-0 at the break. Once again, quarterback Cam Kozeal was the reason why. He led a 71-yard scoring drive in the first quarter that ended on a 9-yard pass to Lance Rucker, found Brock Murtaugh for a 5-yard touchdown pass after the defense intercepted a pass then needed just three completions to cover 73 yards and toss a third touchdown pass, 27 yards to Gavin Nunnally. Millard South is 5-4 and earns the 12 seed for the Class A postseason. A trip to five-seed Kearney awaits in the first round.

No. 13 Millard West won 48-20 vs. Bryan

A 21-point second quarter provided the separation for Millard West as it won its fifth in a row and posted a perfect 5-0 district record. Millard West led 14-7 when Jackson Williams fielded a bouncing punt and took it the distance to start a run of 21 straight points. Once two games below .500, Millard West finished 6-3 and has the nine seed for an 8/9 matchup at 7-2 Lincoln Southwest in the first round of the Class A playoffs.

No. 14 Papillion-La Vista Souths lost 42-20 vs. No. 5 Bellevue West

Papio South allowed the first two touchdowns but found its way back in the game and had the ball at midfield down 14-10 early in the second quarter. The Titans were halted there on a failed fourth down conversion and allowed a scoring drive shortly after. The T-Birds added another before half and led 28-10 at the break. Bellevue West essentially put it away with another scoring drive that made it 35-13 with under a minute left in the third. The loss dropped Papio South to 6-3 and meant the 10 seed for the Class A playoffs. It also means a rematch with the Titans who picked up the 7 seed.

No. 15 Scottsbluff won 55-14 at Lexington

Scottsbluff covered 82 yards on 11 plays in its first possession for a 7-0 lead and kept pounding Lexington on the ground throughout. An interception return down to the 1 on the next drive set up Sebastien Boyle for a 1-yard dive and a 14-0 lead. A 31-yard touchdown pass from Braeden Stull to Jackson Allen, a Boyle 52-yard scamper, a Stull 15-yard dash and Jayce Wilkinson's 25-yard pick-six, all in the second quarter, made it 42-7 at halftime. Scottsbluff is 8-1 and the three seed for the Class B playoffs. Plattsmouth (4-5) makes the trip out west to challenge Scottsbluff in the first round.

No. 16 Southwest won 42-28 at No. 23 Millard North

Quarterback Collin Fritton put together a career game in the final regular season contest of his career, accounting for all six Southwest touchdowns. He passed for five and ran for one during a Silver Hawks win that earned Southwest a bounce-back win following a potentially damaging loss to Millard West in Week 8. Tied 28-28, Fritton found Jack Baptista for a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown passes that ended the Southwest regular season at 7-2. Fritton was 11 of 18 throwing for 245 yards. Both Baptista and Jackson Carpenter had more than 100 receiving yards. Southwest picked up the eight seed and the last home game spot on the Class A postseason bracket. Millard West comes to town for a rematch of that Week 8 27-23 Wildcat win.

No. 17 Lincoln East lost 28-6 at No. 2 Gretna

The East defense held one of Nebraska’s most potent offenses to its second-lowest scoring total of the season but couldn’t get anything going on the other side of the ball. The defense kept the Spartans in the game and had East within 14-6 at the start of the fourth quarter. The Spartans drew a roughing the punter penalty early in the fourth that extended a drive but followed it up with a 2-yard loss and a delay of game. Gretna quarterback Zane Flores made it 21-6 on the next drive with a short 2-yard rushing touchdown. A pick-six with under three minutes left in the game ruined any East comeback hopes. The Spartans fell to 5-4, have the 13 seed and a road trip to No. 1 Elkhorn South for the first round of the playoffs.

No. 18 Pierce won 54-20 vs. West Point-Beemer

The Bluejays completed their third unbeaten regular season of the past four on 160 rushing yards and a touchdown from Keenan Valverde plus 104 receiving yards and two scores by tight end Ben Brahmer. Pierce scored the first 27 points of the game and led 47-6 at halftime. The win was the sixth time this season Pierce has scored 50 or more points. At 8-0 and with five wins over teams above. 500, the Bluejays are the second seed in the Class C-1 postseason. Pierce hosts Central City in a rematch of a 56-35 Bluejay win from Week 7. A potential rematch of the 2021 title game and Lakeview could highlight the quarterfinals.

No. 19 Gross won 41-14 at Skutt

Owen Brennan caught two touchdown passes, Colby Duncan accounted for five touchdowns and Gross completed a dominant regular season. Duncan had touchdown passes of 26, 29, 43 and 10 and completed a drive with a 1-yard sneak. Gross is 9-0 and the two seed for the Class B playoffs. The Cougars play 3-6 Mount Michael in the first round. Gross won eight of nine games in the regular season by 27 or more points.

No. 20 Elkhorn won 59-19 at Westview

The Antlers used a season finale contest against a brand new program as an opportunity to build momentum for the postseason. Elkhorn had 28 points at the end of the first quarter and led 45-6 at halftime. Sophomore Elliot Beister had touchdown runs of 40, 60 and 70. The Antlers are 7-2 and the four seed for the Class B playoffs. Elkhorn faces 4-5 Grand Island Northwest in the first round.

No. 21 Southeast won 52-12 at South Sioux City

Southeast handed it off early and often to workhorse Max Buettenback on a night the senior posted his fifth performance of more than 100 yards and scored three or more touchdowns for the fourth time. Buettenback turned 17 carries into 176 yards and found the end zone three times. Quarterback Owen Baxter was an efficient 9 for 12 passing with 154 yards and two touchdowns. Southeast needed the win to finish above. 500 and make the playoffs. The Knights snuck it at No. 15 and face a road test at two-seed Gretna for the first round of the Class A playoffs.

No. 22 Waverly won 1-0 (forfeit) vs. Lincoln Northwest

The Vikings earned a week off after Northwest, a brand new program, decided to forego the rest of the season following an 0-3 start that decimated an already small roster with injuries. Waverly is 7-2 and has the five seed for the Class B playoffs. The first round is a home game against 12-seed Norris. The winner gets Elkhorn or Grand Island Northwest in the quarterfinals.

No. 23 Millard North lost 42-28 vs. No. 16 Lincoln Southwest

Millard North led 13-7 and 21-14 but couldn’t finish off a win it desperately needed for postseason hopes. A fumble with the game tied 21-21 turned into a 28-21 Southwest lead. Millard North responded with a scoring drive that tied it late in the third, but the Mustangs never found a way to stop Silver Hawk quarterback Collin Fritton. He tossed his fourth and fifth touchdown passes of the game in the fourth quarter and broke a 28-28 tie. Fritton burned the Mustangs with six total touchdowns and 245 passing yards. Millard North fell to 4-5 and missed the playoffs by two spots in the final power points standings.

No. 24 Skutt lost 41-14 vs. Gross

The Skyhawks fell into a 13-0 hole, cut it to 13-7 but then allowed the next four touchdowns and saw a four-game winning streak come crashing down. If there’s any solace, Skutt was 6-3 last year as well and suffered a blowout loss in the final regular season game before making a deep postseason run to the semifinals. Skutt is the sixth seed in the Class B playoffs, hosts Blair and could face a trip out to Scottsbluff in the quarterfinals.

No. 25 Papillion-La Vista lost 36-29 at No. 10 North Platte

Papio overcame a 21-7 deficit and took a 29-28 lead after intercepting a North Platte pass. Payton Prestito scored his third rushing touchdown of the game and the Monarchs converted the two-point try for the one-point lead with 4:32 remaining. But North Platte put together a drive that found the end zone with 1:18 remaining and was successful on its own two-point conversion. Despite falling to 4-5 with the loss, Papio finished second in its district and earned the automatic bid. The Monarchs are the 16 seed and head to Westside for the first round of the postseason.