Top 25 Nebraska high school football rankings (9/26/2023)

Big blowouts seen with district play underway

With district ball in full swing in Nebraska, many lopsided games were seen in the first week of play. 

Elkhorn South hung 75 on Omaha Northwest, Gretna beat Bellevue East 56-0, and Bellevue West drilled Omaha South 70-7. 

Every team in SBLive’s Top 10 won this past week, so no major shakeups are seen there. But lots of movement happens this week in our Nos. 11 through 25 slots.

1. Omaha Westside (5-0, 1-0 district)

Westside last Friday beat Norfolk 41-0 to stay perfect on the year. Anthony Rezac threw for 285 and four scores leading the way for the Warriors. Junior receiver Keynan Cotton caught seven balls for 136 yards and a score. Up next, Westside hosts North Platte at home.

2. Millard South (5-0, 1-0 district)

The Patriots are coming off a 57-10 win over Lincoln North Star. Quarterback Jett Thomalla threw for 285 yards and five scores, and running back Gabriel Prucha rushed for 111 and a score. Millard South hits the road this Friday for a big district matchup against 4-1 Lincoln East.

3. Millard West (4-1, 1-0 district)

Millard West demolished previously unbeaten South Sioux City 49-0. This is about the outcome we expected. Though South Sioux was undefeated, their schedule was very weak. Running into the buzzsaw at some point during the season seemed inevitable. Next for the Wildcats is 1-4 Millard North.

4. Omaha North (4-1, 0-0 district)

Omaha North has won three straight, most recently a 20-16 win over Omaha Central. With how the Vikings are playing, it’s entirely plausible they could win their next three games before a season-finale showdown against Elkhorn South. That game will be one to circle on your calendar.

5. Kearney (5-0, 1-0 district)

Kearney stayed perfect with a win over North Platte Friday. Junior running back Griffin Novacek handled the heavy lifting for the Bearcats, rushing for 165 yards and three scores. Two other backs eclipsed the 70-yard mark, and a balanced rushing attack was too much for the Bulldogs to handle. Kearney faces Grand Island this week.

6. Gretna (4-1, 1-0 district)

Gretna plowed through Bellevue East 56-0 last Friday. A dominating showing was needed after a lackluster performance against No. 2 Millard South, where the Dragons lost 38-7. A big district matchup looms on Friday, as Gretna hits the road to face Bellevue West.

7. Elkhorn South (4-1, 1-0 district)

The Storm destroyed Omaha South 75-0 during their last game. Though likely not quite as lopsided, the result will be equally bad when South plays 1-5 Fremont Fremont this Friday. The next three games are all winnable for this team, and their regular season will conclude with a big matchup at Omaha North.

8. Bellevue West (3-3, 1-0 district)

The Thunderbirds beat Omaha South 70-7, rebounding from a loss to Kearney a week prior. Though West has struggled at times this year, it was big to get a district win under the belt and regroup for a push at making playoffs. This week, Bell West takes on Gretna. This will be a good one to watch.

9. Creighton Prep (2-4, 1-0 district)

Arguably nobody in Nebraska Class A has had a tougher non-district schedule than the Junior Jays, which picked up a district win last Friday over Omaha Burke in Blowout fashion. Up next is an away-game clash with Omaha Central. We think this is a 50/50 matchup and should be competitive.

10. Lincoln East (4-0, 1-0 district)

Junior quarterback Jeter Worthley threw for 212 yards and three scores, propelling his team to a 41-14 Thursday win over Columbus. Dash Bauman also did some heavy lifting, rushing for 147 yards and a pair of scores. East’s biggest test of the year is Friday, when undefeated Millard South comes to town. We think South will take this one.

11. Papillion-La Vista (4-1, 1-0 district)

The Monarchs’ running back room did most of the damage during a 54-0 shutout against Omaha Benson. Senior Peyton Prestito rushed for three, and Brody Parr, Jonathan Adams and Conner Ossenfort each had one. Papio should pick up win number five this week against Omaha Burke.

12. Omaha Central (2-3, 0-0 district)

The Eagles are coming off back-to-back losses, but against good opposition. We think Central may be the best 2-3 team in the state at this point. This week, Central plays its first district game of the year at home against Creighton Prep. This would be a solid win for the Eagles and place them on the right road to have a shot at making the postseason.

13. Papillion-LaVista South (3-2, 0-0 district)

PLVS is coming off a 51-8 win over Omaha Burke. Look for the Titans to get to 4-2 this week when they face a struggling Omaha South team. This will be PLVS’ first district game of the season. 

14. Norfolk (3-2, 0-1 district)

The Panthers are coming off a 41-0 loss to Omaha Westside. Sure, it was lopsided, but most games the Warriors play this season will look as such – they’re that stacked and that dominant of a team. Look for Norfolk to right the ship this week against 0-5 Lincoln Northeast in a district matchup.

15. Bellevue East (3-2, 0-1 district)

East was routed last week 56-0 by a very good Gretna squad. This week, they should pretty easily get to 1-1 in district play with a win over Omaha Benson. The Chieftains' last three games of the year will be against Bellevue West, PLVS and Omaha South. If they could win two of three that would be a great success.

16. Lincoln Southwest (2-3, 1-0 district)

Southwest is coming off a 41-7 win over Omaha Bryan. This win should give the Silverhawks some confidence, as they hit the – very short – road to play rival Lincoln Southeast this week. We give Southwest a slight edge in this matchup.

17. Lincoln Southeast (2-3, 0-1 district)

Southeast lost to a struggling Millard North team 49-28 last week. They will need to shore up their defense if they want to stay competitive when Southwest rolls in this Friday. It would be huge for Southeast to pick up a win this week before facing Millard West the following.

18. Omaha Bryan (3-2, 0-1 district)

Bryan couldn't get much going offensively during a 41-7 loss to Lincoln Southwest. This week, we think they will rebound with a win over 4-1 South Sioux City, who just got demolished by Millard West in its first tough game of the year.

19. Columbus (2-4, 0-1 district)

Since starting the season 2-1, it has been tough going for the Discoverers, who have dropped three straight. This week will very likely end in the same result, as Columbus faces No. 2 Millard South in a district matchup.

20. Bennington (5-0, 1-0 district)

Bennington rolled through Elkhorn 28-7 last Friday. Peyton Sanmann threw for 84 yards and two scores, and senior Quinton Archer rushed 24 times for 140 yards. Kyler Lauridsen was the Badgers leading tackler with 12. Bennington faces Blair at home this week.

21. Waverly (5-0, 1-0 district)

Waverly impressively won its first district game 28-0 over York Aden Smith led the Waverly rushing attack, amassing 110 yards and three scores. Quarterback Nolan Maahs added one of his own, too. Waverly hits the road to face Scottsbluff this week.

22. Elkhorn North (5-0, 1-0 district)

The Wolves remained perfect on the season with a dominant showing against Westview. We think North will win its next two games against Elkhorn and Elkhorn Mt. Michael before a huge showdown with Bennington on Friday, Oct. 13. This will be a game to watch.

23. Lincoln North Star (2-3, 0-1 district)

North Star started the season hot, but since has lost three straight and has continually been sliding down our rankings. Last week, the Navigators fell 57-10 to Millard South. We think North Star will pick up a much-needed win this week against Lincoln High.

24. South Sioux City (4-1, 0-1 district)

After starting the season 4-0, South Sioux City finally ran into trouble last Friday when it was rolled by Millard West. Don’t be surprised if the Cardinals don’t win another game this season, but we keep them in our rankings for at least one more week due to still being 4-1 on the season. 

25. North Platte (1-4, 0-1 district)

This North Platte team isn't nearly as bad as its record indicates. It’s a team that’s been in a lot of games, just hasn’t found a way to close out the show. This week will be tough against Omaha Westside, but North Platte should pick up a win the following week against Lincoln Northeast.

Next 5: Seward, Scottsbluff, Skutt Catholic, York, Blair

--Sam Pimper