By Scott Hansen
MaxPreps.com
Class C-1 First Round Thursday
East Bracket
David City (5-3) at Wahoo Neumann (8-0), 7 p.m.
Douglas County West (4-4) vs. Lincoln Christian (5-3), 7 p.m., at Nebraska Wesleyan
Arlington (4-4) at Wahoo (6-2), 7 p.m.
Syracuse (4-4) at Yutan (5-3), 7 p.m.
Wisner-Pilger (3-5) at Bennington (7-1), 7 p.m.
Columbus Scotus (5-3) at Falls City (7-1), 6 p.m.
Wayne (4-4) at West Point-Beemer (6-2), 7 p.m.
Lincoln Lutheran (5-3) at Boys Town (6-2), 7 p.m.
West Bracket
Chase County (3-5) at Norfolk Catholic (7-1), 6 p.m.
Columbus Lakeview (6-2) at Grand Island Central Catholic (7-1), 7 p.m.
Ord (5-3) at Crofton (6-2), 4:30 p.m.
Minden (5-3) at Boone Central (7-1), 7 p.m.
Broken Bow (6-2) at Pierce (8-0), 5 p.m.
Gothenburg (5-3) at Hastings St. Cecilia (8-0), 6 p.m.
Adams Central (7-1) at Mitchell (7-1), 1:30 p.m. MDT
Central City (5-3) at Chadron (8-0), 2 p.m. MDT
Class C-1 Breakdown.
Lopsided Brackets: Only two teams in the East bracket are in this week's top ten; fourth-ranked Wahoo Neumann and eighth-ranked Bennington.
Pierce Faces Excruciating Road: If second-ranked Pierce is able to run though the West bracket, there will be not a tougher road. Should the Bluejays get past Broken Bow to open the postseason, a potential date with top-ranked Hastings St. Cecilia looms in the second round. Pierce would need to make a 150-mile trip to Hastings' Duncan Field. According to the latest National MaxPreps Computer Rankings, Pierce is ranked 35th.
Bluehawks Amazing Defense: Hastings St. Cecilia has shut out six straight opponents and has only allowed seven points all year en route to an 8-0 record. It took a Riley Nikkila punt return to give the Bluehawks a 7-0 victory last week over rival Adams Central. If you do the math, they allow less than one-point per game this season.
Lenneman Set to Carry Pats: Adams Central could be the darkhorse of the entire field. Its only loss to the seven-point defeat last week to top-ranked St. Cecilia. The Patriots only managed a ninth seed in the rough and tumble West bracket and travel to Mitchell in the first round. Running back Kevin Lenneman has rushed for 29 touchdowns this season to lead the Patriot attack.
2006 Finalists Miss Out: Auburn and Valentine, who played to a 28-27 double-overtime thriller in the Class C-1 final last season, missed the playoffs. Hastings St. Cecilia and Norfolk Catholic are the top repeat qualifiers, both making semifinal appearances last season. Boone Central, Crofton, Chase County, and Wahoo Neumann were ousted in the quarterfinals.
Class C-2 First Round Thursday
West Bracket
Franklin (4-4) at Cambridge (8-0), 7 p.m.
Sutherland (5-3) at Kearney Catholic (5-3), 7 p.m.
Burwell (5-3) at Heartland (6-2), 7 p.m.
Superior (5-3) at Perkins County (7-1), 3 p.m. MDT
Doniphan-Trumbull (4-4) at Garden County (6-1), 3 p.m. MDT
Creighton (4-4) at Ravenna (6-2), 6 p.m.
Cross County (5-3) at Plainview (5-3), 6:30 p.m.
Amherst (4-4) at Blue Hill (8-0), 6:30 p.m.
East Bracket
Southern (4-4) at Fremont Bergan (8-0), 6 p.m.
Thayer Central (7-1) at East Butler (6-2), 6 p.m.
David City Aquinas (5-3) at Stanton (6-2), 7 p.m.
West Point Central Catholic (5-3) at Hartington Cedar Catholic (7-1), 7 p.m.
Louisville (4-4) at Wakefield (8-0), 4:30 p.m.
Palmyra (5-3) at Laurel-Concord (7-1), 6 p.m.
Pender (5-3) at Elmwood-Murdock (7-1), 7 p.m.
Ponca (4-4) at Howells (8-0), 7 p.m.
Class C-2 Breakdown.
More to Bergan's Air-Show: Scratch Fremont Bergan off the list of pass-only teams. Facing terrible field conditions against David City Aquinas last Thursday, the Knights allowed quarterback Joey Spellerburg to rest his overworked throwing arm in a 48-14 whitewash of the Monarchs. Spellerburg threw for just 100 yards, but freshman Christian Victor carried the load. Victor rushed for 190 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries for the Knights. That's bad news for the rest of the C-2 field.
How Good is Thayer Central?: Thayer Central finished the season with a 7-1 record, its only loss to Blue Hill, and yet they are a nine seed in the East and must travel to East Butler to open the playoffs. Brian Itzen has rushed for over 1,000 yards this season for the Titans, who are based out of Hebron.
Cambridge Unknown: Despite arguably being the favorite to come out of the West bracket, Cambridge has an element of the unknown heading into the playoffs despite its dominating history. Cambridge has won Class C-2 state titles in 1987, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, and 2003. The Trojans were the 2005 runners-up after losing to Plainview in the state final. Last season, Cambridge finished with a 3-6 record, losing to Blue Hill 41-14 in the opening round of the playoffs. Blue Hill enters the playoffs with an 8-0 record this season. Running back Lance Shifflet is the player to watch for the Trojans.
Burwell, Creighton Bona Fide Darkhorses: Burwell has only made it out of the first round on two occasions in six playoffs appearance and has never made it past the second round. 2007 could be an exception. Despite its 5-3 record, the Longhorns could be ready to make a deep run in a wide open West along with Creighton. Creighton sits at 4-4 while its losses are to teams with a combined record of 27-5.
Wakefield Aims for Repeat: Wakefield is back to defend its title, widely considered the favorite out of the East despite the strength of Howells and Archbishop Bergan. Wakefield defeated Blue Hill 34-7 in the Class C-2 final last season, its first state title in school-history. Howells and Creighton qualified for the semifinals, while Perkins County and Fremont Bergan are looking to improve on quarterfinal appearances in 2006.
Eight Man-1 First Round Thursday
East Bracket
Exeter-Milligan (4-4) at Humboldt-TRS (8-0), 7 p.m.
Mead (6-2) at High Plains (7-1), 6:30 p.m.
Winside (6-2) at Bruning-Davenport (7-1), 5 p.m.
Freeman (6-2) at Clarkson (6-2), 6 p.m.
Shelby (4-4) at Nebraska City Lourdes (7-1), 6 p.m.
Newman Grove (5-3) at Deshler (7-1), 6 p.m.
Johnson-Brock (5-3) at Bancroft-Rosalie (7-1), 6 p.m.
Omaha Christian (5-3) at Humphrey St. Francis (7-1), 7 p.m.
West Bracket
Callaway (5-3) at Hayes Center (8-0), 5 p.m.
Stuart (6-2) at Axtell (6-2), 5 p.m.
Dundy County-Stratton (5-3) at Elwood (8-0), 7:30 p.m.
Kenesaw (5-3) at Leyton (7-1), 4 p.m. MDT
Arapahoe (5-3) at Maxwell (8-0), 7 p.m.
Wauneta-Palisade (6-2) at Anselmo-Merna (7-1), 5 p.m.
Overton (5-3) at Palmer (8-0), 7 p.m.
Orchard (4-4) at Elgin Pope John (8-0), 7:30 p.m.
Eight Man-2 First Round Thursday
West Bracket
Litchfield (5-3) at Chambers (7-1), 5 p.m.
Potter-Dix (6-2) at Cody-Kilgore (6-2), 1:30 p.m. MDT
Sargent (4-4) at West Boyd (5-3), 7 p.m., at Butte
Thedford (5-3) at Mullen (8-0), 6:30 p.m. MDT
O'Neill St. Mary's (3-5) at Pleasanton (7-1), 6 p.m.
Eustis-Farnam (4-4) at Spalding-Spalding Academy (7-1), 2 p.m.
Banner County (6-2) at Wallace (5-3), 7 p.m.
Red Cloud (5-3) at Bertrand (7-1), 7 p.m.
East Bracket
Verdigre (3-5) at Dodge (7-1), 6 p.m.
Sterling (4-3) at Shickley (5-3), 6 p.m.
Coleridge (4-4) at Falls City Sacred Heart (6-2), 1:30 p.m.
Lindsay Holy Family (5-3) at Lawrence-Nelson (6-2), 5 p.m.
Lincoln Parkview (6-2) at Elgin (8-0), 2 p.m.
Bloomfield (6-2) at Allen (8-0), 7 p.m.
Giltner (6-2) at Hampton (7-1), 7:30 p.m.
Newcastle (4-4) at Ewing (7-1), 6:30 p.m.
Eight-Man Breakdown.
Dodge This!: Dodge is looking for its seventh eight-man title in school-history. The Pirates have won titles in 1994-97, 1999, and again last season in a 28-20 victory over Stapleton.
Overton Looks to Repeat: They barely scratched into the playoffs, but at least Overton has a chance to defend its crown from last season in Class D-1. Overton comfortably downed Bancroft-Rosalie in the final, 32-8. It was the first-ever state title for Overton.
Scott Hansen's Selections
Class C-1
First Round: Wahoo Neumann over David City, Lincoln Christian over DC West, Wahoo over Arlington, Yutan over Syracuse, Bennington over Wisner-Pilger, Columbus Scotus over Falls City, West Point-Beemer over Wayne, Boys Town over Lincoln Lutheran.
Norfolk Catholic over Chase County, Columbus Lakeview over Grand Island CC, Crofton over Ord, Boone Central over Minden, Pierce over Broken Bow, Hastings SC over Gothenburg, Adams Central over Mitchell, Chadron over Central City.
Second Round: Wahoo Neumann over Lincoln Christian, Yutan over Wahoo, Bennington over Columbus Scotus, Boys Town over West Point-Beemer.
Norfolk Catholic over Columbus Lakeview, Boone Central over Crofton, Pierce over Hastings SC, Adams Central over Chadron.
Quarterfinals: Wahoo Neumann over Yutan, Boys Town over Bennington, Norfolk Catholic over Boone Central, Pierce over Adams Central.
Semifinals: Wahoo Neumann over Boys Town, Pierce over Norfolk Catholic.
Final: Pierce over Wahoo Neumann.
Class C-2
First Round: Cambridge over Franklin, Kearney Catholic over Sutherland, Burwell over Heartland, Perkins County over Superior, Garden County over Doniphan-Trumbull, Creighton over Ravenna, Plainview over Cross County, Blue Hill over Amherst.
Fremont Bergan over Sutherland, Thayer Central over East Butler, Stanton over DC Aquinas, Hartington CC over West Point CC, Wakefield over Louisville, Laurel-Concord over Palmyra, Elmwood-Murdock over Pender, Howells over Ponca.
Second Round: Cambridge over Kearney Catholic, Burwell over Perkins County, Creighton over Garden County, Blue Hill over Plainview.
Fremont Bergan over Thayer Central, Hartington CC over Stanton, Wakefield over Laurel-Concord, Elmwood-Murdock over Howells.
Quarterfinals: Cambridge over Burwell, Blue Hill over Creighton, Fremont Bergan over Hartington CC, Wakefield over Elmwood-Murdock.
Semifinals: Blue Hill over Cambridge, Fremont Bergan over Wakefield.
Final: Fremont Bergan over Blue Hill.
Class D-1
First Round: Humboldt-TRS over Exeter-Milligan, Mead over High Plains, Bruning-Davenport over Winside, Clarkson over Freeman, NC Lourdes over Shelby, Newman Grove over Deshler, Bancroft-Rosalie over Johnson-Brock, Humphrey SF over Omaha Christian.
Hayes Center over Callaway, Stuart over Axtell, Elwood over DC-Stratton, Leyton over Kenesaw, Maxwell over Arapahoe, Anselmo-Merna over Wauenta-Palisade, Palmer over Overton, Elgin PJ over Orchard.
Second Round: Mead over Humboldt-TRS, Clarkson over Bruning-Davenport, NC Lourdes over Newman Grove, Humphrey SF over Bancroft-Rosalie.
Hayes Center over Stuart, Elwood over Leyton, Maxwell over Anselmo-Merna, Elgin PJ over Palmer.
Quarterfinals: Clarkson over Mead, Humphrey SF over NC Lourdes, Elwood over Hayes Center, Elgin PJ over Maxwell.
Semifinals: Humphrey SF over Clarkson, Elgin PJ over Elwood.
Final: Humphrey SF over Elgin PJ.
Class D-2
First Round: Chambers over Litchfield, Potter-Dix over Cody-Kilgore, West Boyd over Sargent, Mullen over Thedford, Pleasanton over O'Neill SM, Spalding over Eustis-Farnam, Wallace over Banner County, Bertrand over Red Cloud.
Dodge over Verdigre, Shickley over Sterling, Falls City SH over Coleridge, Lindsay HF over Lawrence-Nelson, Elgin over Lincoln Parkview, Allen over Bloomfield, Hampton over Giltner, Ewing over Newcastle.
Second Round: Chambers over Potter-Dix, Mullen over West Boyd, Pleasanton over Spalding, Bertrand over Wallace.
Dodge over Shickley, Falls City SH over Lindsay HF, Elgin over Allen, Ewing over Hampton.
Quarterfinals: Mullen over Chambers, Bertrand over Pleasanton, Dodge over Falls City SH, Elgin over Ewing.
Semifinals: Bertrand over Mullen, Dodge over Elgin.
Final: Dodge over Bertrand.
