With Nebraska's high school football season winding down, and the playoffs looming, we have decided to take a look at which districts, through their collective toughness, are best preparing their members for the grind of the postseason.
Using the MaxPreps Nebraska Football Rankings, we calculated the average power rating for each district, and that calculation is the basis for this week's Top 10.
It does make sense that any district featuring a top-ranked team would have the upper hand at weighing in as a Top 10 district, and that's somewhat the case again this season. Class B's Bennington is the only top-ranked 11-Man team to miss the cut, along with the B-1 District that the Badgers reside in this fall.
Four of Class C1's Top 10 football teams have been battling it out for supremacy in the C1-5 district, and to date, second-ranked Boone Central reigns supreme with two opponents remaining on its schedule. Ranked fourth in Class C1 is Pierce while Wayne (7th, C1), Battle Creek (10th, C1) and O'Neill (35th, C1) fill out the rest of the Cornhusker State's Top 11-Man district.
The A-1 District claims four Top 10 teams and sits in the No. 2 spot this week. To date, fourth-ranked Creighton Prep leads the way along with No. 7 North Platte and eighth-ranked Lincoln East, all with 5-2 records with two games left on their schedules. Millard West (10th, A) and Lincoln Northeast (25th, A) round out the Cornhusker State's second-best district. The A-5, C1-7 and B-3 Districts round out the Top 5 in the Nos. 3-4-5 spots respectively.
All four 11-Man classifications are represented in this week's Top 10. Combined, the C1-7 District, featuring Kearney Catholic, Broken Bow, Cozad, Minden and Holdrege, has produced the top won-loss record of 23-12 for the districts represented in this week's Top 10.
Below, listed on the top line, is the district that is being ranked, its average MaxPreps power rating and the district's collective won-loss record. Listed on the second line and beyond is the MaxPreps classification ranking for each team competing in that district as well as the name of the school and that school's current won-loss record in parenthesis.
Nebraska's toughest 11-Man high school football districts
1. C1-5 District | Average MaxPreps Rating (26.04) | Collective Record (22-13)No. 2 Boone Central (7-0), No. 4 Pierce (6-1), No. 7 Wayne (4-3), No. 10 Battle Creek (4-3), No. 35 O'Neill (1-6).
2. A-1 District | Average MaxPreps Rating (23.3) | Collective Record (19-16)No. 4 Creighton Prep (5-2), No. 7 North Platte (5-2), No. 8 Lincoln East (5-2), No. 10 Millard West (2-5), No. 25 Lincoln Northeast (2-5).
3. A-5 District | Average MaxPreps Rating (20.02) | Collective Record (22-13)No. 5 Elkhorn South (6-1), No. 6 Gretna (6-1), No. 11 Lincoln Southeast (5-2), No. 12 Papillion-LaVista (3-4), No. 26 Bellevue East (2-5).
4. C1-7 District | Average MaxPreps Rating (17.44) | Collective Record (23-12)No. 3 Kearney Catholic (7-0), No. 12 Broken Bow (5-2), No. 20 Cozad (5-2), No. 21 Minden (4-3), No. 31 Holdrege (2-5).
5. B-3 District | Average MaxPreps Rating (16.54) | Collective Record (21-14)No. 2 Plattsmouth (7-0), No. 6 Norris (3-4), No. 7 Waverly (4-3), No. 11 Beatrice (5-2), No. 15 Crete (2-5).
6. C1-2 District | Average MaxPreps Rating (15.6) | Collective Record (24-18)No. 1 Ashland-Greenwood (7-0), No. 11 Wahoo (4-3), No. 16 Platteview (5-2), No. 22 Malcolm (3-4), No. 29 Raymond Central (3-4), No. 34 Louisville (2-5).
7. A-2 District | Average MaxPreps Rating (13.28) | Collective Record (16-19)No. 1 Millard South (7-0), No. 15 Omaha North (2-5), No. 18 Fremont (4-3), No. 21 Lincoln Pius X (2-5), No. 27 Lincoln North Star (1-6).
8. C2-1 District | Average MaxPreps Rating (9.8) | Collective Record (24-18)No. 5 Yutan (6-1), No. 8 Lincoln Lutheran (5-2), No. 10 Bishop Neumann (4-3), No. 11 Centennial (5-2), No. 13 Wilber-Clatonia (4-3), No. 30 Syracuse (0-7).
9. C2-2 District | Average MaxPreps Rating (9.6) | Collective Record (18-17)No. 1 Archbishop Bergan (7-0), No. 4 Aquinas (5-2), No. 9 Oakland-Craig (4-3), No. 23 Tekamah-Herman (1-6), No. 29 David City (1-6).
10. C2-3 District | Average MaxPreps Rating (9.36) | Collective Record (19-16)No. 2 Norfolk Catholic (6-1), No. 6 Hartington Cedar Catholic (6-1), No. 15 Crofton (4-3), No. 19 Ponca (3-4), No. 26 Bancroft-Rosalie/Lyons-Decatur Northeast (0-7).
