Nebraska's Top 10 high school football districts

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With Nebraska's high school football season winding down, and the playoffs looming around the corner, 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 Computer Rankings, presented by the Army National Guard, we calculated the average power rating for each district, and that calculation is the basis for this week's Top 10. Here we have listed the districts from 1-10 for 11-man schools and 1-5 for those programs playing 8-man football, since there are only 20 districts, collectively, in the two 8-man classifications.

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, but that's not necessarily the case this season. Only Class B Elkhorn South (B-3), Class C1 Norfolk Catholic (C1-5) and Class C2 Ponca (C2-4) are No. 1 clubs that are represented in this week's Top 10. Class A Bellevue West, Class D1 Creighton and Class D2 Bloomfield missed the cut along with the districts they reside in this fall.

Three of Class B's top nine football teams have been battling it out for supremacy in the B-3 district, and to date, defending Class B state champion Elkhorn South reigns supreme with three opponents remaining on its schedule. Ranked second is Gretna, while Elkhorn (9th, B) and Mount Michael Benedictine (25th, B) fill out the rest of the Cornhusker State's Top 11-man district.

Three squads in the 8-man leading D1-7 district are ranked in the Top 12 of the 8-man rankings, which lumps both 8-man classifications, as well as the 6-man clubs into one ranking. West Holt leads the way at fifth, while Burwell and Clearwater/Orchard sit seventh and 12th respectively.

Below, listed on the top line, is the district that is being ranked, its average MaxPreps computer ranking and the district's collective won-loss record. Listed on the second line is the MaxPreps ranking of each team competing in that district as well as the name of the school and that school's won-loss record in parenthesis.
Nebraska's Top 10 11-man football districts

1. B-3 District-Average MaxPreps Power Rating (28.95)-Collective Record (20-4)
No. 9 Elkhorn (4-2), No. 1 Elkhorn South (Omaha) (6-0), No. 2 Gretna (6-0), No. 25 Mount Michael Benedictine (Elkhorn) (4-2).

2. B-6 District-Average MaxPreps Power Rating (23.75)-Collective Record (17-7)
No. 8 Aurora (4-2), No. 13 Northwest (Grand Island) (4-2), No. 12 Seward (4-2), No. 4 York (5-1).

3. C1-5 District-Average MaxPreps Power Rating (16.783)-Collective Record (22-14)
No. 42 Madison (0-6), No. 1 Norfolk Catholic (6-0), No. 14 O'Neill (2-4), No. 8 Pierce (3-3), No. 10 Wayne (5-1), No. 6 West Point-Beemer (West Point) (6-0).

4. B-2 District-Average MaxPreps Power Rating (15.275)-Collective Record (12-12)
No. 19 Bennington (2-4), No. 14 Roncalli Catholic (Omaha) (4-2), No. 3 Skutt Catholic (Omaha) (4-2), No. 23 Ralston (2-4).

5. B-4 District-Average MaxPreps Power Rating (14.825)-Collective Record (13-11)
No. 10 Beatrice (5-1), No. 18 Crete (1-5), No. 15 Norris (Firth) (3-3), No. 11 Waverly (4-2).

6. C2-4 District-Average MaxPreps Power Rating (11.133)-Collective Record (25-11)
No. 6 Battle Creek (3-3), No. 15 Crofton (4-2), No. 2 Cedar Catholic (Hartington) (6-0), No. 12 Lutheran-Northeast (Norfolk) (4-2), No. 1 Ponca (6-0), No. 30 Stanton (2-4).

7. C1-6 District-Average MaxPreps Power Rating (11.117)-Collective Record (17-19)
No. 18 Adams Central (Hastings) (4-2), No. 2 Boone Central/Newman Grove (Albion) (4-2), No. 9 Lakeview (Columbus) (4-2), No. 21 Scotus (Columbus) (1-5), No. 38 Grand Island Central Catholic  (0-6), No. 15 Ord (4-2).

8. C1-4 District-Average MaxPreps Power Rating (10.14)-Collective Record (16-13)
No. 3 Aquinas (David City) (6-0), No. 12 Bishop Neumann (Wahoo) (3-3), No. 39 David City (0-6), No. 30 North Bend Central (2-3), No. 5 Wahoo (5-1).

9. A-4 District-Average MaxPreps Power Rating (9.371)-Collective Record (22-20)
No. 24 Bellevue East (1-5), No. 10 Grand Island (3-3), No. 17 Lincoln East (2-4), No. 12 Pius X (Lincoln) (4-2), No. 14 Lincoln Southeast (2-4), No. 9 Millard South (Omaha) (4-2), No. 5 Omaha North (6-0).

10. B-7 District-Average MaxPreps Power Rating (8.40)-Collective Record (12-12)
No. 22 Hastings (3-3), No. 21 Holdrege (2-4), No. 24 Lexington (2-4), No. 5 McCook (5-1).

Nebraska's Top 5 8-man football districts

1. D1-7 District-Average MaxPreps Power Rating (43.117)-Collective Record (20-10)
No. 46 Ainsworth (2-3), No. 63 Boyd County (Spencer) (1-4), No. 7 Burwell (4-1), No. 12 OC Cyclones (Clearwater) (5-0), No. 23 Chambers/Wheeler Central/Ewing (Chambers) (4-1), No. 5 West Holt (Atkinson) (4-1).

2. D2-7 District-Average MaxPreps Power Rating (33.96)-Collective Record (16-10)
No. 61 Axtell (2-4), No. 9 Blue Hill (5-0), No. 27 Giltner (3-2), No. 18 Lawrence-Nelson (Nelson) (4-1), No. 73 Shelton (2-3).

3. D1-5 District-Average MaxPreps Power Rating (33.82)-Collective Record (15-12)
No. 17 East Butler (Brainard) (4-1), No. 90 High Plains (Polk) (2-3), No. 50 Nebraska Christian (Central City) (1-5), No. 14 Nebraska Lutheran (Waco) (4-1), No. 30 Palmer (4-2).

4. D1-8 District-Average MaxPreps Power Rating (26.12)-Collective Record (14-12)
No. 102 Amherst (0-5), No. 22 Elm Creek (Elm Creek) (4-1), No. 41 Overton (4-1), No. 89 Ravenna (Ravenna, Neb.) (1-5), No. 8 South Loup (Arnold) (5-0).

5. D2-1 District-Average MaxPreps Power Rating (25.96)-Collective Record (16-10)
No. 10 Bruning-Davenport/Shickley (Bruning) (5-0), No. 3 Sacred Heart (Falls City) (5-0), No. 67 Meridian (Daykin) (4-2), No. 95 Pawnee City (2-3), No. 96 Sterling (0-5).