By Scott Hansen
MaxPreps.com
Oh where has the season gone? It seems like yesterday that teams across Huskerland were going through their grinding two-a-day regimen. After this week's slate, only two weeks remain before the playoffs start.
Top Games This Week
The Headliner
Norfolk Catholic at Pierce- The visitors are searching for their fifth title since 1998 in Class C-1. Pierce has one of the top juniors in the state in quarterback Eric Koehlmoos.
Millard West at Bellevue West- Get the air raid sirens ready. Two of the best offensive units in the state will slug it out. Millard West is very balanced while Bellevue West will rely on the trusty arm of junior Tyler Seals.
North Platte at Grand Island- North Platte is on the outside looking into the top ten. The boys from out west are extremely dangerous. Grand Island is starting to look like the Islanders of old.
Hastings at Scottsbluff- Can Hastings survive the road trip all the way to the Panhandle? When it arrives, it can expect a rude welcoming. Scottsbluff has rolled since a season-opening loss to McCook.
Crete at Beatrice- Could be the game of the year in Class B. Crete is coming off a state title last season and Beatrice has been rolling along since a season-opening loss.
Wahoo at Boys Town- For the second straight week, Boys Town faces an unbeaten from Wahoo. Last week Boys Town suffered its first loss of the season to Bishop Neumann. This time KD McCoy and the Cowboys get a huge test at home.
Mitchell at Chadron- Another dandy from the Wild West. Chadron has earned its due respect over the years. Mitchell travels to Chadron unbeaten and looking for the same level of respect.
Grand Island Central Catholic at Boone Central- Central Catholic enters with an unblemished record. Boone Central has faced arguably the toughest schedule in Class C-1, and it doesn't get any easier with the Crusaders sailing into town.
David City Aquinas at East Butler- A monumental Butler County showdown. Aquinas hasn't lost since the season-opener while East Butler's only loss is to Archbishop Bergan.
Howells at Oakland-Craig- The former eight-man power travels to one of the top programs in Class C-2.
Nebraska Notebook
Kearney running back Rustin Dring needs just 156 more rushing yards to become the all-time leader for the Bearcats. Dring has totaled 2,264 yards since seeing time as a sophomore. The record is held by Eric Molina, who rolled up 2,419 during his career. Dring has rushed for 775 yards and 15 touchdowns already this season for the Class A second-ranked Bearcats.
Cozad's Jason Luong rumbled in from 28 yards out to give the Haymakers a 16-14 victory over Holdrege. It capped a career day for the Cozad running back, who rushed for 259 yards and two fourth quarter touchdowns in the victory.
Falls City has gotten off to a 4-1 start with its only blemish coming against Lincoln Christian. However, the four wins have come against teams with a combined record of 2-18.
Clarkson moved to No. 1 this week after a 58-0 victory over previously-ranked High Plains. The Red Devils rushed for 453 yards in the contest, led by Eric Brabec's 183. Michael Konicek rushed for two second quarter touchdowns to break open a scoreless tie. Konicek added to the High Plains misery by grinding out 154 rushing yards of his own in the victory.
Total Domination
In Class A, top-ranked Omaha Westside has outscored its opponents 207-28 in a 6-0 start. Three-quarters of the points allowed were in a 24-21 nail-biting victory over North Platte. After their squeaker against the Bulldogs, the Omaha World-Herald dropped the Warriors to third in the Class A rankings.
North Platte is no easy victory. The Bulldogs have two losses this season, to Westside and 5-1 Lincoln East. After knocking at the door of the rankings this season, the Bulldogs have a chance to bust through with a victory over 5-1 Grand Island this week. Should they defeat the Islanders, a date with unbeaten defending champion Kearney looms on Oct. 12.
Another top-ranked club is mowing through opposition. In Class C-1, Hastings St. Cecilia has outscored its opponents by a total of 241-7. The Bluehawks defense gave up the seven points to 4-1 Kearney Catholic.
Week 6 Predictions by Scott Hansen
Week 5: 71-23 (.747)
Self-Prognosis: A week after riding high, back down to Earth.
Season: 304-89 (.774)
Class A
Bellevue East 28, Omaha Benson 27
Columbus 42, Lincoln High 7
Kearney 28, Fremont 7
Lincoln East 28, Norfolk 14
Lincoln North Star 20, Lincoln Southeast 7
Lincoln Southwest 31, Lincoln Northeast 14
Millard North 42, Omaha Burke 7
Millard South 34, Papillion-LaVista South 27
Millard West 34, Bellevue West 28
North Platte 21, Grand Island 16
Omaha Central 48, Omaha South 0
Omaha North 40, Omaha Bryan 7
Omaha Westside 28, Omaha Creighton Prep 6
Papillion-LaVista 21, Omaha Northwest 20
Class B
Alliance 21, Gering 15
Aurora 21, Fairbury 14
Cozad 20, Grand Island Northwest 7
Crete 28, Beatrice 21
Elkhorn 42, Blair 6
Elkhorn Mount Michael 14, South Sioux City 13
McCook 51, Lexington 0
Norris 28, Nebraska City 6
Ogallala 21, Holdrege 7
Omaha Gross 35, Gretna 7
Omaha Skutt 35, Ralston 13
Plattsmouth 28, Platteview 7
Schuyler 22, Omaha Roncalli 7
Scottsbluff 21, Hastings 14
Seward 27, York 14
Sidney 27, Kimball 13
Waverly 28, Lincoln Pius X 26
Class C-1
Ainsworth 20, Hershey 13
Arlington 21, Logan View 6
Ashland-Greenwood 28, Douglas County West 21
Bennington 27, West Point-Beemer 21
Bishop Neumann 35, Yutan 13
Boys Town 21, Wahoo 14
Broken Bow 13, Chase County 7
Central City 28, St. Paul 7
Chadron 28, Mitchell 26
Columbus Lakeview 41, North Bend Central 7
Columbus Scotus 34, Wisner-Pilger 12
Crofton 21, Wayne 20
Fillmore Central 27, Raymond Central 12
Fort Calhoun 28, Tekamah-Herman 6
Gordon-Rushville 20, Bridgeport 6
Grand Island CC 27, Boone Central 20
Hastings Adams Central 34, Minden 14
Hastings St. Cecilia 49, Southern Valley 0
Lincoln Lutheran 33, Falls City 20
Madison 34, Twin River 7
Milford 20, Utica Centennial 6
Pierce 34, Norfolk Catholic 33
O'Neill 27, Battle Creek 13
Ord 26, Cairo Centura 12
Syracuse 27, Murray Conestoga 7
Valentine 20, Gothenburg 13
Wood River 20, Gibbon 6
Class C-2
Amherst 25, North Platte St. Pat's 12
Archbishop Bergan 44, Scribner-Snyder 0
Blue Hill 34, Sandy Creek 6
Cambridge 24, Sutherland 13
Creighton 34, Plainview 14
Cross County 14, Osceola 7
David City Aquinas 28, East Butler 26
Elk Creek 7, Southwest 6
Elmwood-Murdock 35, Palmyra 7
Franklin 27, Sutton 6
Fullerton 13, Loup City 7
Garden County 33, Hemingford 8
Hartington Cedar Catholic 34, West Holt 7
Heartland 28, Superior 13
Howells 28, Oakland-Craig 21
Kearney Catholic 27, Burwell 21
Laurel-Concord 44, Ponca 7
Morrill 27, Bayard 21
Neligh-Oakdale 28, Randolph 20
Pender 34, Emerson-Hubbard 7
Perkins County 28, Hemingford 6
Ravenna 28, Doniphan-Trumbull 12
Stanton 48, Lyons-Decatur Northeast 7
Thayer Central 35, Friend 13
Tri County 20, Johnson County Central 6
Wakefield 49, Homer 6
Weeping Water 19, Malcolm 14
West Point Central Catholic 27, Lutheran High 21
Wilber-Clatonia 27, Southern 7
