Top 25 Nebraska high school football rankings (9/12/2023)

Westside rolls over Bellevue West

In a true Battle of the Bigs, Nebraska Class A No. 1 Omaha Westside bulldozed Bellevue West by a score of 45-12 last Friday. 

Though some injuries have prevented the Thunderbirds offense from operating at full octane, the Warriors defense smothered West’s offensive progress all evening. Westside, at this point in the season, looks like a clear-cut favorite to win back-to-back state titles. 

1. Omaha Westside (3-0, 0-0 district) 

Westside shut out a talented Bellevue West squad last Friday in both the first and third quarters en route to a 45-12 win. Quarterback Anthony Rezac has been stellar for the Warriors this season, throwing for 530 yards, 7 scores and zero interceptions. This squad has scored 45 or more in all three of this year's games and is the obvious favorite to repeat at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln this fall.

2. Millard South (3-0, 0-0 district)

Since sneaking out a one-point win week 1 against Millard West, the Patriots have won in dominant fashion their last two games, taking care of Elkhorn South and Millard North in blowout fashion. A balanced offensive and defensive attack make this team very dangerous. Quarterback Jett Thomalla has thrown for 785 yards and six scores on the season. South has a major showdown with Gretna this week.

3. Gretna (3-0, 0-0 district)

Gretna beat Creighton Prep 27-24 last Friday. Don’t be fooled by Prep’s 1-3 record, this is still a tough team that can make a playoff run this season. The Dragons will face their biggest challenge of the year Friday when they host Millard South at home. We give south a slight edge in this game, but it should be a fun one worth tuning in for.

4. Millard West (2-1, 0-0 district)

The Wildcats are one point away from being undefeated this year, as they fell 28-27 to Millard South in the season opener. This week, Millard West faces Creighton Prep, a game they look like clear favorites on paper. Prep, though, has faced a brutal stretch to start the season and is a good team. We like Millard West in this game, but don’t be surprised if it’s close.

5. Omaha North (2-1, 0-0 district)

Coming off a 19-16 loss to Millard West, Omaha North took care of business last Friday against Columbus, winning 40-26. It could get ugly for Benson this week when they face North; it’s a game we expect North to run away in early. Sophomore Jaron Cannon has been great this year for North, running for 609 yards and four scores.

6. Kearney (3-0, 0-0 district)

The Bearcats have looked solid this year, and face their biggest test – by far – this week when they host 2-2 Bellevue West. West, undeniably, has far more talent, but its play at times hasn’t been reflective of that. Has all of the hype surrounding the team played a role in this, or have some of the early season knicks and bruises contributed? Probably a little bit of both. We will respect Kearney’s undefeated record and give them a slight nod in this one.

7. Elkhorn South (2-1, 0-0 district)

The Storm bounced back in a big way a week after being shut out and embarrassed by Millard South. Last Friday, they hung 52 on Papillion-La Vista South en route to a dominating win. South outscored PLVS 21-7 in the opening quarter and piled on the points from that point on. This week, the Storm faces 2-1 Omaha Central. Look for this to be a closer game – Central can play.

8. Bellevue West (2-2, 0-0 district)

Bellevue West is a tough team to gauge right now. They are talent loaded on the offensive side of the ball, and at times points have come easily. In their two losses, though, points have come at a premium and been difficult to come by. This week, we will see how the Thunderbirds respond, coming off a 45-12 beatdown coming at the hands of Class A No. 1 Omaha Westside. It won’t be an easy rebound either, as West heads to 3-0 Kearney. Let’s see how they respond.

9. Creighton Prep (1-3, 0-0 district)

No one in the state has had a more difficult lineup of games then prep to kick off the season. All of their losses have come to teams that have a legitimate chance to make a deep state run. The road gets no easier as the Junior Jays when they face 2-1 Millard West this Friday. After this matchup, though, the road gets much easier and Prep will have a legitimate shot at winning its last four games of the season. A win over the Wildcats would be a great start.

10. Lincoln East (2-1, 0-0 district)

East is coming off a 28-7 win over Lincoln Southwest. We like them to pick up another win this week over a struggling Lincoln Northeast squad. Quarterback Jeter Worthley this season has thrown for 546 yards and six scores. Owen Laessig has been a go-to target for Worthley, pulling in 14 receptions and three scores.

11. Papillion-La Vista (2-1, 0-0 district)

The Monarchs lost an ugly, 10-7 game to Lincoln Southeast Last Friday. Papillion, to that point, had looked fairly sound on the season, jumping out to a 2-0 start. Was this just a bad game or is it more telling than that? The Monarchs will likely rebound this Friday when they face 1-2 Lincoln Southwest. If they fall here, Papillion will slide heavily in next week’s rankings.

12. South Sioux City (3-0, 0-0 district)

South Sioux is off to a fantastic start – 3-0 is nothing to scoff at. Here’s the problem: This Cardinal team has faced abysmal competition. None of the teams the Cardinals have faced this season have a win. We like South Sioux to pick up a win over Omaha South this Friday, but it gets much, much harder from that point on in the season.

13. Omaha Bryan (2-1, 0-0 district)

Bryan is coming off a 21-7 loss to Bellevue East. We think this team will rebound impressively this week against 0-3 Buena Vista to get back in the win column. Quarterback Coryion Perry has been a great leader for the Bears this year, throwing for 581 yards and seven scores. Running back Braylon Rogers has added five scores on the ground, as well.

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

North Star fell 35-7 last Friday to a good Kearney Squad. We like them to bounce back this week against 1-2 Lincoln Southeast, though the Knights are coming off a good win over Papillion-La Vista. Next week will likely be tough for the Navigators, as they face Millard South.

15. Grand Island (2-1, 0-0 district)

Grand Island has won the games it should win, and lost the game it was expected to. This week, look for the Islanders to roll past Lincoln High to get to 3-1 on the season. Running back Caleb Richardson has two scores on the season and will likely get a lot of touches this week against the Links.

16. Bellevue East (2-1, 0-0 district)

The Chieftains are coming off a 21-7 win over Omaha Bryan. East should get to 3-1 on the season this week when they host 0-3 Omaha Northwest. Quarterback Mason Chandler on the year has thrown for 426 yards and four scores. Look for that statline to get padded this week.

17. Omaha Central (2-1, 0-0 district)

Central last Friday dominated Lincoln High 45-0. This week will be much harder as the Eagles hit the road and face 2-1 Elkhorn South. This would be a high-quality win for Central if they can dig deep into their hat of tricks and pull this off. Receiver Dashawn Prince has been having a nice season for Central, pulling in three scores.

18. Norfolk (2-1, 0-0 district)

The Panthers lost a tough one last week, falling 21-19 to Grand Island. This week, look for them to get back to winning as they face 1-3 Fremont. Fremont picked up a win last week against a struggling Lincoln Northeast squad.

19. Papillion-La Vista South (2-2, 0-0 district)

The Titans got off to a hot, 2-0 start, but have since lost their last two games. We think that PLVS will get back to winning this week when they take on Omaha Burke, who is 0-3 on the year. After Burke, we think it’s likely South will close out 1-3 in its final four games.

20. Columbus (2-2, 0-0 district)

The Discoverers are coming off a 40-26 loss to Omaha North. This week, they should be able to get back above .500 when they face North Platte, which hasn’t won a game this season. Expect running back Tanner Esch to get a lot of carriers in this game. On the season, he’s rushed for 246 yards and four scores.

21. Bennington (3-0, 0-0 district)

Bennington, Class B’s top-ranked team, is off to a perfect start to the year, even though they lost a ton of talent off last season’s team. Last week, the Badgers picked up a 17-6 win over a solid York squad. They should pick up another win and move to 4-0 this week when they face 1-3 Lincoln Pius X.

22. Scottsbluff (3-0, 0-0 district)

Scottsbluff hung 56 on Frederick (Colorado) last Friday. This week, they have a tough test against York, which is coming off a loss to Bennington. Look for running back Sebastien Boyle to keep leading the charge for the Bearcats. The Division 1 prospect has rushed for 364 yards and six scores so far this year.

23. Elkhorn North (3-0, 0-0 district)

North is coming off a 57-6 win over Crete. This week, they should move to 4-0 after facing 1-2 Omaha Northwest. The Wolves haven’t truly been challenged this season, but they certainly look the part. It will be interesting to see how they look down the stretch when facing stiffer opposition.

24. Waverly (3-0, 0-0 district)

Waverly this past week made easy work of Elkhorn Mount Michael, racing away to a 49-7 win. On the season, Waverly has scored at least 35 points per game, while allowing just 21 total points through three games. We think Waverly will move to 4-0 this week when they face 2-2 Norris.

25. York (2-1, 0-0 district)

York is coming off a 17-6 loss to top-ranked Class B Bennington. This week poses another challenge, as the Dukes will try to find a way to bottle up the run attack of Scottsbluff. How will York respond coming off an emotional loss? A win could really set York on the right path for the remainder of the year, while back-to-back losses could damage this team mentally. 

Next 5: Seward, Skutt Catholic, Lincoln Southwest, Lincoln Southeast, Lincoln High