Good morning! It’s time for day three as the Class B girls get their tournament underway today. Yesterday I went 3/4 on my picks, including my pick of South Sioux City’s upset of Millard North.
Before I get in too deep, I want to remind you that you can purchase our state tournament guide today for $8. Simply send your email address and eight dollars to @nesoccertalk on Venmo and we will send you the guide. Or, you can help support us on a monthly basis by subscribing to our Patreon for $2/month.
Also, you can listen to our latest podcast episode wherever you get your podcasts. We take the tournament class-by-class and let you know our picks to win it all this year and a few of our favorite upset picks. Our Class B girls conversation starts at 34:43.
Alright, on to the Class B girls portion of the tournament, which kicks off today. I have ranked each of the eight teams on their chances to win the championship this year. Let’s dig in with No. 8.
No. 8 – Elkhorn (8 Seed)
The Antlers are a gritty team. They started their season with three straight losses, lost two games to Blair in the last four games of the year and lost in the first round of their sub-district. But, Elkhorn has proved they can win, too. They went on the road to face Northwest in the district final and pulled out the victory. Can the Antlers step up again and pull off another big upset? It’s improbable, which is why they are No. 8, but anything can happen at Morrison.
No. 7 – Omaha Mercy (6 Seed)
The Monarchs are a team that is a big question mark in my book. They won the games that they were favored in, including defeating Omaha Duchesne three times. But, in division one games this season, they lost all four (three against Omaha Skutt Catholic and one to Omaha Marian). Can Omaha Mercy step up to the occasion in Omaha? It all starts with a tough matchup in Lincoln Pius X in the quarterfinals tonight.
No. 6 – Norris (7 Seed)
New coach, same Titans. Even though Norris lost four of their first five matches, they figured it out as the season progressed. They have won nine straight games since a loss to Gretna East on April 10. The Titans beat Elkhorn North twice and handled Kearney Catholic on the road in the district final to make it to Morrison. Norris is not a team you want to mess with and a first-round matchup with Scotus Central Catholic has all the makings for an upset.
No. 5 – Blair (5 Seed)
The Bears are in their first state tournament appearance since 2001 and the argument I am going to use here is a lot like the one I made for Bellevue West on Monday. Blair has dominated their opposition, but has also only beaten one state-qualifying team (Elkhorn). The offense for the Bears is high octane and they could definitely make a run as the only Class B school to come within a goal of Gretna East. But, there is a dynasty program that stands in their way of a rematch with the Griffins.
No. 4 – Omaha Skutt Catholic (4 Seed)
The Skyhawks are in their 28th straight tournament appearance and haven’t lost in the first round since 2014. Omaha Skutt Catholic stacked their schedule this year with games against multiple Class A teams and one of the best in the state of Iowa. Although they lost all three, it made them stronger as they continue their push to be one of the best teams in Class B. The first-round date with the Bears of Blair is certainly quite the test, time will tell if the Skyhawks are ready to keep their semifinal streak rolling.
No. 3 – Scotus Central Catholic (2 Seed)
The Shamrocks are the only other undefeated team in the state besides Gretna East by the NSAA standard. But there is still much for the Scotus CC team to prove, even with one of the best goal scorers this state has ever seen. With only one win against a state-qualifying team, which was by forfeit due to an ineligible player, the Shamrocks will be looking to make a statement at Morrison. They are on my upset block today against Norris.
No. 2 – Lincoln Pius X (3 Seed)
The Thunderbolts have been a strong team in recent years, including finishing second in Class A last year. Now in Class B, Lincoln Pius X has won multiple division one games, including Omaha Skutt Catholic and Scotus Central Catholic (the result would later be turned into a forfeit because of an ineligible player). This team has the makings to return to the state title game this year and attempt to avenge last year’s loss. Watch out for the Thunderbolts.
No. 1 – Gretna East (1 Seed)
The Griffins have decimated their competition once again this year. In year two of the school’s existence, they are still undefeated. Their wins are the best in the entire field and so there is not much justification I need to do here. I might as well call it now, Gretna East is Goliath and every other team is David. It is going to be an uphill battle for anyone to touch these Griffins as long as they stay calm, cool and collected.
Once again, these are just my opinions, so feel free to comment yours down below. I would love to hear your thoughts. I will be back tomorrow morning with my Class B boys rankings. Until then, enjoy some great soccer today! You can watch all four games on the NFHS Network, here is the schedule.
- Noon. No. 1 Gretna East (17-0) vs No. 8 Elkhorn (10-7)
- 2 p.m. No. 4 Omaha Skutt Catholic (14-4) vs No. 5 Blair (15-2)
- 5:30 p.m. No. 2 Scotus Central Catholic (16-0) vs No. 7 Norris (12-5)
- 7:30 p.m. No. 3 Lincoln Pius X (12-3) vs No. 6 Omaha Mercy (13-4)
Elijah Moser is a contributor for Nebraska Soccer Talk, currently studying Sports Communication and Journalism at the University of Nebraska – Kearney.