Good morning! Believe it or not, today is the final day of the 2025 high school soccer season. Yesterday was the girls championships with Gretna East (B) and Lincoln Southwest (A) each winning back-to-back titles. Today, it is the boys turn.
Below, I have written my preview and prediction for our two boys championship games tonight.
Class B
5:30 p.m. – No. 1 Bennington vs No. 3 Schuyler
Bennington is back in the state championship for the second time in school history (2023). This time, they’re looking for their first state title. The Badgers have controlled their opposition since their loss to Gretna. In the quarterfinals, Bennington took care of No. 8 Gretna East 4-2, then defeated No. 4 Lexington 3-1 in the semifinals.. The Badgers have been taking care of business but can they slow down red-hot Warriors?
Schuyler has dominated every game at the state tournament. The goal of winning their school’s first state championship is within their grasp tonight as they are in their first championship game since 2011 and third overall. The Warriors rolled past No. 6 Crete on Thursday night, 8-2. The biggest win margin of this entire competition for any team. They backed it up on Saturday with a 4-1 victory over No. 2 Hastings. Is it possible Schuyler has left its best performance for last?
Bennington and Schuyler are both teams that have risen to be the best two teams this season in Class B boys. I think this game is going to be a spectacle to watch and it could very well be high-scoring. I have picked every game in this bracket correctly so far, which means I am not switching it up today. I favor Bennington’s wins in the tournament in high regard; the way Schuyler has won has been very impressive. But, I see the Badgers on top of B for the first time in program history.
My Prediction: Bennington: 4, Schuyler: 3
Class A
8:00 p.m. – No. 3 Omaha South vs No. 4 Omaha Westside
Omaha South is in its sixth state championship appearance. The Packers have won their last four trips and they are looking to make it five tonight. Omaha South shocked me in their quarterfinal last Monday against No. 6 Lincoln Southwest. The Packers dominated, winning by a final score of 5-2. In the semifinals against Cinderella No. 7 South Sioux City, the match stayed close. Omaha South pulled out a 1-0 victory, but their momentum seems to have cooled. Can the Packers triumph over the upset-happy Warriors?
Omaha Westside is in their eighth trip to the state championship and they are looking to break a streak. Since winning the title in 1998 and 2004, the Warriors have lost five straight championship games. I said last Monday that it looked like “an uphill climb this week in order to make some noise” for Omaha Westside. In the quarterfinals, they played a man up for most of the game on No. 5 Lincoln Southeast and won 4-0. I was still hesitant about the Warriors and truly wondered how much they have grown since their 6-1 loss to Creighton Prep in the Metro tournament. They broke that on Friday night with a hard-nosed 2-1 victory over the Jr. Jays. Now, do the Warriors have another statement game in them?
The last time we did not see Creighton Prep, Omaha Westside or Omaha South in the state championship was in 2009. That streak continues tonight with the Warriors and Packers. These two teams met on April 7, with Omaha South winning 5-4. The trends also speak for themselves, so give me Omaha South to capture their fifth state championship tonight in a close one.
My Prediction: Omaha South: 3, Omaha Westside: 2
Once again, these are just my opinions, so feel free to comment yours down below. I would love to hear your thoughts. It’s been a great last week and I’m looking forward to what the next year has in store. Enjoy some great soccer tonight and hopefully I’ll be talking to you again before too long.
Elijah Moser is a contributor for Nebraska Soccer Talk, currently studying Sports Communication and Journalism at the University of Nebraska – Kearney.
Elijah, Elijah, Elijah… u don’t know what’s coming cupcake.