Good morning! We have made it past the quarterfinals and it’s time to determine our Class A state championship games to be played on Monday and Tuesday. The first four days of the tournament have certainly been exciting and there is much more at stake here on day five.
On Monday and Tuesday, I ranked each of the Class A teams based on their chances of winning the state championship. Today will be a little different as I preview each of the four matches and give you my picks on who is going to advance.
Girls
Noon – No. 1 Lincoln Southwest vs No. 5 Elkhorn South
On Monday, I called Lincoln Southwest the hottest team in the field. However, they were certainly cooled off a little when their battle against No. 8 Papillion-La Vista went to a shootout. The Silver Hawks were on the brink of elimination but stayed alive to advance to the semifinals. The big question for them is, was it a wake-up call for Lincoln Southwest?
Elkhorn South is a team I called a “dangerous wildcard who can definitely wreak some havoc.” Even with that sentiment, I slotted the Storm in at No. 6 because I liked the resumes of the other five teams more. Elkhorn South has been on a tear since losing to Lincoln East in the regular season finale, 3-0 and their 2-0 win over Kearney was most certainly impressive. The question about the Storm is, how much more is left in the tank?
I think this could be a very competitive matchup, but as far as my prediction goes, I think Monday’s game was only a wake-up call for Lincoln Southwest and they will be stronger today. I’m picking the Silver Hawks to continue their path toward back-to-back state titles.
My Prediction: Lincoln Southwest: 2, Elkhorn South: 1
2 p.m. – No. 2 Omaha Marian vs No. 3 Bellevue West
The Crusaders played a close match with No. 7 Millard West on Monday. The win probably was not to the standard of how they liked to win games down the stretch (by big margins), but they lived to see a third matchup with Bellevue West. They lost both prior meetings by one goal, so is a third time’s a charm for Omaha Marian?
Bellevue West proved me wrong on Monday. In one of my boldest predictions of the tournament, I predicted No. 6 Lincoln East to upset the Thunderbirds. That did not happen and Bellevue West showcased that even though they are young, they are just as lethal as I knew they could be. My question is similar to mine for Marian. Can the Thunderbirds find a way to beat Marian for a third time?
This prediction is tough because I think this game will be the best one of the day. It’s going to be a grinder, which is why I am predicting a shootout. Marian hasn’t reached the final since 2019 and Bellevue West is in their first-ever semifinal appearance. It’s a toss-up and my coin landed on the Thunderbirds.
My Prediction: Bellevue West: 2, Omaha Marian: 1 (SO)
Boys
5:30 p.m. – No. 1 Creighton Prep vs No. 4 Omaha Westside
Creighton Prep kept its momentum rolling on Monday. It may have been a tight matchup with No. 8 Papillion-La Vista South early on, but the Jr. Jays figured it out like usual and finished off a convincing two-goal victory. Now another test is on the horizon as they face a team they beat handily twice earlier this year, 4-2 and 6-1. Will they allow this match to be kept closer, or is it on to the state championship to try and be the first team in Class A boys to three-peat?
I said on Monday that it looked like “an uphill climb this week in order to make some noise” for Omaha Westside. Sure, they benefited from an early red card getting handed out to No. 5 Lincoln Southeast, but they grabbed the lead and never looked back, winning 4-0 in one of the biggest wins of the week. Momentum is surely on the Warriors’ side, but my question for them remains the same from Monday. How much have they grown since their 6-1 loss to Creighton Prep in the Metro tournament?
I think the match will be closer than their two previous meetings. Westside might hold the lead for a little bit, but I predict the Jr. Jays will secure another multi-goal victory in tonight’s semifinal. The dominance from the regular season is just too much to look past.
My Prediction: Creighton Prep: 3, Omaha Westside: 1
7:30 p.m. – No. 3 Omaha South vs No. 7 South Sioux City
I seriously do not know if there is a hotter team right now than Omaha South. I thought their match on Monday against No. 6 Lincoln Southwest was going to be close, but it was not. The Packers dominated, winning by a final score of 5-2. Now, they ride into the semifinals for a primetime matchup with one of the Cinderella stories of the tournament, South Sioux City. Is it possible for Omaha South to have too much confidence heading into tonight?
South Sioux City, how do you do? The Cardinals are coming off of their second-ever Class A quarterfinal victory (2014) and they did it by avenging last year’s state tournament loss when they were the one seed. They took No. 2 Millard North down 2-1 and are a fun story to watch. In fact their “Upset Alert” victory post on our social media (Shoutout to Jack Hoover and Fisher Madsen for all of their great work on those) is over 20,000 views on Instagram, the most views for any of our state tournament posts. The question is, do they have more magic in them?
I would love to see a good underdog story stay alive, but frankly, Omaha South is on another level. I think we will see Omaha South defeat South Sioux City with another convincing victory. Which, by the way, would set up a rematch of the last time Creighton Prep went for three in a row back in 2013. That year, Omaha South won the championship 1-0. Is it destiny?
My Prediction: Omaha South: 4, South Sioux City: 1
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 semifinal preview. Until then, enjoy some great soccer today!
Elijah Moser is a contributor for Nebraska Soccer Talk, currently studying Sports Communication and Journalism at the University of Nebraska – Kearney.