Good morning! It’s time for day two after a thrilling set of quarterfinals in Class A girls. I went 2/4 on my predictions yesterday as Elkhorn South and Bellevue West showed just how lethal their offenses are against HAC opposition.
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 A boys conversation starts at 19:05.
Alright, on to the Class A boys 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 – South Sioux City (7 Seed)
The Cardinals are the smallest team in Class A and have 538 fewer enrolled students than the next biggest school (LSE) in the tournament. The other seven teams are in the top 14 in enrollment. South Sioux City also competed primarily against Class B schools during the regular season. They may be small, but they are still mighty. They haven’t lost to an opponent in Nebraska since March 29 and they’re hungry after being upset last year in the quarterfinals when they were the No. 1 seed in Class B. Watch out for the Cardinals as the upset potential is there, but in this ranking they live at No. 8.
No. 7 – Omaha Westside (4 Seed)
The Warriors are riding a seven-game win streak into the state tournament. However, they did not field a win over another state team during the season. A weaker schedule down the stretch may have helped build some confidence with this Westside squad. The question is, how much have they grown since their 6-1 loss to Creighton Prep in the Metro tournament? To me, it looks like an uphill climb this week in order to make some noise for the Warriors of Westside.
No. 6 – Papillion-La Vista South (8 Seed)
I don’t know if there is a more perplexing team in this tournament than the Titans. Papillion-La Vista South has some high-quality wins over Omaha South, Westside and Lexington, by a whopping total of 11-1. At the same time, the Titans sport six losses. Two of those losses came against teams that were unable to qualify for the tournament. So, which Papillion-La Vista South team shows up at Morrison? Time will tell, but teams should watch out for the upset potential of the Titans as they hunt for their first state title in school history.
No. 5 – Lincoln Southeast (5 Seed)
The Knights haven’t seen a first-round victory at the state tournament in 20 years. They do have two solid 1-0 wins over Lincoln Southwest and Papillion-La Vista South. But, like the Titans, they had some early-season slip-ups over teams who narrowly missed the field in Kearney and Millard West. I still see Lincoln Southeast as a bit of a question mark, but the potential to grind out a couple more victories is certainly there.
No. 4 – Millard North (2 Seed)
The Mustangs are the only team to defeat Creighton Prep this season (in the first game of the year), although the Jr. Jays would later avenge that loss in the Metro championship, 5-2. Millard North has also beaten Lincoln Southeast and Papillion-La Vista South. But, the Mustangs have been known to play tight games and they have only faced one team with a record over .500 since the loss to Creighton Prep. While Millard North is certainly talented, they are on my block of potential upsets.
No. 3 – Lincoln Southwest (6 Seed)
The Silver Hawks are a team that has been without their primary scorer for the majority of the season. They also only got better in that span, avenging a 1-0 loss to Norfolk with a 2-0 victory in the HAC championship. Sure, they have 3-1 losses to both Omaha South and Creighton Prep, but what I have seen from Lincoln Southwest in person makes me think that they could make a run all the way to next Tuesday’s championship game, especially with Miguel Solano back. But, they will have to get through my No. 2 team in the quarterfinals tonight in order to do so.
No. 2 – Omaha South (3 Seed)
The Packers are the only team besides Millard North to even come within a goal of Creighton Prep this year. Omaha South’s other loss this year was to Papillion-La Vista South 5-0, which they quickly avenged a week later, defeating the Titans 3-2. The Packers have been a team that lives year in and year out at Morrison Stadium; their goal this year is to remind people that they are only four years removed from their last state championship. Watch out for the winner of Lincoln Southwest and Omaha South, as that team can truly make a long run in this tournament.
No. 1 – Creighton Prep (1 Seed)
The Jr. Jays have been the talk of the town in Class A boys this year. Since their season-opening loss to Millard North, Creighton Prep has roasted every other opponent they have faced this year like a person who loves burnt marshmallows (basically, they have dominated). The one thing going against the Jr. Jays is their back-to-back state championships. No team has ever won three straight in Class A boys and Creighton Prep has attempted to do so three times previously. The first two times, the Jr. Jays were eliminated in the quarterfinals. Although their last attempt brought them back to the title game, where they fell at the hands of Omaha South 1-0 in 2013. Can Creighton Prep hold up under pressure and win three straight, or fall in this loaded field?
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 girls 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 Creighton Prep (16-1) vs No. 8 Papillion-La Vista South (12-6)
- 2 p.m. No. 4 Omaha Westside (11-4) vs No. 5 Lincoln Southeast (13-3)
- 5:30 p.m. No. 2 Millard North (15-2) vs No. 7 South Sioux City (14-4)
- 7:30 p.m. No. 3 Omaha South (13-2) vs No. 6 Lincoln Southwest (10-5)
Elijah Moser is a contributor for Nebraska Soccer Talk, currently studying Sports Communication and Journalism at the University of Nebraska – Kearney.