Good morning! We have reached day four of the state tournament if you can believe that. The Class B girls delivered some high-quality matchups in their quarterfinals yesterday, including some Morrison Madness with No. 7 Norris upsetting No. 2 Scotus Central Catholic.
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 boys conversation starts at 49:37.
Alright, on to the Class B 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 – Crete (6 Seed)
The Cardinals are back at Morrison for their second straight year. Crete won six straight games down the stretch to make it back and they are the underdogs in this field. With all four losses coming by multiple goals, including two glaring 7-0 losses to Omaha Skutt Catholic and Schuyler, my expectations of the Cardinals in Omaha are not very high. Will Crete prove me wrong? We’ll find out in their third matchup with No. 3 Schuyler tonight.
No. 7 – Gretna East (8 Seed)
The Griffins are making their first trip to Omaha in the program’s second year. It was an uphill battle as Gretna East had seven one-goal matches, five of which they lost. They figured it out as the season went on, including knocking out five-time defending champions Omaha Skutt Catholic in the district final, 2-0. This is a Griffins squad that can certainly make some noise at Morrison, but their quarterfinal matchup is against the No.1 team in the tournament. Do the Griffins have another upset in them?
No. 6 – Elkhorn North (7 Seed)
The Wolves have made the quarterfinals every year since their second year of existence in 2021. The first state tournament victory for Elkhorn North is still in the waiting. With a win over Mount Michael during the regular season, watch out for the Wolves in their rematch against Hastings. We have already witnessed two upsets from seven-seeds and the last time Elkhorn North faced the Tigers was in the western land of Scottsbluff.
No. 5 – Mount Michael (5 Seed)
The Knights are not only the only team in the field with a state championship (2005), they are also the only Class B team to defeat Schuyler this season. Mount Michael is a team to keep your eye on because they most certainly can make a run. The Knights will need to find some momentum to fuel their run, though, because they have not won two straight games since the middle of April. Get ready for a battle in their quarterfinal against Lexington, which should be one of the best games today.
No. 4 – Hastings (2 Seed)
The Tigers are back at the state tournament for the first time in ten years. Hastings has burst onto the Class B soccer scene early in the season, defeating Lexington 1-0. Since then, the Tigers have beaten the teams that they should and their only loss is by one goal to Bennington. Much like Bellevue West earlier in the week, my question for Hastings is, can they step up and deliver on the big stage of Morrison?
No. 3 – Lexington (4 Seed)
The Minutemen have been the closest team in the field in recent years to claiming the state championship. With Omaha Skutt Catholic out of the way, the lane has opened for a Lexington squad that defeated both South Sioux City and Crete throughout the season. The Minutemen have only lost one game by more than one goal as they have grinded through games this season. That includes being nicknamed the “100-minute men” by our own Jack Hoover, with the amount of overtime and shootout performances for Lexington. The Minutemen are well prepared for Omaha.
No. 2 – Schuyler (3 Seed)
The Warriors haven’t lost since April 4 against Kearney. Since then, Schuyler has rolled off 13 straight wins, including two over Crete and one against Lexington. The Warriors are a very dangerous team that is not to be messed with. If anyone could defeat Bennington, Schuyler is my best bet. Keep an eye out for the Warriors if they can keep their momentum going at Morrison.
No. 1 – Bennington (1 Seed)
The Badgers might have one of the worst losses in the field against Gretna, but Bennington has beaten every other opponent in their path. This team already has an Eastern Midlands Conference championship on the season and is hungry to add some more hardware in Omaha. The Badgers rarely competed in one-goal games this year and have defeated four different state tournament teams. Now, Bennington just needs to finish the job at Morrison.
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 A semifinal predictions. Until then, enjoy some great soccer today! You can watch all four games on the NFHS Network, here is the schedule.
- Noon. No. 1 Bennington (18-1) vs No. 8 Gretna East (9-7)
- 2 p.m. No. 4 Lexington (15-4) vs No. 5 Mount Michael (11-6)
- 5:30 p.m. No. 2 Hastings (17-1) vs No. 7 Elkhorn North (12-5)
- 7:30 p.m. No. 3 Schuyler (16-2) vs No. 6 Crete (12-4)
Elijah Moser is a contributor for Nebraska Soccer Talk, currently studying Sports Communication and Journalism at the University of Nebraska – Kearney.