The More I Learn, the Less I Know
Two weeks into the season and the Class A boys picture has never been murkier. The overwhelming favorite at the start of the year seemed to be Creighton Prep, but since losing talismanic striker Jordan Igwennma, the Junior Jays have gone scoreless for over 200 minutes of soccer and recently dropped a shootout to Lincoln Southwest. Their position now feels tenuous.
So who’s on top in Class A? Papio South currently sits atop the rankings, but even they needed a furious comeback from two goals down against Elkhorn South to preserve their undefeated record. The Titans are a strong team and deserving of the No. 1 spot, but no team looks untouchable right now. Teams like Prep, Papio South, Omaha South, Lincoln Southwest, Lincoln Southeast, Westside and many more are all in the hunt.
For fans, that uncertainty should make for great drama. There’s high-quality soccer being played across the state, and for the first time in a while, there may be eight or nine teams that can realistically stake a claim to a state championship. I know that that’s a bold statement this early in the season, but that’s how things are shaping up from a big-picture perspective. Buckle up! This could be a roller coaster of a season.
Trust the Process
One of the best parts of every season is watching which teams are trending upward, especially those that have struggled in recent years. A standout example this year is the Lincoln Lutheran/Raymond Central/Parkview Christian co-op girl’s team.
After winning just two games over the past two seasons and scoring only four goals all of last year, the Crusaders have flipped the script. Under first-year head coach Aaron Hutton, they’ve stormed out to a perfect 5–0 start, scoring 17 goals while conceding just one.
New energy has clearly played a role in the turnaround. Coach Hutton has brought fresh ideas in his first season, and the roster has responded. One of the team’s top performers has been freshman Gina Rea, who leads the squad with seven goals and two assists.
In our preseason survey, Coach Hutton thought this team would be capable of more than they showed last year and stated that it would be no surprise to him if his team finished at or near .500. With 7 games left in the regular season, a few more wins will see his prediction become reality.
New Kids on the Block
Set against a backdrop of grain silos and heavy machinery, Nebraska welcomed its newest high school soccer program this week.
On Thursday, March 26, Rosen Park hosted Gibbon High School’s first home matches as an independent program. While the school has previously co-oped with teams in Kearney, this marks the first time the town, home to fewer than 2,000 residents, has had its own team to rally behind.
For the opening home game, the girls and boys squads hosted Scottsbluff in a doubleheader. While the Buffaloes didn’t get the results they hoped for against strong competition, the bigger picture matters more: they’re building something new.
As we look to grow the game in this state, we view the addition of a Gibbon as a positive development. With 121 students, Gibbon is the 122nd smallest school in the state, and roughly 75 programs compete in soccer every year, meaning that there still exists a number of schools that could possibly add soccer programs in the future. At the very least, we look forward to seeing Gibbon compete and grow their program for years to come.