2002 FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS

The State Football Playoffs began on Thursday, October 31 for Classes C1, C2, D1, and D2. Thirty-two teams qualified for the playoffs in C1, C2, D1, and D2. Second-round games were played on November 6. Classes A and B, which qualified 16 teams in each class, had its first-round games on November 6. Playoff rounds continued with the quarterfinals in all classes on November 11, and semifinals on November 16. Championship finals for all classes were held at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln for the seventh consecutive year. Classes D1 and D2 played its championship final on November 21, while C2 and A played November 22. Finals in Classes C1 and B were November 23. Paid attendance for state finals: 23,153.

 

Class A was made up of the 26 largest schools playing football. The top three teams in each district and the fourth-place team with the highest wild-card point average advanced to the playoffs. The next 32 largest schools were Class B. The top two teams in each of the six districts and the next four with the highest wild-card point average made the playoffs. The next 58 schools were Class C1 and the remainder of the schools playing 11-man football (58) were Class C2.  Classes D1 and D2 consisted of all schools playing 8-man football.  There were 65 in D1 and 65 in D2. One schools playing eight-man was above the playoff eligibility enrollment limit. In Classes C1, C2, D1 and D2 the 10 district champions and the next 12 teams with the highest wild-card point average qualified for the playoffs.

 

2002 Football Results

 

CLASS A

First Round

Milard North 46, Omaha South 6

Omaha Creighton Prep 28, Millard West 0

North Platte 34, Lincoln Northeast 14

Omaha Westside 27, Omaha Central 26

Lincoln Southeast 17, Papillion-LaVista 0

Norfolk 28, Omaha North 14

Omaha Burke 27, Millard South 15

Kearney 27, Grand Island 14

 

Quarterfinals

Millard North 14, Omaha Creighton Prep 10

North Platte 40, Omaha Westside 21

Lincoln Southeast 30, Norfolk 15

Kearney 35, Omaha Burke 30

 

Semifinals

Millard North 49, North Platte 27

Lincoln Southeast 41, Kearney 15

 

Championship Final

Lincoln Southeast (12-1) 7, Millard North (12-1) 6

Championship Coach: Chuck Mizerski

 

CLASS B

 

First Round

Ralston 14, Gretna 3

Waverly 31, Blair 0

Elkhorn 24, Plattsmouth 0

Omaha Gross Catholic 20, Omaha Roncalli Catholic 14

Aurora 54, Norris 0

Alliance 35, Beatrice 34 (3OT)

Crete 35, Ogallala 14

McCook 34, Hastings 7

 

Quarterfinals

Ralston 28, Waverly 7

Omaha Gross Catholic 21, Elkhorn 20

Aurora 35, Alliance 0

McCook 21, Crete 6

 

Semifinals

Ralston 21, Omaha Gross Catholic 20 (OT)

McCook 45, Aurora 3

 

Championship Final

McCook (13-0) 39, Ralston (9-4) 14

Championship Coach: Jeff Gross

 

CLASS C1

 

First Round

Conestoga 25, Ashland-Greenwood 0

Auburn 26, Syracuse 7

Valley 36, Lincoln Christian 28

Boys Town 28, Wilber-Clatonia 21

Pierce 42, Logan View 6

Norfolk Catholic 26, Madison 6

Aquinas 12, Battle Creek 10

Bishop Neumann 41, Wayne 6

Adams Central 25, Minden 7

Hastings St. Cecilia 12, Centura 6

Boone Central 30, St. Paul 6

Fillmore Central 34, West Holt 0

Chase County 41, Bridgeport 0

Gothenburg 42, Mitchell 0

Kearney Catholic 19, Valentine 10

Gordon 44, Broken Bow 14

 

Second Round

Auburn 21, Conestoga 3

Boys Town 27, Valley 12

Pierce 17, Norfolk Catholic 13

Bishop Neumann 35, Aquinas 18

Hastings St. Cecilia 14, Adams Central 8

Boone Central 21, Fillmore Central 14

Gothenburg 9, Chase County 0

Kearney Catholic 30, Gordon 12

 

Quarterfinals

Auburn 21, Boys Town 6

Bishop Neumann 27, Pierce 10

Bone Central 13, Hastings St. Cecilia 2

Gothenburg 28, Kearney Catholic 6

 

Semifinals

Bishop Neumann 27, Auburn 10

Gothenburg 34, Boone Central 14

 

Championship Finals

Bishop Neumann (13-0) 28, Gothenburg (10-3) 13

Championship Coach: Tim Turman

 

CLASS C2

 

First Round

Archbishop Bergan 14, Malcolm 10

Scribner-Snyder 37, Tecumseh 27

Elmwood-Murdock 26, Southern 20

Lyons-Decatur Northeast 17, Oakland-Craig 14

Stanton 26, Ponca 12

Pender 21, Wakefield 20

Crofton 12, Hartington Cedar Catholic 0

Creighton 26, Randolph 6

Lawrence-Nelson 20, Sandy Creek 6

Heartland 20, Thayer Central 17

Sutton 34, Osceola 0

Cross County 27, East Butler 0

North Platte St. Patrick’s 33, Gibbon 15

Bertrand 28, Ravenna 6

Garden County 28, Sutherland 14

Cambridge 36, Loup City 13

 

Second Round

Archbishop Bergan 40, Scribner-Snyder 20

Elmwood-Murdock 14, Lyons-Decatur Northeast 10

Stanton 26, Pender 12

Creighton 20, Crofton 7

Lawrence-Nelson 51, Heartland 0

Cross County 28, Sutton 13

North Platte St. Patrick’s 21, Bertrand 14

Garden County 41, Cambridge 18

 

Quarterfinals

Archbishop Bergan 19, Elmwood-Murdock 13

Creighton 23, Stanton 7

Lawrence-Nelson 27, Cross County 13

Garden County 26, North Platte St. Patrick’s 17

 

Semifinals

Creighton 30, Archbishop Bergan 20

Lawrence-Nelson 18, Garden County 0

 

Championship Finals

Lawrence-Nelson (12-1) 14, Creighton (11-2) 7

Championship Coach: Gary DeBoer

 

CLASS D1

 

First Round

Friend 52, Palmer 0

Falls City Sacred Heart 58, High Plains 24

Diller-Odell 16, Deshler 12

Shelby 56, Lourdes Central Catholic 6

Howells 56, Newman Grove 0

Cedar Bluffs 50, Waterloo/Concordia 0

Humphrey St. Francis 26, Osmond 22

Bloomfield 48, Leigh 0

Greeley/Wolbach 47, Amherst 0

Anselmo-Merna 46, Arapahoe 0

Overton 41, Silver Lake 19

Blue Hill 58, Spalding/Spalding Academy 20

Rushville 42, Wauneta-Palisade 14

Eustis-Farnam 44, Medicine Valley 14

Crawford 30, Arnold 8

Republican Valley 50, South Platte 0

 

Second Round

Friend 28, Falls City Sacred Heart 22

Shelby 28, Diller-Odell 20

Howells 44, Cedar Bluffs 21

Bloomfield 8, Humphrey St. Francis 6

Greeley/Wolbach 44, Anselmo-Merna 30

Overton 41, Blue Hill 40

Eustis-Farnam 22, Rushville 14

Crawford 20, Republican Valley 14

 

Quarterfinals

Friend 56, Shelby 12

Howells 60, Bloomfield 14

Greeley/Wolbach 40, Overton 21

Eustis-Farnam 16, Crawford 0

 

Semifinals

Howells 56, Friend 14

Greeley/Wolbach 48, Eustis-Farnam 20

 

Championship Finals

Howells (13-0) 24, Greeley/Wolbach (12-1) 14

Championship Coach: Mike Speirs

 

CLASS D2

 

First Round

Lindsay Holy Family 48, Shickley 0

Bruning-Davenport 46, Prague 0

Dodge 42, Sterling 8

Nemaha Valley 40, Lewiston 34 (3OT)

Coleridge 48, Newcastle 0

Clearwater 43, Wynot 34

Lynch 20, Verdigre 6

Pope John 50, Wausa 0

St. Mary’s 46, Sumner-Eddyville-Miller 8

Twin Valley 44, Kenesaw 26

Sargent 30, Stuart 14

Stapleton 49, Sandhills 0

Mullen 52, Minatare 24

Wallace 26, Hayes Center 20 (OT)

Culbertson 76, Banner County 44

Cody-Kilgore 38-Chappell 36

 

Second Round

Lindsay Holy Family 22, Bruning-Davenport 20

Dodge 44, Nemaha Valley 22

Clearwater 27, Coleridge 26

Pope John 49, Lynch 24

St. Mary’s 46, Twin Valley 14

Sargent 28, Stapleton 22

Mullen 46, Wallace 0

Cody-Kilgore 44, Culbertson 34

 

Quarterfinals

Lindsay Holy Family 42, Dodge 6

Pope John 35, Clearwater 34

St. Mary’s 46, Sargent 0

Mullen 28, Cody-Kilgore 26

 

Semifinals

Lindsay Holy Family 30, Pope John 21

St. Mary’s 56, Mullen 6

 

Championship Final

St. Mary’s (13-0) 22, Lindsay Holy Family (11-2) 8

Championship Coach: Tony Allen