NSAA 8-Man State Championship Preview
Eight Man-2 (Class D2): Backyard Brawl – Neighbors Central Valley, Riverside set for title bout
KICKOFF: 10:15 AM | Memorial Stadium; University of Nebraska
Central Valley (11-1) vs. Riverside (10-2)
Live Online Streaming: Nebraska Public Media
Live TV: Nebraska Public Media
The Road to Lincoln: Class D2 Playoff Bracket
Little did they know when they played on August 30 that Central Valley and Riverside would meet again. Well, maybe in the playoffs.
But for all the marbles on Monday morning? Probably not so much.
“I think we both knew going into that first game that we had a chance to be pretty good,” Central Valley coach Chip Bartos said. “We knew if we played them again it could be really deep in the playoffs.”
But ever since — and with the playoff point system getting them on opposite sides of the bracket — the two have been top contenders for Monday’s game.
Riverside started 2-2 with losses to CV and to the Cougars semifinal opponent — Archangels Catholic — but have won eight straight including a decisive 73-50 win in the quarterfinals against defending champion Sandhills/Thedford, before last week’s 50-20 home win over BDS to advance to Lincoln.
The Chargers have been as hot on offense as anyone in the class since the playoffs began. They have scored 68, 84, 73 and 50 in four playoff games.
“It feels like we have just been really balanced,” Riverside coach Cory Valasek said. “We feel like we have 4-5 guys we can get the ball to, and they have been together for a long time. I have been coaching them all in three sports since middle school.”
Quarterback Larry Driessner has filled in for opening day starter Drew Carraher and accounted for 31 touchdowns and 1,679 yards. Running back Jack Molt has rushed for 1,633 yards and 23 touchdowns. In the win over S/T, Driessner set a D-2 playoff record with seven touchdown passes.
Central Valley — with just a loss to D-1 finalist Stanton — has been tough to crack in the playoffs. They have outscored their opponents 228-48 in four games so far.
Cougar quarterback Zaden Wolf has led Central Valley. The senior has accounted for 52 touchdowns and 2,879 yards this year, while throwing just two interceptions. Running back Grady Kelly is near 1,000 scrimmage yards after missing five regular season games.
Taesian Soto leads a defense allowing just over 16 points a game with 139 tackles.
“The teams are the same but we think it will be a completely different game,” Bartos said. “They are playing really well. We are going to have to be very sound in our judgment and thought process defensively.”
COACH DREW: Diessner has filled in for Drew Carraher since he went down with a season-ending knee injury against Osceola. Valasek said he has quickly turned into a coaching leader for the Chargers. “We call him Coach Drew now,” Valasek said. “Seeing him go down was hard but he has bounced back from it.”
HISTORY: The previous schools involved in the current consolidations have a long history of NSAA football playoff success.
Central Valley, made up of North Loup-Scotia, Greeley and Wolbach has 10 combined finals appearances with five state championships. Four are by Wolbach who was the D11 champion in 1976 and six-man champs in 1989, 1995 and 1996.
For Riverside, a consolidation of Cedar Rapids and Spalding, there were four six-man titles in the Coaches Association era from 2014-2017. Cedar Rapids won a six-man title in 1992. And, Spalding Academy (part of Riverside as a co-op for sports) was the 1993 six-man champ.
HISTORY (PART 2): It appears that the Class D-2 game will be the first eight-man state championship game in history between two teams from the same conference. “A true testament to all the communities involved and their commitment to success,” Bartos said.
Eight Man-1 (Class D1): Dream Game – Stanton, Sandy Creek ready for 2023 rematch
KICKOFF: 2:45 PM | Memorial Stadium; University of Nebraska
Sandy Creek (12-0) vs. Stanton (12-0)
Live Online Streaming: Nebraska Public Media
Live TV: Nebraska Public Media
The Road to Lincoln: Class D1 Playoff Bracket
When Stanton upended Sandy Creek in last year’s Class D-1 state semifinals, it was in the back of everyone’s mind that the perfect place for it to happen again would be Memorial Stadium.
In that 48-36 win for Stanton it was back-and-forth until a late turnover gave the Mustangs a two score lead. They went on to beat EMF 42-36 in the state championship game.
“It was a game that just came down to one or two plays,” Stanton coach Dave Stoddard said. “I mean, we only made them punt once. They are just very, very good.”
Sandy Creek coach Andrew Kuta echoed the thoughts of his counterpart, also saying his Cougars learned plenty from last year’s contest.
“They just have some many great athletes,” Kuta said. “I think they are probably running the ball this year even better than they did last year. The game probably comes down to who can get one or two stops.”
The numbers don’t lie for the defending champions. Behind a line anchored by Texas Tech pledge Ren Brown, seniors Barrett Wilke (2,624 yards) and Becker Pohlman (1,407) have run roughshod over opponents. Stanton has passed just 68 times in 12 contests.
In reaching their first state championship game in school history, Sandy Creek has dominated opponents by nearly 50 points per contest. They have turned on the running clock in each playoff game and allowed just 34 points in the playoffs.
Quarterback Ethan Shaw is the headliner with plenty of help. He has run for 1,510 yards and 28 touchdowns and is 96-for-152 passing for 1,952 yards and 34 touchdowns to just one interception.
The Cougar defense has forced 22 turnovers in the year as well.
“We will have to limit the big plays for them,” Stoddard said. “They are just too good to stop for a whole game. We will have to get some timely stops and create some opportunities for ourselves.”
COUGAR FIRST: Kuta knows handling the trip to Memorial Stadium will be new for his players and even his staff. Monday will be the first-ever state final appearance for the Cougars who are in their third season of 8-man football. “I think if we get our kids there in the right frame of mind, we’ll be fine once the game starts,” the coach said. In the meantime he has relied on other coaches who have advanced to Lincoln for his itinerary and assistants Cole Wiseman and Trae Ramer who played for Sutton in the 2019 Class C-2 final to relay to his players what to expect.
THE TRENCHES: Both coaches know the game likely comes down to which team can get control of the line of scrimmage. “We believe that this game will have the two best lines in 8-man football,” Kuta said.
ENJOYING ONE: Stoddard said winning last year was special but his group of eight seniors has been ready for this game since they took their pads off last November. “Almost immediately, the guys wanted to know how they get back here. I kind of had to joke with time to enjoy it a little bit.”
Tony Chapman is a freelance writer based in Grand Island. He has written for multiple Nebraska daily and weekly newspapers. His weekly Harvest Sports Newsletter covers a wide variety of Nebraska prep sports.