2025 NSAA State Football Championship Finals – Classes D1, D2 and D6 Preview
The Nebraska School Activities Association state football championships begin their three-day march over a five-day span on Friday night in Kearney with the 6-man championship game at Ron and Carol Cope Stadium. The 8-man championship games will kick off the six-game set at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln on Monday, Nov. 24.
The 6-man final will feature first time participants Garden County (11-0) and Southwest (11-0) with the game televised on News Channel Nebraska. The Class D-1 game will kick on Monday at 10:15 a.m. between defending champion Sandy Creek (11-1) and Crofton (10-2). It will be followed by the D-2 contest between O’Neill St. Mary’s (12-0) and Wynot (11-1) at 2:45 p.m. Those games can be seen statewide on Nebraska Public Media.
CLASS D-6: Garden County, Southwest Aim For First Title
Garden County and Southwest met in the first round of last year’s state football playoffs with the Eagles taking a 50-23 win at home in Oshkosh. This year the stakes are drastically different in the state final game that has both teams undefeated going into Friday’s 7 p.m. kick at Nebraska-Kearney’s Cope Stadium.
The coaches agree, however, that both teams are a little different — and better — than their 2024 versions.
“I think there are some things you can look at (from last year),” said Garden County coach Chad Dormann. “We know they still want to get out in space and spread us around. But, they run it a little better than last year. Defensively, they have improved as well and you wonder what they will do differently than last year, too.”
Southwest coach Christian Arterburn said the loss last year has motivated his team to get to Kearney and they are excited to earn another shot at the Eagles.
“I think that game (last year) put a little chip on our shoulders,” Arterburn said. “We set a goal in the offseason to get a home playoff game and after about four or five games this year, our kids changed that goal to getting to the finals. We know that we are going to have to come out and play physical football. And, defensively they have done a few more things than they did last year so we will have to be ready for that.”
In qualifying for the playoffs in 23 of the past 24 seasons, Garden County has played every kind of football. All with Dormann at the helm. The Eagles advanced to the Class C-2 semifinals in 2002, had three 8-man quarterfinal appearances in 2011, 2014 and 2015 and made the 6-man semifinals a season ago.
“I think 8-man and 11-man are really similar,” the coach said. “But, in 6-man you really have to learn how to tackle in the open field.”
It has been a dominant season for the boys from Oshkosh as it has had a running clock in all but two games; both with their semifinal opponent Stuart.
The Eagles bruising running game has been too much for most teams to handle. They have passed just 65 times in 11 games and ran the ball for 3,178 yards and a 10.9 yards per carry average. Three players have more than 800 yards: Wilsie Lobner (946 yards, 17 touchdowns), Kole Fornander (800 yards, 19 TDs) and Kyan Kramer (772 yards, 18 TDs).
Defensively, Garden County has allowed 20 points just three times all season. Junior Jase Roberson leads the Eagle defense with 92 tackles and Kramer is second at 69. They have forced 22 turnovers on the season, including 13 fumbles.
“We just have a group of kids who have been playing together for a long time and they love football,” Dormann said. “We had a really good summer of work. It doesn’t take much to get them to the weight room and I think when you have a season like we have you have a little bit of luck with injuries. We have been very fortunate to stay healthy.”
Like its opponent, Southwest is another team that has played in the state playoffs at each level of football. But the Roughriders’ three wins this fall are one more than they’ve had previously in school history. After the district was formed in 2003, Southwest had not won a playoff game since defeating Burwell in the 2006 Class C-2 playoffs prior to this year’s run to the finals.
The Roughriders feature a balanced offensive attack that is led by one of 6-man’s most talented players, Houston Billeter. Billeter has thrown for 31 TDs and 1,849 yards on the season, while also running for 740 yards. Juniors Jacob Barber (596 yards) and Deric Kelley (511 yards) have combined for 18 scoring receptions.
Billeter threw for more than 2,400 yards last year, but Arterburn said his production has not lacked and the Roughriders have developed a better run game in 2025. Southwest has thrown for 1,901 yards and ran for 1,809 on the season.
“Houston is just one of the best kids and best leaders I have ever been around,” Arterburn said. “Our players follow him, but all the kids in the elementary school look up to him, too.
“I think last year we might have relied on his arm just a little too much. Even early this year we didn’t have a very good running game so it’s something we have really put an emphasis on. Houston can run it for us, but Jacob (Barber) and Darmario Koetter have run the ball well for us, too.”
Junior Gage Hammond leads a Roughrider defense that has given up 30 points just twice during the season and pitched a 35-0 shutout in the semifinals over previously undefeated Red Cloud. Hammond has 117 tackles, four sacks and two interceptions on the season. Barber is second on the team at 94 tackles and Billeter has four interceptions as well.
Friday’s game will be the first with two unbeaten teams since 2021 when Cody-Kilgore defeated Potter-Dix in the final 72-37. The previous three games before that when 6-man returned as an NSAA sponsored game all featured a pair of undefeated teams.
CLASS D-1: Defending Champion Sandy Creek Hopes to Slow Down High-Scoring Warriors
Crofton and Sandy Creek both took a little time to find their footing before ultimately making dominant runs to the Class D-1 state championship game.
Faced with replacing several key contributors from their 2024 state championship squad, the third-seeded Cougars started 1-1 after losing 32-24 on Sept. 5 to Shelby-Rising City. The fifth-seeded Warriors started the season with a 78-76 quadruple-overtime loss at Wynot and found themselves 2-2 following a 30-18 home setback against Bloomfield on Sept. 19.
Since then, neither team has lost.
“I’m incredibly proud of the growth that we’ve had this year,” Sandy Creek coach Andrew Kuta said. “Coming into the year, there were certainly a lot of questions when you lose five starters on defense and six on offense, but within our program, I don’t think that there was any doubt that we could be the team that we are right now. That just stems from our guys totally committing to the process and they’ve shown up every single day, ready to work.”
A team meeting proved to be the turning point for Crofton (10-2).
“After our Bloomfield loss, we had a meeting the following Monday and we told the guys, ‘We’re going to put everything on the table right now and everybody needs to speak and say what’s on their minds,’” Warriors’ coach Johnnie Ostermeyer said. “That was the start of our playoff run. Now, they’re pulling for each other and they’re playing for each other, which means you’re getting even more effort than you would if they were just playing for themselves.”
Sandy Creek (11-1) will take a 10-game winning streak into the championship game. The Cougars are looking to be the first program to capture back-to-back D-1 titles since Elgin Public/Pope John in 2011 and 2012.
Sophomore quarterback Kam Sealey has completed 71.1% of his pass attempts (155 of 218) for 2,167 yards and 32 TDs with six interceptions and also rushed for 1,578 yards and 33 scores. Kaeden Schmidt (41 receptions for 447 yards and eight TDs), Wes Biltoft (32 receptions for 632 yards and 10 TDs), Logan Tomky (28 receptions for 533 yards and 10 TDs), Alex Watts (27 receptions for 290 yards) and Wyatt Hemberger (18 catches for 290) give Sandy Creek several viable receiving options.
Alston Clark leads the Cougars’ defense with 128 total tackles, while Biltoft (107 tackles and three interceptions) and Christian Shaw (106 tackles) have also topped the century mark. Josh Spray has 91 total stops and a team-high 12 tackles for loss, including six sacks.
Sandy Creek’s defense will be tested by a Crofton offense that is averaging 56.3 points per game — highlighted by a 90-point performance against Kimball and an 88-point output the next week against Johnson-Brock. Tyson Jackson leads the Warriors’ offense, rushing for 2,297 yards with an average of 9.7 yards per carry and 50 TDs.
Crofton quarterback Preston Foxhoven has completed 67.6% of his pass attempts for 1,265 yards and 17 TDs with just three interceptions, while rushing for 503 yards and nine scores. Trevor Allen (27 receptions for 508 yards and six TDs) and Jace Panning (25 catches for 473 yards and eight TDs) have been the top receiving targets for the Warriors.
Defensively, Grant Jordan (101 total tackles) and Jackson (96 total stops with 10 tackles for loss) lead Crofton. Foxhoven has a team-high six interceptions. Porter Bartels (four fumbles forced and two sacks) and Trey Tramp (eight tackles for loss, including two sacks) are also play-makers.
In preparation for the final, Ostermeyer reached out to several friends in the coaching fraternity who have taken their teams to title games.
“The biggest thing they emphasized was that yes, it’s a championship game on a big stage, but it’s also just another game,” said Ostermeyer, who is in his first season as Crofton’s head coach. “That’s how we’re going to approach it and we’re going to prepare for it just like we have all our other games and finish the race. That has been a huge mantra for us throughout our playoff run.”
Kuta said he wants the Cougars to appreciate the opportunity that’s in front of them.
“These guys are mission-minded right now — they’re really focused on the task at hand,” Kuta said. “The biggest thing that I’m going to try to convey to them is to take a moment and enjoy the ride. They should enjoy the fact that they have earned the right to be in this game again and not take it for granted.”
CLASS D-2: Familiar Foes St. Mary’s, Wynot Squaring Off Again
There will be plenty of familiarity between both the student-athletes and the communities when St. Mary’s and Wynot square off in the Class D-2 state championship game.
The two schools have crossed paths several times recently in state competition in boys and girls basketball, volleyball and now football.
“For not being on each other’s regular-season schedule, our schools have seen quite a lot of each other,” St. Mary’s coach Tony Allen said. “It’s pretty exciting with all the history between the two schools in the last eight to 10 years.”
Last March, St. Mary’s defeated Wynot 63-51 for the Class D-2 boys state basketball title.
“There’s quite a bit of familiarity between the kids,” Wynot coach Steve Heimes said. “There are some great athletes and great competitors on both sides, that’s for sure.”
Football-wise, containing the high-octane St. Mary’s offense has proven to be a tall order for opponents this season as the Cardinals (12-0) are averaging 58.8 points per game. After being limited to 18 points in a season-opening win against Twin Loup, St. Mary’s has scored 46 or more in every outing, including an 80-12 victory over Neligh-Oakdale.
“St. Mary’s is an excellent team and their offense is very, very good — there’s a reason they put up the points like they do,” Heimes said. “Not many people have stopped them or even slowed them down. The St. Mary’s offensive line has really improved this year, which is a big part of their success.”
Despite battling a knee injury, quarterback Gage Hedstrom had a hand in seven touchdowns to set the career mark for total TDs in the eight-man ranks as the Cardinals knocked off top-seeded Howells-Dodge 52-28 in the semifinals. This season, Hedstrom has completed 67.7% of his passes for 1,964 yards and 40 TDs to go with 1,796 yards and 35 more scores on the ground.
“A lot of our success is due to the fact that 90% of the time, the ball is in Gage Hestrom’s hands and when that’s the case, something good is going to happen, whether it’s with his legs or with his arm,” Allen said. “Our line has been playing very well and Gage has a lot of weapons around him, too.”
Ben Barlow is the top receiving target for St. Mary’s, hauling in 61 passes for 989 yards and 20 TDs. Lane Bybee adds 28 receptions for 463 yards and seven TDs and James Eby has 18 catches for 265 yards and seven scores.
Hedstrom is also a leader on defense, recording a team-high 114 total tackles to go with five interceptions. Dalton Herley (110 total tackles, including 20 tackles for loss) and Bybee (105 tackles, including 17 TFLs with six sacks) are also forces. Barlow leads St. Mary’s with seven interceptions.
After a shaky start, Wynot’s defense has buckled down and the sixth-seeded Blue Devils (11-1) take a nine-game winning streak into the championship game. Following a 78-76 four-overtime victory over D-1 finalist Crofton, a 60-26 win over Creighton and a 36-30 OT loss against Archangels Catholic, Wynot limited its next six opponents to eight points or less and has allowed an average of 8.8 points in its last nine contests.
“Some of it was working on fundamentals and concepts of what we’re trying to do,” Heimes said. “We did rotate a few players around to probably position them at a better spot. Our defense played better and better as the year went on, but I also think that some of that came from gaining confidence — that’s a big part of it.”
Lane Heimes has recorded 115 total tackles, including 7.5 tackles for loss to lead Wynot. Carter Hans has 5.5 sacks, while Kotner Koch has seven interceptions and Braylon Hans has four picks for the Blue Devils.
Offensively, Devin Brummer completes 69.3% of his pass attempts on the season for 1,745 yards and 31 touchdowns with just three interceptions. Koch has a team-high 59 receptions for 781 yards and 10 TDs, while Hans has caught 36 balls for 547 yards and 10 scores. Heimes adds 999 yards and 26 TDs rushing for the Blue Devils, who have scored 60 points or more five times.
Wynot has certainly impressed Allen.
“They’re fast, athletic, aggressive — they’ve got a lot of weapons and they’re a pretty talented group,” Allen said. “When you play as many seniors as they do, you know they’ve been around the block a few times. They’re going to be sharp, they’re going to be disciplined and you know that you’ve got your work cut out for you.”