In sports, if you want to be the best, first you have to beat the best. This week that philosophy would put Nebraska’s two best teams to the test.
The state’s top-ranked team and reigning state champions Omaha Westside traveled to the state’s second-ranked team Millard South with Westside coming out on top with a 31-14 victory. Both teams were unbeaten at 7-0 going into the game so this game set the stage for the approaching state playoffs.
The Warriors of Westside started the game off quickly as they forced an interception to start the game off. They followed that up with a quick touchdown to go up 7-0 in the first quarter.
The rest of the first half went on without a lot of scoring as at halftime the Warriors led the Patriots 10-0. The start of the second half continued to go to the Warriors as they increased the lead to 17-0 early in the 3rd quarter.
The game seemed like it was hitting desperation for the Patriots. However, a touchdown pass from sophomore Jett Thomalla to junior Dylan Kuhl late in the third quarter finally got the Patriots on the board as the Warriors led 17-7 as the game entered the fourth quarter.
The score did not change for the first half of the fourth quarter. However, with just over 5 minutes left in the game, Kuhl recovered a fumble and returned it to the endzone to tighten the score all the way to 17-14.
The Warriors did not let the change in momentum change the game as less than 2 minutes later they answered with a touchdown of their own to make the score 24-14. Omaha Westside scored one more time in the fourth quarter to emerge with the 31-14 victory.
The game was an important one for both teams as they finish out the regular season next week. Omaha Westside improved their record to 8-0 as they prepare for the finale at home against Lincoln Northeast. This was the first loss of the season for the Patriots as their record dropped to 7-1. They will look to move on as they prepare to face off against Lincoln High School at home in the regular season finale. Both teams will look to keep their impressive seasons going when the state playoffs begin on Oct. 27 when both teams begin their journey to the state championship at Memorial Stadium on Nov. 21.
