Class A Top 10 Power Rankings (Spring Edition)

With Spring just around the corner (fingers crossed), I wanted to release my top 10 team rankings before the start of camps and college visits. My criteria for this list relied on; players lost, returning players, and finish to their season. I didn’t factor in schedules because it is still early, and I want to focus on "player power." After watching which players stand out in camps and which players begin to rise the recruiting ranks, I will revisit these power rankings before the start of summer and then again before the season starts. I encourage all feedback, which encourages some (friendly) discourse and builds up some hype for football season. <hr /> 1. Omaha Westside Warriors Westside has one of the deepest squads in the state and they will come back next year with more experience and confidence. The Warriors do say goodbye to a phenomenal 2022 class featuring star players like Dom Rezac, [player_tooltip player_id="151114" first="Jack" last="James"], [player_tooltip player_id="156068" first="Tommy" last="Connelly"], etc. but they do have a very promising 2024 class waiting in the wings. 2024 QB [player_tooltip player_id="250051" first="Anthony" last="Rezac"] is a star in the making and showed tons of poise and maturity when he took over QB1 duties. Anthony isn’t the only Rezac to watch; twin brother Teddy has developed into a great DB behind the tutelage of older brother Dominic. [player_tooltip player_id="250053" first="Caleb" last="Benning"] is also an elite athlete that is already making recruiting noise and will be a pivotal part of their defensive success. Add in players like [player_tooltip player_id="250052" first="Jahmez" last="Ross"], [player_tooltip player_id="250054" first="Jonquel" last="Osler"], and the many other great players and you have yourself a tough squad to beat. 2. Gretna Dragons Regardless of what has happened off the field for the Gretna Dragons, what was shown on the field can not be denied. Gretna fielded one of the most explosive offenses and paired it with a very stingy defense. Seniors like [player_tooltip player_id="228766" first="Mick" last="Huber"], [player_tooltip player_id="191170" first="Jake" last="Lukis"], and [player_tooltip player_id="228771" first="Brayden" last="Chaney"] will be missed, but the Dragons did a good job getting their depth players some game reps. They do bring back the best QB in the state, [player_tooltip player_id="217055" first="Zane" last="Flores"], along with his favorite target [player_tooltip player_id="227033" first="Joe" last="Roll"]. Gretna will also have key pieces along the trenches returning like [player_tooltip player_id="227532" first="Mason" last="Goldman"], [player_tooltip player_id="227083" first="Korver" last="Demma"], [player_tooltip player_id="250312" first="Bennett" last="Stock"], etc. This is a team with TONS of playmakers and a huge chip on their shoulders. I wouldn’t put it past the Dragons to return and go scorched earth on their 2022 opponents. 3. Bellevue West Thunderbirds Losing your starting QB, 2,000-yard RB, two Elite tight ends, 3 or 4 out of 5 linemen, 2 dominant defensive linemen, a tackling machine at LB, and your two starting corners is less than ideal, buuuuuutt this is Bellevue West we are talking about. They don’t rebuild, they reload, and that won’t change in 2022. Stepping up is stud 2024 QB Kaelin Daniel and 4 star WR [player_tooltip player_id="169896" first="Dae’Vonn" last="Hall"] along with junior ATHs [player_tooltip player_id="180286" first="Kyrell" last="Jordan"] and [player_tooltip player_id="226984" first="TK" last="Barnett"]. Stud LT/LG [player_tooltip player_id="226986" first="Kellen" last="Steuben"]-Allen will be the leader of the OL. Defensively, they have several players with tons of talent that look more than ready to step up (Hudec and Jacobmeier). This is a very hardworking group that carries with them a winning culture. Expect some growing pains here and there, but Bell West should be among the elite teams. 4. Creighton Prep Jr. Jays Creighton is a school that needs to be taken more seriously going into 2022. They have a very, very impressive 2023 class that would love to go out as champs. They maintain a great core of players along their offensive and defensive line with [player_tooltip player_id="227028" first="Sam" last="Sledge"] and Rocco Marcellino both having outstanding junior years. Prep also returns some really good defenders in [player_tooltip player_id="227031" first="John" last="Pargo Jr"], [player_tooltip player_id="227018" first="George" last="Egan"], [player_tooltip player_id="227032" first="Ahmar" last="Brown"], and others. The main returning factor is stud RB [player_tooltip player_id="227009" first="CharMar" last="Brown"], who will be looked at as the driving force behind this offense. Creighton has the firepower and toughness to match up well against any team. 5. Elkhorn South Storm Elkhorn South is in a similar spot as Creighton, they did lose some valuable players, but they have a great returning group of players. At the top of the list is elite Edge rusher [player_tooltip player_id="217060" first="Maverick" last="Noonan"] who will form a destructive team with fellow DL [player_tooltip player_id="245583" first="Noah" last="Bustard"]. Offensively, [player_tooltip player_id="227026" first="Cole" last="Ballard"] will be back as the feature back for the Storm and should produce another great season. There are some questions under center and along the offensive line with the departure of many senior OL/DL players, but the rotational depth players from last year should step up nicely. Elkhorn South always fields a mean defense and their offense knows how to come up big in crucial moments. Don’t sleep on the Storm! 6. Millard South Patriots Millard South was a tough team to rank because of how many top-tier players they are losing. QB [player_tooltip player_id="148260" first="Gage" last="Stenger"], RB [player_tooltip player_id="164872" first="Christian" last="Nash"], Jake and [player_tooltip player_id="274173" first="Justin" last="Gassaway"], [player_tooltip player_id="148261" first="Antrell" last="Taylor"] are just some of the skill position players departing Millard South. This would be alarming, but the Patriots do return some very talented players. [player_tooltip player_id="226976" first="Cam" last="Kozeal"] is a very athletic quarterback with a strong arm and is quick on his feet. On defense, the Patriots will have great returning players at every level; [player_tooltip player_id="217062" first="Lance" last="Rucker"] and [player_tooltip player_id="245602" first="Bryson" last="Zimmerman"] on the DL, [player_tooltip player_id="226979" first="Grant" last="Renken"] at LB, and [player_tooltip player_id="245852" first="Gavin" last="Nunnally"] and [player_tooltip player_id="226974" first="Brock" last="Murtaugh"] in the secondary. Despite the turnover, I still think Coach Wisdom will have this team ready to go come kickoff. 7. Omaha North Vikings I don’t think anyone will be taking Omaha North lightly after last season. After missing out on their 2020 season, North returned in 2021 to a slow 0-5 start to their season. They were able to rally and pull off 6 straight wins and ended up in the Class A semi-finals. The Vikings will lose some tough players to replace in [player_tooltip player_id="164281" first="Keshaun" last="Williams"], [player_tooltip player_id="191112" first="Ceontre’" last="Brown"], Orland Hernandez, and several others, but they do return some very exciting players. Tre Brown is a very talented WR/DB who can make a play and flip the momentum at a moment’s notice. North’s rushing leader [player_tooltip player_id="227549" first="Te’Shaun" last="Porter"] will also be back after rushing for 1,300+ yards. On defense, the Vikings will field two monsters in freshman phenom [player_tooltip player_id="245879" first="Tyson" last="Terry"] and the superphysical [player_tooltip player_id="227005" first="Tyler" last="Stewart"] (both of which are coming off impressive state wrestling championships). They also feature two of the most impressive 2025 QBs in [player_tooltip player_id="207041" first="Nate" last="Collins"] and Sebastian Circo. If history is any indication, Coach Martin will get the most out of the talent on his team, and the sky’s the limit for this squad. 8. Lincoln Southeast Knights Southeast is a team that says farewell to a really good 2022 class but has an equally as good 2023 class ready to take over. Leading the charge for the Knights are LT [player_tooltip player_id="226945" first="Gunnar" last="Gottula"] and RB/LB Max Buettenbeck who are two bruising players at their positions. Some interesting offensive players for the Knights are [player_tooltip player_id="226965" first="Carsten" last="Bluhm"], big 2024 OL [player_tooltip player_id="250290" first="Cooper" last="Johnson"], [player_tooltip player_id="227063" first="Manny" last="Appleget"] who will all see bigger roles in 2022. [player_tooltip player_id="238886" first="Will" last="Jesske"] and [player_tooltip player_id="227092" first="Lance" last="Hesselgesser"] will be pivotal for the Knights front seven, with Sam Gandara and Sam Dorfmeyer being players to keep an eye out for. The main question will be regarding who will take the snaps next year between Maddox Cummings or [player_tooltip player_id="250289" first="Owen" last="Baxter"]. 9. Burke Bulldogs The Burke Bulldogs are a team to really keep an eye on for the 2022 season. They lose a tremendous amount of talented players like [player_tooltip player_id="147503" first="Devon" last="Jackson"], [player_tooltip player_id="158870" first="Alec" last="Cook"], [player_tooltip player_id="191113" first="Donovan" last="Moody"], [player_tooltip player_id="167121" first="Trae" last="Starks"], etc. but they also had a great influx of young talent last season. The biggest surprise was the emergence of their trio of freshman studs in Chrisitan Jones, Titan Glassman, and Cameron Bell. They are already looking like stars at their respective positions, with Jones already receiving D1 FBS offers. I’m excited to see the Bulldogs unleash TE [player_tooltip player_id="226961" first="Cayden" last="Echternach"] and his massive potential. There are several players throughout the depth chart that I expect to be great contributors like [player_tooltip player_id="226970" first="Bryton" last="Nelson"], [player_tooltip player_id="245886" first="Payton" last="McDonald"], and Brandon Rummel. Also returning from injury are Mason Jones-Blankenship and Za’Kye Parrot, both of which are great prospects but suffered injuries. 10. Papillion-La Vista Monarchs The Monarchs are a team I think could make a splash next season, despite a great loss of talent. They have two very promising young QBs in Connor Ossenfort, and [player_tooltip player_id="250263" first="Tavien" last="Pirtle"], both of which I think have tons of promise. At RB, they have a future star in [player_tooltip player_id="250338" first="Payton" last="Prestito"] and [player_tooltip player_id="250379" first="Jordan" last="Barrientos"], who I believe will also shine with more reps this season. The biggest losses for the Monarchs come on the offensive and defensive lines where it will be hard to replace the insane production of Hubert and stud trench monsters [player_tooltip player_id="157613" first="Spencer" last="Smith"], [player_tooltip player_id="157610" first="Alec" last="Blevins"], etc. Defensively I really liked [player_tooltip player_id="239827" first="John" last="Brase"], freshman stud Keynan Cotton, and Cal Price. If they can answer the questions along the OL/DL, this team has the firepower and young talent to be really good. Just missed the cut: Lincoln East Spartans <ul> <li>The loss of the top QB in [player_tooltip player_id="147508" first="Noah" last="Walters"], along with tons of great-skill position players and linemen, may be hard to overcome. East does bring back a lot of good players, namely #1 2023 player [player_tooltip player_id="180280" first="Malachi" last="Coleman"]. Not counting them out just need to see more.</li> </ul> Lincoln Southwest Silver Hawks <ul> <li>A very, very strong 2023 class could show out in 2022. Ling, Fritton, Baptista, Berry, Jackson are all names to know.</li> </ul> North Platte Bulldogs <ul> <li>Kinkaid and Roblee are going to be exciting to watch in 2022. This is a team that is right on the fringe for me. QB?</li> </ul> Millard North Mustangs <ul> <li>Rough 2021 season, but they faced some injuries and a tough schedule. Expect the youngsters to come out with something to prove.</li> </ul>