Class D1 Round of 32 Playoff Predictions

It's playoff time baby! 8-man football kicks off their first round of playoff games in the Round of 32. We have some great matchups scattered across the map with the possibility of some upsets. Check out our Class D1 Round of 32 preview with winner predictions and players of the game.   All games will be played on Thursday, teams will then be reseeded for round 2 starting next week.   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide"/>   #1 North Platte St. Partick's 8-0 vs. #16 Elkhorn Valley 3-5   Predicted winner: #1 North Platte St. Patrick's   Player of the Game: 2023 QB Jackson Roberts   <ul><li>St. Pat's has been on an absolute tear this season and has been wire-to-wire the top team in class D1.</li><li>Explosive offense that can put up monster numbers.</li><li>Jackson Roberts has been a BEAST for this St. Patrick's team and should have a good outing on Thursday.</li></ul>   #8 Summerland (5-3) vs. #9 Bridgeport (6-2)   Predicted winner: #9 Bridgeport   Player of the Game: 2023 RB/LB [player_tooltip player_id='227065' first='Kason' last='Loomis']   <ul><li>A little bit of an upset here between 8-9.</li><li>Bridgeport has excelled in its move from C2 to 8-man D1 football. </li><li>The Summerland offense does average a few more yards than Bridgeport, but Bridgeport owns the point differential 51 ppg to 38.9 ppg.</li></ul>   #5 Hi-Line (7-1) vs. #12 Arapahoe (4-4)   Predicted winner: #5 Hi-Line   Player of the Game: 2024 RB/DB Ryker Evans   <ul><li>Arapahoe does have a lot of really great players on their squad, so they could make this interesting.</li><li>Hi-Line takes but I think their defense will be the stars of the show tonight. </li><li>Expect the Evans boys (Ryker and Treyton) to have big games here.</li></ul>   #4 Sandhills Valley (7-1) vs #13 Sandy Creek (5-3)   Predicted winner: #13 Sandy Creek   Player of the Game: 2023 RB/LB Drake Lally   <ul><li>First big upset of the day goes to the Sandy Creek Cougars.</li><li>I think people are overlooking this balanced offense and defense that live behind the LOS.</li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='319196' first='Ethan' last='Shaw'] and Drake Lally are a great 1-2 punch in the backfield. If Ethan gets going not just as a passer but even with some runs, this could be a sleeper.</li></ul>   #3 Neligh-Oakdale (7-1) vs. #14 Cambridge (4-4)   Predicted winner: #3 Neligh-Oakdale   Player of the Game: 2023 QB Aiden Kuester   <ul><li>Neligh-Oakdale has been dominant this year since their week one loss to powerhouse Howells-Dodge.</li><li>They average 56 points a game and 460 yards of offense per game. This is a very explosive offense.</li><li>Aiden Kuester has been outstanding at QB and is the Warriors leading passer AND rusher.d</li></ul>   #6 Nebraska Christian (6-2) vs. #11 Alma (5-3)   Predicted winner: #11 Alma   Player of the Game: 2024 QB Jakin Neal   <ul><li>I take the Cardinals to take the upset here over Nebraska Christian.</li><li>Jakin Neal has been doing a great job under center and is averaging 229 passing yards per game.</li></ul>   #7 Perkins County (5-3) vs. #10 Ravenna (6-2)   Predicted winner: #10 Ravenna   Player of the Game: 2023 QB Zach Lewandowsky   <ul><li>Not a whole lot of statistical info on either team, but looking at scoring averages and wins, Ravenna looks a little more impressive in this matchup.</li></ul>   #2 Riverside (7-1) vs. #15 Maxwell (4-4)   Predicted winner: #2 Riverside   Player of the Game: 2025 QB Drew Carraher   <ul><li>Riverside's offense is one of the best in this class.</li><li>Drew Carraher to Klayton Kleffner connection is deadly and could make a huge impact this game.</li></ul>   #1 Laurel-Concord-Coleridge (8-0) vs. #16 Mead (4-4)   Predicted winner: #1 Laurel-Concord-Coleridge   Player of the Game: 2023 QB Dylan Taylor   <ul><li>Dylan Taylor is a threat to do damage through the air or on the ground. </li><li>LCC defense does a great job creating turnovers. 6 Ints and 8 fumbles recovered on the year. If they can get one or two, that should be enough to seal it.</li></ul>   #8 Heartland (6-2) vs. #9 EMF (5-3)   Predicted winner: #9 EMF   Player of the Game: 2024 RB Breckan Schluter   <ul><li>This is one of the more closely contested matchups in this round. Overall a good matchup between two well-rounded teams.</li><li>Junior RB Breckan Schluter could be a huge difference-maker here. He has 1,691 rushing yards and 30 touchdowns on the season. He's going to be tough to stop. </li></ul>   #5 Clarkson/Leigh (7-1) vs. #12 Wisner-Pilger (5-3)   Predicted winner: #5 Clarkson/Leigh   Player of the Game: 2023 RB Kyle Kasik   <ul><li>Clarkson/Leigh was a last-minute Cross County touchdown away from being a higher seed in this bracket. </li><li>RB Kyle Kasik has been on a roll this season and comes into the matchup averaging 157 rushing yards a game. </li></ul>   #4 Thayer Central (7-1) vs. #13 Shelby-Rising City (5-3)   Predicted winner: #4 Thayer Central   Player of the Game: 2023 RB Jordan Mariska   <ul><li>Mariska and Souerdyke have been an electric duo for the Titans. </li><li>This Shelby-Rising team are not slouches and should give TC a run for their money</li></ul>   #3 Cross County (8-0) vs. #14 Weeping Water (4-4)   Predicted winner: #3 Cross County   Player of the Game: 2024 FB/LB [player_tooltip player_id='250703' first='Izaac' last='Dickey']   <ul><li>Cross County has been very dominant this year and has blown out most of its opponents.</li><li>The Cougar rushing attack is one of the more potent in D1, with junior [player_tooltip player_id='250703' first='Izaac' last='Dickey'] leading the way.</li><li>Still a very young team, but one that remembers last year's loss in the state championship. Dangerous team with a massive chip on their shoulder.</li></ul>   #6 Elmwood-Murdock (7-1) vs. #11 Plainview (5-3)   Predicted winner: #6 Elmwood-Murdock 7-1   Player of the Game: 2023 RB/LB Cade Hosier   <ul><li>Like Clarkson/Leigh, this is a very good Elmwood-Murdock team that, in my opinion, should be a higher seed than this, but it could work in the Knight's favor.</li><li>Cade is a monster on both sides of the ball. Leads the team in rushing (1,512 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns), can catch out of the backfield, and is the top tackler on the team.</li></ul>   #7 Crofton (5-3) vs. #10 Freeman (5-3)   Predicted winner: #10 Freeman   Player of the Game: 2023 QB Carter Ruse   <ul><li>Dual-threat at QB with Ruse who is the leading passer and rusher for the Falcons.</li><li>Not a whole lot of info on Crofton, but Freeman has had some huge wins this season, notably their win over Thayer Central.</li></ul>   #2 Stanton (8-0) vs. #15 Pender (4-4)   Predicted winner: #2 Stanton   Player of the Game: 2025 ATH [player_tooltip player_id='414922' first='Becker' last='Pohlman']   <ul><li>Stanton has been a machine this year with a great rushing attack led by sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='414922' first='Becker' last='Pohlman'].</li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='414786' first='Barrett' last='Wilke'] is another player that could potentially have a huge game.</li><li>Pender has the weapons to keep it close here.</li></ul>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide"/>   Make sure to follow @PrepRedzoneNE on Twitter and Instagram to stay up to date with all your Nebraska prep recruiting news.

It's playoff time baby! 8-man football kicks off their first round of playoff games in the Round of 32. We have some great matchups scattered across the map with the possibility of some upsets. Check out our Class D1 Round of 32 preview with winner predictions and players of the game.