HEBRON – Playoff football can be heard on Big Red Country this Thursday afternoon as two Class D1 football opponents who lost in their regular season finale last week will look to get back on the winning track in the postseason.
From Hebron, Nebraska (about 15 miles north of the Kansas border), #11 Laurel-Concord-Coleridge will travel south to face #6 Thayer Central.
The Bears suffered a 16-8 road loss at #9 (LJS)/#10 (OWH) Lutheran High Northeast as Thayer Central lost to #4 (both papers) Tri County, 68-22. Both teams were rated in the top 10 in the Lincoln Journal Star but dropped out in the final two weeks of the regular season.
Laurel-Concord-Coleridge will be in search of their first opening round victory as the past two years, LCC lost in overtime to Fullerton (40-34) and Cross County (semifinalist) last year (60-26). This marks the third straight year the Bears have qualified for the D1 playoffs.
Following a 3-5 season last year and missing out on the playoffs, the Titans will compete in the postseason for the 13th time in program history making it the playoffs three of the past four years. In 2018, Thayer Central dropped a 48-14 game to GACC in the opening round. Thayer Central will also be looking for their first playoff football victory since going 3-1 in the 2005 Class C2 playoffs defeating Malcom (48-20), Ravenna (23-20) and Blue Hill (41-6) before falling to Cambridge (29-9).
Join Sports Director, Aaron Scheffler on Big Red Country ‘KTCH’ 104.9 and waynedailynews.com with pregame show coverage set for 1:40 p.m. Thursday.
A couple differences from this year’s eight-man playoff bracket will be after Thursday’s first round games, the second round, quarters and semifinals will all be on Friday’s. Teams will also be re-seeded 1-16 based on power points for the second round.
Area Class D1 games: Bracket D1
#3 Stanton (6-1) vs. #14 Exeter-Milligan/Friend (4-3) at 6 p.m.
#4 Lutheran High Northeast (7-1) vs. #13 Elmwood-Murdock (5-3) at 7 p.m. in Norfolk
#7 Guardian Angels Central Catholic (3-4) vs. #10 Howells-Dodge (6-2) at 7 p.m.
Area Class D2 games: Bracket D2
#3 Wynot (5-1) vs. #14 Winside (5-3) at 6 p.m.
#4 Allen (6-0) vs. #13 Johnson-Brock (3-5) at 6 p.m.
#7 Bloomfield (4-3) vs. #10 Mead (4-4) at 6 p.m.
#8 Osmond (5-2) vs. #9 Creighton (6-2) at 6 p.m.
#11 Pender (5-3) at #6 Osceola (4-0) at 6 p.m.