Barring dramatic results in the final two weeks of the high school football season, Lincoln could be headed toward its lowest number of playoff-qualifying teams in over 10 years.
Six Lincoln-based high school teams made the postseason in 2024, but you have to go back to the 2014 and 2015 seasons to find the lowest number of playoff qualifiers in recent memory: three.
At this stage in the season, only one school from within the city, Class C-2’s Lincoln Lutheran, can consider its playoff status safe.
The Warriors are currently tied for third in the C-2 wild card standings and are in position to host an opening-round playoff contest.
Among the group of Class A schools, Lincoln Southeast remains in a good position even if its other city rivals can’t say the same.
The Knights are currently tied for 12th in the wild card point standings, and after facing Omaha Benson this week, they’ll line up against the next-closest city school, Lincoln East.
Once in line for a wild card berth, East slipped to 16th following back-to-back defeats against Millard North and Columbus.
If the Spartans take care of business against Omaha Bryan, then defeat Southeast, they could vault back into the 16-team field — but likely at the expense of the Knights, who also need to win out to be certain.
Elsewhere in Class A, Lincoln High’s forfeit to Millard South ended the Links’ playoff hopes by making the school ineligible for postseason play.
Northeast, currently 19th in the standings, needs to defeat South Sioux City and Bellevue West to make the postseason; North Star (20th) must do the same against Millard West and Bellevue East to have a chance, but even that might not be enough.
Southwest, at 2-5 overall, is out of the running for a wild-card berth.
A pair of Class B teams, Pius X and Standing Bear, are the other schools to watch over the next two weeks.
Currently tied for 13th in the wild card standings, Pius X is set to play a winless Beatrice team and an undefeated Waverly squad over the next two weeks.
Splitting those contests should be enough to get the Thunderbolts into the postseason, though it will depend on results elsewhere.
Standing Bear is directly on the edge as the 16th-ranked team in Class B, with two final opponents — Lincoln Northwest and Beatrice — with one combined win. Northwest currently sits third-from-last in the point standings.
A 1-5 season for Parkview Christian has the city’s lone six-man team set to miss the postseason.
In Class C-1, Christian still has playoff hopes. Currently 18th in the C-1 wild card points, the Crusaders must win their final two games, including a contest with an added points bonus if they defeat Class B Platteview.
Add it all up, and here’s the Lincoln playoff picture: Lutheran is a lock, one of East/Southeast will likely make the field, and there’s potential for any of Pius X, Standing Bear and Christian to make a late surge.
There’s too many “what ifs” to know for sure at this stage, but the potential is there for Lincoln to send just three — or fewer — of its high school football teams to the postseason for the first time since 2014.
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Luke Mullin
Husker football/baseball reporter
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