First and Ten is back for a second week to bring you our Week Five State Football Rankings. Like we said last week, we won’t hide behind our rankings on Twitter. In fact, we want to engage with you (and your team) about them. High school football is supposed to be fun, let’s make it that way.

Class A

1. Bellevue West (5-0). NSAA playoff points: 4. Another running clock win for the Thunderbirds, who beat Pius 42-0. It looks like it will be rinse, lather, repeat until, possibly, week two of the state football playoffs. West has all the parts.
2. Millard West (5-0). Points: 1. A 74-6 win over Omaha Bryan on Thursday and the Wildcats are 5-0 heading into another big two week stretch where they should be tested with a home game against Kearney and a trip to Grand Island.
3. Millard South (4-1). Points: 12. Big stretch coming for the Patriots because their playoff points need some big wins. First chance is Friday against Elkhorn South. The Columbus, Prep and Westside to finish the year. Might need them all to secure two home games.
4. Grand Island (5-0). Points: 5. Carson Cahoy and Broc Douglass may be one of the top QB-WR tandems in the state. After Bryan this week, a big test awaits in new look Memorial Stadium when Millard West comes on October 11. A game that could allow either team to host through to the state finals.
5. Omaha Burke (4-1). Points: t2. Blanked Elkhorn (3-2) despite some early turnovers and appear on their way to an 8-1 finish as their remaining four opponents have just seven wins combined. Should be ready for a playoff run again.
6. Lincoln Southeast (4-1). Points: t2.
7. Omaha Westside (4-1). Points: t6.
8. Elkhorn South (4-1). Points: t6.
9. Kearney (4-1). Points: 8.
10. Omaha Creighton Prep (4-1). Points: 9.

Comments: Omaha Westside dropped Creighton Prep from 5th to 10th with a big 49-21 win over the Junior Jays, while all other teams won. More clarity this week at Millard South visits Elkhorn South and Kearney travels to Millard West. The issue? Only Elkhorn, at this point appears to be another team who could come into the top-10. Would take major upsets to rank anyone other than this group of 11.

Class B

1. Omaha Skutt (5-0). NSAA playoff points: 3. After we mentioned points allowed last week, the Skyhawks promptly went and shutout Plattsmouth 34-0. Two weeks until a showdown with Waverly. This week, it’s Ralston.
2. Scottsbluff (5-0). Points: 1. Not much stands between Scottsbluff and 9-0 heading into the playoffs. Could be a huge advantage to send teams west for three games if home field holds. Again, built for a big run in November.
3. Waverly (5-0). Points: 2. Waverly may have the best wins in Class B, with 4-of-5 coming against teams in this ranking. Earlier solid wins over Omaha Roncalli, Seward and Bennington were added on to last Friday when they clipped Norris 21-14.
4. Grand Island Northwest (4-1). Points: t5. The Vikings finally got one with their offense on Friday night when Rans Sanders was over 200 yards in a 35-28 win over Seward that they led quickly 14-0 before the Jays fought back. NW is a little banged up heading to a Friday trip with Beatrice.
5. Hastings (4-1). Points: t5. Coach Charlie Shoemaker’s Tigers have outscored their last three opponents 124-14 heading into this week’s game against York. Signs could point to a pair of 7-1 teams meeting in Hastings in Week Nine when Northwest travels.
6. Omaha Roncalli (3-2). Points: 7.
7. Elkhorn Mt. Michael (5-0). Points: 4.
8. Bennington (2-3). Points: 9.
9. Norris (3-2). Points: 8.
10. Seward (2-3). Points: 14.

Comments: Bennington drops just a notch for 21-14 loss to Roncalli and Mt. Michael moves ahead. All three get to shake that ranking out before the season is over. The Badgers stay ahead of Norris due to a head-to-head win and Seward enters because, well, we had to rank someone 10th and their wins, coupled with losses to ranked teams looks like the best work so far.

Class C-1

1. Wahoo (5-0). NSAA playoff points: t2. The Warriors have allowed three touchdowns in five games and outscored opponents 260-20. Senior back Trevin Luben is averaging almost 8 yards/carry and 144 yards/game rushing.
2. Pierce (5-0). Points: t2. Impressive 42-0 win over Wayne for the Bluejays. This week’s game with Columbus Lakeview could be all that stands between them and 9-0.
3. Adams Central (5-0). Points: 1. Continued to improve their ranking by hanging half a hundred on Ord in a 50-27 win. Likely district championship and 9-0 regular season will hang in the balance in week eight when they play Kearney Catholic.
4. Bishop Neumann (5-0). Points: t4. A 28-21 win over Lakeview keeps the Cavaliers unbeaten in the Doug Lanik era. Senior running back David Lilly has 15 touchdowns in five games and is averaging 125 yards per contest. Another test with Scotus this week.
5. Ashland-Greenwood (5-0). Points: t4. The Jays have been dominant so far and appear to be staring 9-0 right in the face. Their biggest remaining test is this Friday at Falls City. Quarterback Hunter Washburn is averaging nearly 175 yards/game of offense.
6. Aurora (2-3). Points: t11.
7. Columbus Scotus (4-1). Points: 6.
8. Gothenburg (4-1). Points: t9.
9. Kearney Catholic (4-1). Points: t9
10. Ord (3-2). Points: t11.

Comments: Aurora remains a solid 6th after a convincing 39-0 win over Fairbury to open district play. Ord drops to 10th for loss to Adams Central and Kearney Catholic enters at 4-1 with their lone loss to Aurora, 45-10. They get a big test this week against Class C-2, No. 6 Sutton.

BRLD quarterback Will Gatzemeyer and the Wolverines are 5-0 (nebpreps / Ben Mohorn)

Class C-2

1. St. Paul (5-0). NSAA playoff points: 8. The hardest thing for St. Paul moving forward? Trying to get a higher seed in the playoffs. You play who the state gives you. It looks like a district championship game with Centura could be in the asking in week eight.
2. BRLD (5-0). Points: 4. Got past Yutan 42-27 on Friday night after trailing most of the first half. Is defense a concern for the Wolverines who have given up 20 points or more in 4 of 5 contests?
3. Oakland-Craig (5-0). Points: t6.  After a game this week with Louisville, a big finish awaits the nights. And, should let them know right where they stand for the playoffs.
4. Shelby-Rising City (5-0). Points: 1.  If SRC keeps this perfect record to November they will have rightly earned the top-seed in the Class C-2 playoffs. Twin River and Centennial the next two weeks before they finish the year with No. 5 Aquinas and No. 8 North Bend.
5. Aquinas Catholic (4-1). Points: 13. Moving up the Monarchs from 7th to 5th based on their 35-0 blanking of Centennial a week after Sutton defeated the defending champions 42-35 at home. Aquinas is undefeated in the class with a loss to Scotus on opening night.
6. Sutton (5-0). Points: 3.
7. Fremont Archbishop Bergan (5-0). Points: 5.
8. North Bend Central (5-0). Points: 2.
9. Battle Creek (4-1). Points: t6.
10. Doniphan-Trumbull (4-1). Points: 9

Comments: The same 10 stay ranked, just in a different order. Sutton defeated Doniphan-Trumbull 22-16, but dropped due to Aquinas’ more convincing win over Centennial. With many of the teams in the same districts, more shuffling could come.

Class D-1

1. Howells-Dodge (4-0). Points: t1.
2. Wakefield (3-1). Points: t8 (ineligible for playoffs)
3. Creighton (3-1). Points: t14.
4. BDS (4-0). Points: t1.
5. Dundy County-Stratton (4-0). Points: t5.
6. Elm Creek (4-0). Points: t1.
7. Wisner-Pilger (4-0). Points: t5.
8. Cambridge (4-0). Points: 13.
9. Burwell (3-1). Points: t8
10. East Butler (3-1). Points: t8.

Comments: Elm Creek shuffled these rankings by knocking off top-ranked Burwell 36-26 on Friday. Unbeaten and unranked are Neligh-Oakdale and Sutherland. N-O could make these rankings next week (even with a loss) based on how this Friday goes with top-ranked Howells-Dodge. Fullerton falls out after a loss to Ravenna (first team out this week), which made way for Elm Creek.

Class D-2

1. Humphrey St. Francis (4-0). NSAA playoff points: t3.
2. Falls City Sacred Heart (4-0). Points: 11.
3. Bloomfield (4-0). Points: 1
4. CWCE (4-0). Points: t3.
5. Central Valley (4-0). Points: t3.
6. Sandhills/Thedford (4-0). Points: 16.
7. Garden County (5-0). Points: 14.
8. Johnson-Brock (3-1). Points: 17.
9. Kenesaw (3-1). Points: t9.
10. Overton (2-2). Points:  t9.

Comments: Overton’s 44-32 win over Pleasanton shakes up the rankings a little bit. Hard not to rank the Bulldogs (a win over Kenesaw), but Overton’s opening loss to new Class D-1, No. 6 Elm Creek carries a little weight. Unbeaten and unranked: Plainview.

Class Six-Man

1. Harvard (5-0). NSAA playoff points: 6.
2. McCool Junction (5-0). Points: 3.
3. Humphrey/Lindsay HF (3-1). Points: 9 (ineligible for playoffs)
4. Creek Valley (5-0). Points: 1.
5. Cody-Kilgore (4-0). Points: t4.
6. Sioux County (4-0). Points: t4.
7. Maywood-Hayes Center (3-1). Points: 2.
8. GI Heartland Lutheran (4-0). Points: 8.
9. Wilcox-Hildreth (3-1). Points: t9.
10. Crawford (3-1). Points: t13.

Comments: Harvard and Heartland Lutheran will be the top game in the class this week. Maywood-Hayes Center enters the rankings after its 67-47 win over defending champion and then third-ranked Wilcox-Hildreth. Dorchester dropped out after a loss to now 1-3 Deshler.