Continuing on with my march through Nebraska Prep Basketball history, I present to you the 1971 All-State Basketball teams. But first, here is how each class played out in 1971: The Nebraska High School Basketball All-State Project - Saluting 1971...

I have decided to re-live a little history every day leading up to the 2026 Boys State Basketball Tournament which begins on March 4th. We cannot forget the fabulous players that set the pace and paved the road for future (now current) Nebraska prep basketball players...

It’s Centennial Conference week and I thought it would be appropriate to turn back the pages a bit, so let’s compile a history of the Centennial Conference Basketball Tournament Finals played since 1996. The “New Era” is based on when the first teams west of the David City/Columbus areas joined the Conference. Those teams were Grand Island Central Catholic, Hastings St. Cecilia, Kearney Catholic and Omaha Concordia....

*A total of 87 Nebraska high school running backs reached the 1000 yard rushing plateau during the 2025 season and are highlighted by the 51st Version of the Bobby Mills 1000 Yard Club. *There were 48 seniors, 30 juniors and 9 sophomores who reached the magical mark, led by Wahoo’s sensational senior Kip Brigham, who led the state with 2,657 yards...

It’s that time again. This is the 15th season I have published All-State football teams for all classes except 6-Man, where their Coaches do the honors and they certainly know more than I do concerning that part of the game. Those who have seen my All-State teams in the past know there are nearly always more than eleven selections on the 11-Man teams and in excess of eight in the 8-Man classes...

*Gage Hedstrom, Ben Barlow, James Eby-O'Neill St. Mary's - Gage Hedstrom flat out exploded in St Marys 66-24 victory over Sandhills-Thedford. Hedstrom completed 12 of 13 passes for 104 yards and three touchdowns and rushed 21 times for 208 yards and FIVE more scores. Ben Barlow caught 6 passes for 85 yards and a touchdown while James Eby had 4 receptions for 70 yards and a score...

*Michael Knudsen, Bryce Lakers, Nathan Thiellen-Gretna High - Knudsen completed 19 of 32 passes for 356 yards and 4 TDs in Gretna High's 35-21 win over York. Bryce Lakers caught six passes for 108 yards and a TD, Joe Sullivan also caught six aerials for 86 yards and a touchdown while freshman Nate Thiellen led the Dragon’s defense with 10 tackles (8 solos) and also reeled in an 80 yard touchdown reception...

There is a high school football team right over my backyard fence that has basically taken forty three years to emerge from a school that, for the last quarter century, has been labeled a “basketball school” in many circles. No, the football program at Grand Island Central Catholic has never suffered through embarrassingly long losing streaks. ...

*Gage Hedstrom, Ben Barlow, Lane Bybee-O'Neill St. Mary's - Senior star Gage Hedstrom took the opening kickoff 76 yards to the house then proceeded to rush for 153 yards on 11 totes which included a 64 yard touchdown run. He also completed 2 of 6 passes for 102 yards and a pair of touchdowns in St Mary's 46-6 win over Burwell. ...

*Michael Knudsen, Henry Hildebrand, Max Brewer, Nathan Thiellen-Gretna High - Trailing by 10 points with less than a minute remaining in the game, sophomore Max Brewer nails a 32 yard field goal, Gretna then recovers an onside kick, Michael Knudsen then throws a 40 yard Hail Mary TD pass to Henry Hildebrand, then the same two hook up for an improbable 2 point conversion to lift the Dragons to 46-45 victory over Norris...

*Kip Brigham, Harrison Krueger-Wahoo - Kip Brigham, arguably the best running back in the state, rushed for 213 yards on 11 carries and scoring runs covering 38, 4, 60, and 39 yards PLUS Punt Return TDs covering 60 and 70 yards in a 59-24 victory over Omaha Concordia. ...

*Hunter Luther-Howell's Dodge - Jaguar’s superb RB rushed for 128 yards on 11 carries with scoring runs covering 44, 2 and 12 yards in Jags 60-12 win over Hyannis. That gives Luther 1,325 yards rushing with 24 touchdowns for the year and puts him at an incredible 4,945 Career Rushing yards with 80 touchdowns right now...

*Andre Martin, Hunter Luther, Dane Meyer-Howells-Dodge - 6-2, 185 lb senior Andre Martin picked off a Humphrey Archangel's pass with under a minute left In the game, sealing a 40-32 victory for the Jaguars in a battle of the Class D-2 powerhouses. ...

*Tay Tay Jenkins, Everett Scherslizin-Omaha Westside - The spectacular Tay Tay Jenkins had to be near the top of his game in Omaha Westside's 52-20 victory over a tough Creighton Prep Team. The explosive Jenkins rushed 15 times for 196 yards while taking runs of 11, 41, 20, and 33 yards to the house. ...

*Haiden Horstmann- Creighton - The 5-10, 169 lb FRESHMAN, who had NO previous rushing attempts, literally exploded for 464 yards on 40 carries with 7 touchdown runs in Creighton's 80-56 win over Ainsworth. Horstmann’s touchdown runs covered 47, 2, 8, 65, 17, 26 and 44 yards. ...

*Will Anderson, Bryce Johnson-Bellevue West - Standout QB Will Anderson completed 17 of 25 passes for a whopping 362 yards and three TDs in the Thunderbirds 44-7 win over Lincoln Southwest. Bryce Johnson caught 6 of those passes for 113 yards including a sparkling 79 yard scoring reception. For the year Johnson has 31 catches for 736 yards and 7 TDs...

*Kobe Chamberlin, Trenton Wedemeyer-Ravenna - RB Kobe Chamberlain rushed for 177 yards on 18 carries and TD runs covering 10, 2 and 43 yards in Ravenna's stunning 52-8 win over Arcadia-Loup City. QB Trenton Wedemeyer added 122 yards on 17 carries with TD runs covering 4 and 46 yards and also made 10 tackles on defense. ...

*Connor Sams-Gretna East - Exploded for 328 yards on 17 carries with touchdown runs of 1 and 6 yards in the Griffins 62-21 victory over Platteview. Sams, who has run for 549 yards and four TDs the past two games, raised his season rushing total to 962 yards (10 TDs)...

*Jace Schukar, Cauy Meyer-Loomis - Jet-Propelled Jace Schukar raced for 301 yards and 5 touchdowns on 31 carries in the Wolves 66-38 victory over Cambridge. Schukar also used his jet shoes to take a 77 yard kickoff to the house in the game. Cauy Meyer was the leader on defense registering 18 tackles and a recovered fumble...

**1000 Yard Rusher Alert - Second Time Around*Kip Brigham, Harrison Krueger, Jayse Styskal, Calvin Babst-Wahoo - Ladies and Gentlemen we have our first 1000 Yard Rusher of the 2025 Nebraska high school football season. The incomparable Kip Brigham ran for 255 yards and 5 touchdowns on 16 carries as Wahoo blasted DC West 56-14. ...