The fall sports season begins in just a few days with the sounds of aluminum softball bats, but a lot of people are just as excited for football as many high schools begin their opening game in a little more than a week.
Highschoolsports.net, which is known as one of the top web sites in the nation for high school sports, has begun to place rankings on some of Nebraska’s best teams.
As many teams prep for the opening night, many also wonder where their teams stack up against the best in the state come Week 1.
Coach Phil Truax brings a talent-rich team into the 2010 season, and fresh off another trip to the state playoffs. The web site, which supplies information to almost 7,000 high schools across the nation, has the Minutemen placed 17th in Class B as of Aug. 15.
With Truax going into his sixth year at the reins of the Minutemen, he has faced the pressure of being in the Top 10 before. However for this year, Truax could care less about the rankings.
“They don’t mean anything,” Truax said. “I don’t even look for them, at them, want to see them, want to know about them. I have no use for them. We don’t even talk about them as a staff. The only day that rankings matter is after the state championship.”
The Minutemen prepare for Aug. 27, when they travel to the panhandle to take on the Gering Bulldogs, who are ranked ninth in Class B according to highschoolsports.net.
The Aurora Huskies, who have won back-to-back state championships, will begin the season as the No.1 ranked team in Class B.
As for Class C-1, the web site wasn’t as gracious to the Haymakers of Cozad this season.
After Cozad finished with a heartbreaking loss in the opening round of the state playoffs, the Haymakers are starting at No. 27.
The ranking is a good start for head coach Ron Bubak, who is looking to start the next decade of Haymaker football with an exclamation point
According to highschoolsports.net, the Haymakers only take on three teams that are ranked higher than them; on Oct. 1 against No. 7 Gothenburg, Oct. 8 at Valentine, then on Oct. 21 against No. 2 Broken Bow.
Defending state champion Hastings St. Cecilia will begin the season ranked No.1.
Overton and Elwood currently do not have rankings in the D-1 standings, but don’t surprised if the Eagles will be in the Top 10 come Sunday, when the Omaha World-Herald rankings are scheduled to be released.
The S-E-M Mustangs also do not have rankings in Class D-2, as they likely will be in the mix early in the season.

• Cozad Haymakers
• Elwood Pirates
• Lexington Minutemen
• Overton Eagles

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