Football is back again for week 7 as the season is getting nearer and nearer to the playoffs. With three games left for all Class A teams, district winners are still up for grabs between all 6 groupings. In District 5, the top four out of six teams are all battling it out in the standings. As of right now, the Warriors are tied atop the standings with the third-ranked Millard South Patriots, both having a 5-1 record on the season and undefeated district campaigns. Next in the standings are the Creighton Prep Jr. Jays who after the blowout loss to the Warriors two weeks ago keep a 1-1 district record. This week’s matchup for the Warriors will be the Elkhorn South Storm, ranked as the four seed in the district. The Storm are on the outside looking in for the final wild-card spot in the playoffs coming into week six after a close loss to Millard South last week. With a 4-2 record, the Storm still do have a slight shot at taking the district however they would need a lot of help from the two basement dwellers of the district to do so. The Storm will host the Warriors at Elkhorn Stadium today for a cold 40º game as both teams will have their third top ten matchup of the year. With so much on the line for both teams in these final few regular-season games, each play can be the difference between being on the field in November or watching playoff action on the couch at home. Sophomore Dominic Rezac knows the intensity and the importance of these final few games.

“[These games] matter a ton,” Rezac said. “It helps us in district seeding as well as it’ll give us a good path to the state championship game. In practice, we definitely gameplan a little bit more and we’re more lasered focus. We know what it takes to get it done and our experience definitely helps us.”

The only other top ten matchup on the schedule for this week is another important factor for both the Warriors and the Storm. The Millard West Wildcats face off tonight against the Grand Island Islanders and it is a matchup that means a lot in wild card opportunities. The Islanders as of right now hold the top Wild Card spot in Class A and are just barely above the division tie between the Warriors and Patriots. On the outside looking in are the Jr. Jays and Storm, both trying to take advantage of a possible Grand Island loss. Both an Elkhorn South win and a Grand Island loss could set the Storm up with a great chance to sneak into the wild card. A Storm loss would end virtually end their chance at making the playoffs. If both the Warriors win and the Islanders lose, the Warriors would be in a prime position to lock up some sort of playoff berth. 

With all that in play the Warriors will look to continue their first-half dominance in tonight’s game. Including last week’s record-setting 70 points first half, the Warriors have scored 70% of all of their points this season in the first half. Being such a dominant team in the first half has allowed the Warriors to be ahead early in games however, Sophomore Jack Wimmer says that it also shows an area that the team can improve upon.

“It just shows that we need to get better at keeping our foot on the pedal and making sure we don’t give them any hope to stay in the game,” Wimmer said. “Everyone just needs to know their responsibilities and make sure that when we have the chance to make a big play.”

Tonight’s game will be a chilly one out at Elkhorn Stadium, located outside of Elkhorn High School as the Warriors will look to start to put some distance in the District 5 standings. The game starts at 7 PM and can be watched not only on the field but also on Cox channel thirteen.