Nebraska's toughest 6/8-Man high school football districts

Using the MaxPreps Nebraska Football Rankings, presented by the Army National Guard, we calculated the average power rating for each district, and that calculation is the basis for this week's Top 10.

It does make sense that any district featuring a top-ranked team would have the upper hand at weighing in as a Top 10 district, and that's somewhat the case again this season. Class D6's Cody-Kilgore was the only top-ranked team to miss the cut, along with the D6-6 District that the Cowboys reside in this fall.

Two of Class D1's top four football teams have been battling it out for supremacy in the D1-8 district, and to date, fourth-ranked Elm Creek reigns supreme with two opponents remaining on its schedule. Ranked third in Class D1 is Arcadia/Loup City while Burwell (13th, D1), South Loup (21st, D1), Amherst (33rd, D1) and Ansley/Litchfield (37th, D1) fill out the rest of the Cornhusker State's Top 6/8-Man district.

The D1-5 District claims a pair of Top 10 teams and sits in the No. 2 spot. To date, top-ranked Howells-Dodge leads the way in district play. Neligh-Oakdale (9th, D1), Lutheran High Northeast (17th, D1), Laurel-Concord-Coleridge (19th, D1), Elkhorn Valley (29th, D1) and Madison (43rd, D1) round out the Cornhusker State's second best district. The D2-8, D2-3 and D2-4 districts round out the Top 5 in the Nos. 3-4-5 spots respectively.

All Nebraska small school classifications are represented in this week's Top 10 except for Class D6, the Cornhusker State's 6-Man classification. But that does not mean that there are no tough districts in Nebraska's smallest class. The D6-6 District featuring top-ranked Cody-Kilgore, Sioux County, Crawford, Hyannis and Hay Springs finished out of the Top 10 at 17th. Combined, the D6-6 has produced a won-loss record of 17-13.

Below, listed on the top line, is the district that is being ranked, its average MaxPreps power rating and the district's collective won-loss record. Listed on the second line and beyond is the MaxPreps classification ranking for each team competing in that district as well as the name of the school and that school's current won-loss record in parenthesis.

Nebraska's toughest 6/8-Man high school football districts

1. D1-8 District | Average MaxPreps Rating (41.2000) | Collective Record (20-16)
No. 3 Arcadia/Loup City (Arcadia) (5-1), No. 4 Elm Creek (6-0), No. 13 Burwell (4-2), No. 21 South Loup (Arnold) (2-4), No. 33 Amherst (2-4), No. 37 Ansley/Litchfield (Ansley) (1-5).

2. D1-5 District | Average MaxPreps Rating (39.3500) | Collective Record (24-12)
No. 1 Howells-Dodge (Howells) (6-0), No. 9 Neligh-Oakdale (Neligh) (5-1), No. 17 Lutheran-Northeast (Norfolk) (4-2), No. 19 Laurel-Concord-Coleridge (Laurel) (4-2), No. 29 Elkhorn Valley (Tilden) (3-3), No. 43 Madison (2-4).

3. D2-8 District | Average MaxPreps Rating (32.5200) | Collective Record (17-13)
No. 6 Sandhills/Thedford (Dunning) (6-0), No. 18 Brady (4-2), No. 24 Mullen (2-4), No. 25 Medicine Valley (Curtis) (3-3), No. 28 Maxwell (2-4).

4. D2-3 District | Average MaxPreps Rating (32.2000) | Collective Record (20-16)
No. 7 Bloomfield (6-0), No. 14 Allen (5-1), No. 17 Hartington-Newcastle (Hartington) (4-2), No. 21 Randolph (2-4), No. 26 Wynot (2-4), No. 31 Wausa (1-5).

5. D2-4 District | Average MaxPreps Rating (31.4667) | Collective Record (19-19)
No. 1 St. Francis (Humphrey) (6-0), No. 2 Plainview (6-0), No. 16 Riverside (Cedar Rapids) (4-2), No. 27 Osmond (2-4), No. 36 Elgin/Pope John (Elgin) (1-6), No. 45 Winside (0-7).

6. D2-7 District | Average MaxPreps Rating (30.5167) | Collective Record (18-18)
No. 9 Overton (4-2), No. 11 Pleasanton (4-2), No. 12 Elwood (5-1), No. 22 Anselmo-Merna (Merna) (2-4), No. 35 Loomis (1-5), No. 37 Bertrand (2-4).

7. D1-6 District | Average MaxPreps Rating (28.7667) | Collective Record (18-18)
No. 5 Fullerton (5-1), No. 8 Ravenna (5-1), No. 24 Nebraska Christian (Central City) (4-2), No. 34 Palmer (1-5), No. 44 Heartland (Henderson) (2-4), No. 45 Shelton (1-5).

8. D1-3 District | Average MaxPreps Rating (27.8200) | Collective Record (14-16)
No. 14 Osceola/High Plains (Osceola) (4-2), No. 18 Cross County (Stromsburg) (3-3), No. 22 East Butler (Brainard) (3-3), No. 39 Exeter-Milligan/Friend (Exeter) (2-4), No. 48 Nebraska Lutheran (Waco) (2-4).

9. D2-5 District | Average MaxPreps Rating (27.7333) | Collective Record (19-17)
No. 4 Central Valley (Greeley) (6-0), No. 8 Chambers/Wheeler Central/Ewing (Chambers) (6-0), No. 20 Twin Loup (Sargent) (2-4), No. 29 Clearwater/Orchard (Clearwater) (1-5), No. 34 St. Mary's (O'Neill) (2-4), No. 43 Stuart (2-4).

10. D1-1 District | Average MaxPreps Rating (26.3800) | Collective Record (19-12)
No. 7 Bruning-Davenport/Shickley (Bruning) (6-0), No. 20 Southern (Wymore) (4-2), No. 30 Tri County (DeWitt) (5-2), No. 38 Thayer Central (Hebron) (2-4), No. 49 Humboldt-Table Rock-Steinauer (Humboldt) (2-4).