UNDATED - The Aquinas Catholic Monarchs will not win a third straight Class C2 football title in 2016, but it has nothing to do with the quality of the team…it's because their enrollment figures went up.
The Nebraska School Activities Association released the 2016-17 high school football classifications on Wednesday. Aquinas, who's won the last two Class C2 state championships and four of the last five, is making the jump to Class C1 next year. Aquinas has played at that level before, they've won four Class C1 state title, the last one coming in 1997.
Among area teams: Norfolk High is once again in Class A. Norfolk Catholic is in Class C1, but was one student away in the their enrollment numbers from dropping to Class C2. Lutheran High Northeast will also be C2, despite having an enrollment that's well below the threshold to qualify as an 8-man team.
Among the schools that are moving to 8-man in 2016 are Wakefield, Laurel-Concord-Coleridge and Ainsworth. None of them will be eligible for post-season play.
AREA CLASSIFICATIONS (enrollment in parentheses) :
CLASS A
Norfolk (902)
CLASS B
South Sioux City (872)
Columbus (832)
CLASS C1
Columbus Lakeview (236)
Wayne (218)
Columbus Scotus (195)
Boone Central/Newman Grove (179)
West Point-Beemer (176)
O'Neill (171)
Pierce (150)
Madison (138)
Norfolk Catholic (136)
CLASS C2
Valentine (135)
Tekamah-Herman (121)
Ponca (117)
Battle Creek (110)
Wisner-Pilger (102)
Bancroft-Rosalie/Lyons-Decatur (101)
Crofton (100)
Stanton (100)
Hartington Cedar Catholic (97)
Oakland-Craig (90)
Lutheran High NE (74)
CLASS D1
Winnebago (121 - ineligible for playoffs)
Ainsworth (106 - ineligible for playoffs)
Omaha Nation (94)
Wakefield (94 - ineligible for playoffs)
Homer (89 - ineligible for playoffs)
Laurel-Concord-Coleridge (87 - ineligible for playoffs)
Neligh-Oakdale (87 - ineligible for playoffs)
Plainview (85 - ineligible for playoffs)
Creighton (83)
Niobrara/Verdigre (83)
Hartington-Newcastle (82)
West Holt (82)
Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family (79)
Howells-Dodge (78)
Guardian Angels CC (76)
Pender (75)
Clearwater/Orchard (70)
Boyd County (70)
Clarkson/Leigh (70)
Elgin/Pope John (68)
CWC/Ewing (68)
CLASS D2
Elkhorn Valley (62)
Osmond (59)
Randolph (59)
North Central (59)
Bloomfield (56)
Emerson-Hubbard (56)
Allen (51)
Humphrey St. Francis (50)
Wausa (50)
Winside (46)
St. Mary's (45)
Stuart (39)
Wynot (34)
Six-man
Walthill (70)
Riverside (46)
Santee (39)
St. Edward (37)
Spalding Academy (32)