Class B
Tournament Teams
1. Scottsbluff
2. Bennington
3. Blair
4. Skutt
5. Waverly
6. Cozad
7. Hastings
8. South Sioux City
9. Northwest
10. Gering
Scottsbluff takes the top spot in the preseason rankings by a razor thin margin with their depth and potential 4 finalists.
Bennington returns a lot of firepower with 4 returning champions and a runner-up but need to get more out of the others to overcome Scottsbluff and repeat as a team.
Blair has a potential of 6 high state medals and some depth to push for a top 3 finish.
Skutt has had a couple good incoming freshman classes back-to-back to help rebuild their team to a top 5 contender.
Waverly may have the most depth behind Scottsbluff and a couple potential finalists that puts them in the top 5 but can very well finish higher.
Cozad also returns a good team with potentially 6 medalists.
Don’t sleep on Hastings. They lost a few kids but return some quality and young kids that can make some noise. It would not be a surprise to see them in the top 5 at the end.
South Sioux City has really been coming on the past couple of years. They have a potential finalist with a couple other potential state medalists to propel them into the top 10.
Northwest is a perennial top 10 team and is back in with a potential state champion and a couple other medalists.
Gering is another traditional power but was hurt by their state champion moving out. However, they return enough quality to come in at #10.
Beatrice and Nebraska City are two teams that are just out of the top 10 but can end up in the top 10 with a good state tournament.
Dual Teams
1. Scottsbluff
2. Waverly
3. Blair
4. Bennington
5. Skutt
6. Hastings
7. Cozad
8. South Sioux City
9. Northwest
10. Gering
Scottsbluff takes the top spot in the preseason dual rankings based on them returning the most state qualifiers and some quality.
Waverly is a very deep team with 8 returning qualifiers and quality kids at every weight.
Blair keeps its dual tradition alive by having a lot of depth and quality.
Another EMC team in the top 4 with Bennington. Their top end talent will keep them in every dual but depth is a little concern for the chance to repeat as dual champions.
Skutt has a lot of young talent in the room and are starting to fill in some weight classes to be competitive in duals.
Hastings did lose a lot last year but have several young kids and back ups that can surprise some people.
Cozad, South Sioux City, Northwest, and Gering all look similar with several returning qualifiers and quality.