Two programs that have grown quite familiar with state tournament soccer have both added another appearance to their all-time tallies: the Crete boys and the Norris girls will represent Southeast Nebraska as qualifiers for the 2025 NSAA Soccer State Championships this week in Omaha. 

Both squads won their district final match late last week to lock up a spot in the final field: the state of Nebraska subdivides soccer-playing schools into two classes, so a total of 32 teams are still in the running for a state championship, which will be awarded at the start of next week at Morrison Stadium on the campus of Creighton University. 

The Norris girls pulled off a slight seeded upset in the B-7 district final on Saturday - the Titans were the #10-seed and went on the road and knocked off #7-seed Kearney Catholic 5-1 to earn a spot in the state tournament field for the fifth consecutive season. This is their eighth time in the final eight, which includes a stretch of three straight runner-up finishes from 2021 to 2023. 

After losing their first three games of the season, scoring a total of one goal in that span, the Titans have closed the campaign on a tear, winning their final nine contests and scoring three or more goals in seven of those nine. Senior Ella Klein has had a stellar year, scoring 17 goals with ten assists in 17 games, while junior Roselynn Madsen leads the team with 11 helpers along with nine goals - and five other Titans have scored at least four times. Junior Braelyn Henkel saw almost all the action between the sticks this season, permitting 11 goals in 15 games while making 58 saves, one of the highest totals in the final field. 

The Titans' hot finish to the season raises their record to 12-5 and earns them the #7-seed in the Class B girls field. Their reward is a state quarterfinal matchup with #2-seed Scotus Central Catholic, which returns to Omaha after qualifying for the field for the first time last year. And this time, the Shamrocks will be tough to beat: they are 16-0 this season after beating York 6-2 in the district final, and that was an off day defensively for them - SCC has conceded just eight goals all season, and scored eight or more in one game eight times. South Dakota State commit Emma Brezenski is far and away the state's leader in goals and points and will obviously be an X-factor in Scotus' title hopes. 

Norris vs. Scotus is the third game on the docket in Wednesday's quarterfinals at Creighton, set for a 5:30 PM kickoff. The winner of that game will face either #3-seed Pius or #6-seed Omaha Mercy in the semifinal on Saturday at 2 PM, with the state championship set for Monday night. 

The Crete boys are back in the state tournament after defending their current home field and defeating the combined squad of Lincoln Lutheran/Raymond Central/Parkview Christian 3-1 in the B-7 district final on Saturday morning, the same day as Crete High's graduation. The Cardinals are in the final eight for the fourth time all told and return many players from the squad that qualified last season, but there will be plenty of new faces too, as head coach Derek Spence alluded to after Saturday's win. 

The Cardinals are in form heading into the state tournament, closing the year winning eight of their last nine including five in a row - and the one goal they allowed in the district final was the only goal they've allowed in that five-game win streak. Crete is a veteran squad consisting of nearly all upperclassmen, with seniors Osvin Garcia Velasquez (10 goals) and Diego Espinoza Mendez (four goals, five assists) at the head of the offense. The pair combined to score all three goals in Crete's district final win. The Cardinals have split time in net this season, with senior Jesse Avalos appearing in ten games with 23 goals allowed and junior Henry Jaimes appearing in seven with seven goals allowed. Avalos was the starter in the district final win and made five saves. 

Crete is the #6-seed in this week's Class B boys field with a 12-4 overall mark, but they will be facing a familiar foe: #3-seed Schuyler, a squad that has already defeated Crete twice this season. Schuyler is 16-2 this year after beating Gretna 5-0 in the district final and enter the state tournament winners of their final 13 games, including two victories against Crete. The Warriors have three guys that have scored double-digit goals, including a pair of upperclassmen that have scored 20-plus (22 goals, four assists from David Arciga and 20 goals, eight assists from Obed Benazo). They also have shown a good ability to link up offensively, with 57 assists on their 92 goals, including 16 helpers from Gaspar Juarez. 

The Class B boys field is the final bracket to kick off this week in Omaha, and Crete vs. Schuyler is the final game on the schedule in that bracket - a 7:30 PM kickoff on Thursday. The winner will face either #2-seed Hastings or #7-seed Elkhorn North in the semifinal on Saturday night, with the state championship set for Tuesday evening.