Nebraska high school football is as much a cultural institution as it is a sport — a place where communities gather, rivalries thrive, and young athletes learn lessons that last a lifetime. But over the past decade, the gap between Nebraska’s Class A programs has grown into a canyon. While powerhouse schools such as Millard South continue to dominate, other programs struggle just to stay competitive. Meanwhile, Class B football maintains a healthier sense of parity, where multiple teams have a legitimate shot at a state title each year.

The widening imbalance has left coaches, administrators, and fans questioning whether Class A football still offers a fair playing field, and what the Nebraska School Activities Association (NSAA) should do about it.

The Rise of a Powerhouse

Few programs embody the current Class A landscape better than Millard South High School. The Patriots have long been a force in Nebraska football, but in recent years their dominance has reached new heights. According to Nebraska Public Media Sports, in 2024, Millard South went 10–0 in the regular season, outscoring opponents by an average of 36 points per game. Their roster included multiple NCAA Division I recruits and one of the largest participation numbers in the state.

By contrast, several other Class A programs — including Lincoln North Star, Omaha Northwest, and Norfolk — finished with one or no wins, often losing games by 40 or more points. According to Omaha World-Herald reporting in late 2024, Some of these schools reported rosters of fewer than 50 varsity players.

The disparity is no coincidence. Millard South benefits from a combination of large enrollment, state-of-the-art facilities, and a well-established feeder system. Their success is admirable, but it also illustrates how uneven the competitive environment has become.

The Gap Keeps Growing

1. Enrollment and Resource Disparities

Class A is meant to group Nebraska’s largest schools, but “large” can have very different meanings. Millard South’s enrollment exceeds 2,300 students, while some other Class A schools barely cross 1,000. According to the NSAA’s 2025 classification data, that’s a difference of more than 1,200 potential students — the equivalent of an entire small high school.

More students mean deeper rosters, but resources amplify that advantage. Millard South’s athletic facilities include a $2 million weight room and a turf stadium shared with Millard Public Schools, while smaller programs often rely on aging equipment and part-time assistants. The NSAA’s own surveys show that wealthier suburban schools outspend smaller districts on athletic programs by as much as 40% per student.

2. Talent Concentration and Transfers

Another driving force behind the imbalance is the migration of athletes to already successful programs. An Omaha Magazine investigation in 2024 found that nearly 1,500 high school athletes transferred between Nebraska schools over a three-year span, and many did so without being required to sit out a season. In football, those transfers overwhelmingly benefited Class A powers such as Millard South, Omaha Westside, and Bellevue West.

The logic is easy to understand: parents want exposure for college recruitment, and athletes want to play for winning programs. But the result is a talent drain that weakens smaller schools and strengthens those already on top.

3. Scheduling and Classification Limitations

Until recently, Class A scheduling often forced weaker teams to play powerhouses multiple times per season, resulting in predictable blowouts. Recognizing this issue, the NSAA approved new tier-based scheduling for 2026 and beyond — grouping schools by recent performance rather than only by size.

According to Hurrdat Sports, the change is intended to “reduce mismatches and restore competitive integrity.” It’s a positive step, but many coaches argue it may not go far enough. The classification itself, who belongs in Class A versus B, remains untouched.

4. Declining Participation

In programs that consistently lose, participation suffers. The NSAA reported in 2024 that football participation among boys declined by 8% statewide over five years, with the steepest drops coming from schools on the lower end of Class A. Coaches at those schools cite player safety, repeated blowouts, and lack of enthusiasm as main reasons. Meanwhile, programs like Millard South field more than 100 players and some even turn away athletes.

The Cost of an Uneven Playing Field

When competition collapses, everyone loses. Blowouts may look impressive on paper, but they dull excitement, diminish athlete development, and erode community interest. For top programs, easy wins reduce the chance to test their abilities; for weaker ones, they destroy morale.

Longtime Class A coach Ryan Gottula of Lincoln Southwest summarized it best in a Youtube interview with Omaha World-Herald: “You want to compete against good teams, but you also want your kids to feel like they have a shot. When you’re down 35–0 at halftime week after week, it stops being educational.”

The imbalance also has safety implications. Smaller programs with limited depth often have to play underclassmen against physically mature seniors from powerhouse rosters. In a contact sport like football, that’s not just discouraging, it can be dangerous.

Why Class B Works

While Class A struggles with disparity, Class B football still delivers the kind of competitive drama that draws fans. In the past decade, seven different schools have won the Class B state championship, according to Nebraska Public Media. Scores are closer, playoff fields are deeper, and every season brings new contenders.

Part of that parity stems from more uniform school sizes. Most Class B schools enroll between 800 and 1,200 students, and less transfer movement. Many Class B programs draw primarily from their surrounding communities, preserving a local identity and a sense of pride that Class A is beginning to lose.

Searching for Solutions

If Nebraska wants to restore competitive balance at its highest level, it must be willing to rethink long-standing traditions. Several potential reforms stand out:

1. A Tiered Class A Division

Splitting Class A into two competitive divisions, “A1” and “A2,” could allow schools to compete against others of similar strength. Teams would be reassessed every two years based on record and point differential. Programs like Millard South, Omaha Westside, and Bellevue West could face each other weekly, while mid-tier or rebuilding schools could compete on more equal terms.

2. Stronger Transfer Oversight

The NSAA could adopt a one-year residency requirement or mandatory sit-out period for non-residential transfers, similar to systems used in Iowa and Kansas. Such policies don’t prevent legitimate moves but do reduce strategic transfers for athletic advantage.

3. Weighted Classifications

Instead of relying solely on enrollment, Nebraska could include recent playoff success, program resources, and roster depth when determining classifications. This approach, already in use in states like Ohio, prevents elite programs from overwhelming smaller ones simply because they fall within the same size bracket.

4. Support for Struggling Programs

The NSAA and local districts could invest in coaching development, equipment grants, and youth outreach for schools at the bottom of Class A. Programs that once served as community anchors could be rebuilt through grassroots investment.

A Call to Balance

Millard South’s success should be celebrated. It reflects a school and program having extreme success due to its rosters ability and talent. But that same success underscores a structural problem. When a handful of teams dominate year after year, the spirit of high school competition suffers.

Nebraska can learn from the balance and vitality of Class B football. With tiered divisions, revised transfer rules, and targeted support, the NSAA can restore fairness without punishing excellence.

Friday nights under the lights should belong to everyone, from the urban powerhouses to the local rural communities still fighting for relevance. Nebraska’s football future depends on keeping that it that way.