Archangels Catholic at Leigh preview: what's at stake in Week 8

No. 3 Archangels Catholic (6-1) travels to Leigh (6-1) on Friday in a Week 8 D3 Nebraska high school football game with a ranked Archangels Catholic team trying to protect its spot in the Hurrdat Sports coaches poll and wildcard points that count toward NSAA playoff qualifying and seeding on the line. Records are from NSAA's wildcard standings, pulled Oct. 12 at 10:42 p.m. This one matters because Leigh gets a shot at a ranked opponent.

Archangels Catholic sits No. 3 in D3 in the latest Hurrdat Sports coaches poll (2026-10-11). Archangels Catholic is 6-1 in NSAA results. Archangels Catholic has won five straight in our synced finals. Most recently, it beat Clarkson 46-0, beat Omaha Nation 54-0 and beat GACC 42-12. Across its 7 games with verified finals, Archangels Catholic averages 40.6 points and allows 12.9.

Leigh is 6-1 in NSAA results. Leigh has won four straight in our synced finals. Most recently, it beat Omaha Nation 54-0, beat Winside 36-6 and beat Clarkson 20-6. Across its 7 games with verified finals, Leigh averages 40.3 points and allows 10.6.

What's at stake

Archangels Catholic carries a 44.1429 NSAA wildcard points average, 3rd of 41 teams in D3 by average; its path to the playoffs is a district title or an at-large spot (projection, not official). Leigh carries a 40.4286 NSAA wildcard points average, tied at No. 14 of 41 teams in D3 by average; its path to the playoffs is a district title or an at-large spot (projection, not official). In D3, the 7 district champions qualify automatically, and the 9 best averages among non-champions fill the rest of the 16-team field. Wildcard points decide who qualifies and how the field is seeded; see the Nebraska high school football wildcard standings and the playoff format.

Matchup to watch

The matchup to watch is Leigh's defense, which has allowed 10.6 points per game, against an Archangels Catholic offense that scores 40.6. Both have played Clarkson: Archangels Catholic beat Clarkson 46-0, and Leigh beat Clarkson 20-6. Both have played Omaha Nation: Archangels Catholic beat Omaha Nation 54-0, and Leigh beat Omaha Nation 54-0. Both have played Osceola: Archangels Catholic beat Osceola 48-0, and Leigh lost to Osceola 22-16.

Our pick

Our NEB Preps Power Index favors Archangels Catholic, giving it a 62% chance to win (85.6 to 76.7 on the index, with a small home-field edge for Leigh). This is NEB Preps' own computer pick from verified finals, not a poll or a betting line.