Football · State semifinals · Class D3 · Recap
Anselmo-Merna, Central Valley advance to Class D3 final
No. 12 Anselmo-Merna beat previously unbeaten No. 1 Lawrence-Nelson 52-36 and No. 2 Central Valley beat No. 3 Archangels Catholic 52-32 in Friday's Class D3 state semifinals, setting up a title game at Cope Stadium in Kearney.
Anselmo-Merna entered 9-2 and is 10-2 after the win. Lawrence-Nelson entered 11-0 and finished 11-1. Central Valley and Archangels Catholic each entered 10-1. Central Valley is 11-1 after the win. Archangels is 10-2. Anselmo-Merna and Central Valley will meet in the Class D3 final on Friday, Nov. 20, at 1:10 p.m. at Cope Stadium in Kearney.
Anselmo-Merna beat Lawrence-Nelson 52-36 at Lawrence-Nelson. Anselmo-Merna, the lowest remaining seed in D3, had won 36-30 at No. 5 Wausa and then beat Guardian Angels Central Catholic 46-20. Lawrence-Nelson had beaten No. 16 St. Mary's 42-26 and Wynot 58-24. The teams had no common opponents this season, so Friday was their first meeting of 2026.
No trusted play-by-play with quarter, clock, and score-after was posted for Anselmo-Merna at Lawrence-Nelson, so individual scoring plays cannot be listed. Anselmo-Merna led 24-0, though the quarter for that score was not reported, and led 32-14 at halftime. Anselmo-Merna led 46-14 at the end of the third quarter. Lawrence-Nelson scored in the fourth quarter to make it 46-30. Anselmo-Merna scored a touchdown with 2:39 left, with no scorer named, to make it 52-30, and Lawrence-Nelson scored late for a 52-36 final. It is Anselmo-Merna's third state final appearance. The program has never won a football state title. The complete board checkpoints are in the Anselmo-Merna recap.
Central Valley beat Archangels Catholic 52-32 at Central Valley in Wolbach. Central Valley had beaten Falls City Sacred Heart 44-8 and Twin Loup 50-12. Archangels had beaten Cambridge 60-12 and Dundy County Stratton 56-8. Central Valley won the regular-season meeting 40-8 at Archangels on Sept. 4, Archangels' only loss entering the rematch. Central Valley's only loss this season was 44-8 at Sandy Creek on Sept. 18.
Luke Shoemaker scored on a 20-yard run and Pokorny added the two-point conversion for an 8-0 lead, and Pokorny scored on a 12-yard run two plays after a turnover for a 16-0 lead. Ethan Wieseler scored on a 9-yard run and Archangels converted the two-point try to cut it to 16-8. Geilenkirchen later scored from 53 yards out and Archangels converted the two-point try to tie the game at 16. The quarter, clock, and whether the play was a run or a pass were not reported. Pokorny scored from 18 yards out with 9:49 left in the second quarter, the two-point try failed, and Central Valley led 22-16 at halftime. Shoemaker scored on a 4-yard touchdown run and the two-point conversion, then an 8-yard touchdown and another two-point conversion, for a 38-16 lead in the third quarter. Archangels returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown. The clock and the score after that return were not reported. Nekoliczak then scored to make it 46-24 with 11:56 left in the fourth quarter. By then, Shoemaker had 213 yards and three scores. How the game went from 46-24 to the 52-32 final was not reported in the trusted notes. Trusted play-by-play is partial and covers the scoring through 16-8. The complete scoring list is in the Central Valley recap.
Anselmo-Merna and Central Valley will play for the Class D3 title on Friday, Nov. 20, at 1:10 p.m. at Cope Stadium in Kearney.
Scoring summary
Anselmo-Merna 52, Lawrence-Nelson 36 board checkpoints, with no named scorers, are listed in the Anselmo-Merna recap. Central Valley 52, Archangels Catholic 32 published scoring plays, which are partial and cover the scoring through 16-8, are listed in the Central Valley recap.
Sources
Updates from trusted accounts. Season stats from MaxPreps. Seeds, records and prior playoff results from the NSAA bracket.