Crofton 40, Hartington-Newcastle 13: Week 8 Class D1 final

HARTINGTON, Neb. — Crofton beat Hartington-Newcastle 40-13 on the road Friday in Class D1 football. Crofton is 7-1 and Hartington-Newcastle is 7-1.

The playoff picture

Crofton was at T-3 of 40 in D1 by NSAA wildcard average (44.1250), No. 5 in the Class D1 Hurrdat Sports coaches poll; Hartington-Newcastle was at No. 6 of 40 in D1 by NSAA wildcard average (43.7500), No. 6 in the Class D1 Hurrdat Sports coaches poll. Those ranks are from NSAA's wildcard page as of Oct. 17 at 7:42 a.m. CT, which counted this game, and are projections, not seeds. 16 teams qualify in D1. Compared with NSAA's Oct. 16 update at 11:07 a.m., Crofton climbed from No. 6 (43.7143) and Hartington-Newcastle slipped from No. 4 (44.8571).

At the Oct. 17 update, Crofton's 44.1250 average was 4.3750 points above the No. 16 average (39.7500), and Hartington-Newcastle's 43.7500 average was 4.0000 points above the No. 16 average (39.7500).

Series

Before this game, Crofton was 4-0 against Hartington-Newcastle in regular-season meetings in NSAA records since 2020. The last one was Crofton's 52-30 win at Crofton on Sept. 26, 2025.

Season so far

In eight scored games on NSAA's 2026 schedule, Crofton has outscored opponents 430-115, an average margin of +39.4 points a game. Its wins: Pender (40-14), Ponca (64-22), Bloomfield (54-0), Lutheran High Northeast (68-0), Elkhorn Valley (60-16), West Holt (80-10), Hartington-Newcastle (40-13). Its losses: Stanton (24-40). That is four straight wins.

In eight scored games on NSAA's 2026 schedule, Hartington-Newcastle has outscored opponents 428-210, an average margin of +27.2 points a game. Its wins: Dundy County Stratton (56-18), Homer (36-0), Laurel-Concord-Coleridge (42-36), Ponca (78-60), Elkhorn Valley (56-8), Gordon-Rushville (84-42), Lutheran High Northeast (63-6). Its losses: Crofton (13-40).

The two share three common opponents this season: Elkhorn Valley (Crofton won 60-16; Hartington-Newcastle won 56-8); Lutheran High Northeast (Crofton won 68-0; Hartington-Newcastle won 63-6); Ponca (Crofton won 64-22; Hartington-Newcastle won 78-60).

Next

Crofton hosts Gordon-Rushville (2-6) on Thu., Oct. 22; Hartington-Newcastle hosts West Holt (5-3) on Fri., Oct. 23.

Sources: secure.nsaahome.org; secure.nsaahome.org; hurrdatsports.com.

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