Football · Preview · Class D6
Harvard at High Plains Community: playoff stakes for High Plains Community
Harvard (2-5) at High Plains Community (4-3), Friday, Oct. 23. Playoff picture, season stats, charts and history before the Week 9 game.
Game-day information: Kickoff reported by the Game Center: 7 p.m. Central. This article’s schedules and statistics are dated reporting, not live score updates.
Scores are NSAA finals. Points and ranks are NSAA wildcard standings, checked Oct. 21, 2026. Projections are not official seeds.
High Plains Community goes into the final week of the regular season close to the playoff line, 16th in Class D6's NSAA point standings. Both play in District D6-3: Harvard is 0-4 in district games and High Plains Community is 2-2.
Friday, Oct. 23, at High Plains Community, 7 p.m.
The playoff picture
Class D6 takes the 16 eligible teams with the best averages.
Harvard is 34th in Class D6's NSAA point standings at 34.429. That's 5.286 points behind today's 16th-best eligible average (39.714, High Plains Community).
High Plains Community is 16th in Class D6's NSAA point standings at 39.714, tied with Grand Island Lutheran and Sterling at today's 16th-best eligible average. NSAA's tiebreakers decide ties; we have not projected them.
Projections are not official seeds. NSAA sets the field after Week 9.
How they got here
Harvard is 2-5. Its season began with a 57-25 win at Humboldt-Table Rock-Steinauer (0-7). Its losses: Elba (2-5), 59-18; Silver Lake (3-4), 56-0; at Red Cloud (6-1), 60-0; Giltner (2-5), 73-6; Grand Island Lutheran (4-3), 76-20. Its best win by opponent record was a 47-20 win at Santee (1-6). It comes in on a 4-game losing streak, most recently a 76-20 loss to Grand Island Lutheran (4-3).
High Plains Community (4-3) opened with a 58-0 win at Elba (2-5). Its losses: at Stuart (7-0), 63-39; at Silver Lake (3-4), 40-0; Red Cloud (6-1), 58-18. Its best win by opponent record was a 44-8 win over Grand Island Lutheran (4-3). Last week it had a 72-37 win at Giltner (2-5). The defense has two shutouts.
By the numbers
| Harvard | High Plains Community | |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 2-5 | 4-3 |
| Class and NSAA rank | D6, 34th (34.429) | D6, 16th (39.714) |
| Coaches poll (Oct. 18) | Not ranked | Not ranked |
| Points scored per game | 21.1 | 41.9 |
| Points allowed per game | 52.7 | 29.4 |
| Average margin | -31.6 | +12.4 |
| Current streak | Lost 4 | Won 1 |
Shared opponents
These two have played five of the same teams. It's a rough guide, since the games came in different weeks and places.
| Opponent | Harvard | High Plains Community |
|---|---|---|
| Elba | L 18-59 | W 58-0 |
| Giltner | L 6-73 | W 72-37 |
| Grand Island Lutheran | L 20-76 | W 44-8 |
| Red Cloud | L 0-60 | L 18-58 |
| Silver Lake | L 0-56 | L 0-40 |
Players to know
Among the leaders in MaxPreps game reports through Week 8: High Plains Community's C. Swedenburg (912 passing yards in 6 reported games). Reports aren't complete for every game, so treat these as minimums.
Editorial update, Oct. 21: Program-history claims from the supplied school-history mapping are withheld pending school-identity verification. This does not change the current-season results, records or statistics above.
What to watch
- High Plains Community's offense. It averages 41.9 points. Harvard allows 52.7.
- Harvard's offense. It averages 21.1; High Plains Community allows 29.4.
- Harvard's streak. 4 straight losses.
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