Football · Preview · Class A
Kearney at Grand Island: playoff stakes for Kearney
Kearney (5-3) at Grand Island (1-7), Friday, Oct. 23. Playoff picture, season stats, charts and history before the Week 9 game.
Game-day information: Kickoff not independently confirmed for this publication. Check the Game Center for current start-time information. 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.
For Kearney, Week 9 is about the playoff line. It sits 13th in Class A's NSAA point standings, and this is its last chance to move. Both play in District A-0: Kearney is 5-3 in district games and Grand Island is 1-7.
Friday, Oct. 23, at Grand Island. Kickoff time has not been posted on our schedule yet.
The playoff picture
Class A takes the 16 eligible teams with the best averages.
Kearney is 13th in Class A's NSAA point standings at 39.875. That's 1.000 points above today's 16th-best eligible average (38.875, Lincoln Standing Bear).
Grand Island is 31st in Class A's NSAA point standings at 33.625. That's 5.250 points behind today's 16th-best eligible average (38.875, Lincoln Standing Bear).
Projections are not official seeds. NSAA sets the field after Week 9.
How they got here
Kearney is 5-3. Its season began with a 24-7 win over North Platte (5-3). Its losses: at Elkhorn South (5-3), 38-14; Bennington (8-0), 27-23; Creighton Prep (4-4), 35-13. Its best win by opponent record was a 24-7 win over North Platte (5-3). Last week it had a 35-13 loss to Creighton Prep (4-4).
Grand Island (1-7) opened with a 27-17 loss at Omaha Central (3-5). Its losses: at Omaha Central (3-5), 27-17; North Platte (5-3), 35-10; Papillion-La Vista (6-2), 48-25; at Elkhorn North (6-2), 56-0; at Lincoln Northeast (7-1), 54-17; Lincoln Southeast (4-4), 42-14; at Lincoln North Star (5-3), 31-7. Its best win by opponent record was a 51-0 win over Omaha Buena Vista (0-8). Last week it had a 31-7 loss at Lincoln North Star (5-3).
By the numbers
| Kearney | Grand Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 5-3 | 1-7 |
| Class and NSAA rank | A, 13th (39.875) | A, 31st (33.625) |
| Coaches poll (Oct. 18) | No. 10 | Not ranked |
| Points scored per game | 22.5 | 17.6 |
| Points allowed per game | 19.6 | 36.6 |
| Average margin | +2.9 | -19.0 |
| Current streak | Lost 1 | Lost 2 |
One shared opponent: North Platte. Kearney: W 24-7. Grand Island: L 10-35.
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
- Kearney's offense. It averages 22.5 points. Grand Island allows 36.6.
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