Football · Preview · Class D6
Meridian at Pawnee City: playoff stakes for Meridian
Meridian (4-3) at Pawnee City (1-6), 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.
For Meridian, Week 9 is about the playoff line. It sits 13th in Class D6's NSAA point standings, and this is its last chance to move. Both play in District D6-1: Meridian is 2-2 in district games and Pawnee City is 1-3.
Friday, Oct. 23, at Pawnee City, 7 p.m.
The playoff picture
Class D6 takes the 16 eligible teams with the best averages.
Meridian is 13th in Class D6's NSAA point standings at 40.571. That's 0.857 points above today's 16th-best eligible average (39.714, High Plains Community).
Pawnee City is 28th in Class D6's NSAA point standings at 35.857. That's 3.857 points behind today's 16th-best eligible average (39.714, High Plains Community).
Projections are not official seeds. NSAA sets the field after Week 9.
How they got here
Meridian is 4-3. Its season began with a 75-13 win at Nebraska Lutheran (0-7). All two of its losses came against teams with winning records: at Diller-Odell (7-1), 40-0; Lewiston (6-1), 58-20. Its best win by opponent record was a 40-20 win over Sterling (4-3). Its most recent scored game was a 58-20 loss to Lewiston (6-1). Its record also includes one game reported as 1-0 (forfeit or administrative result), which are left out of the scoring numbers here.
Pawnee City (1-6) opened with a 28-14 loss at Parkview Christian (4-3). All six of its losses came against teams with winning records: at Parkview Christian (4-3), 28-14; McCool Junction (7-0), 38-0; at Red Cloud (6-1), 58-0; Diller-Odell (7-1), 49-0; at Lewiston (6-1), 59-0; Sterling (4-3), 49-0. Its best win by opponent record was a 45-26 win at Humboldt-Table Rock-Steinauer (0-7). Last week it had a 49-0 loss to Sterling (4-3).
By the numbers
| Meridian | Pawnee City | |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 4-3 | 1-6 |
| Class and NSAA rank | D6, 13th (40.571) | D6, 28th (35.857) |
| Coaches poll (Oct. 18) | Not ranked | Not ranked |
| Points scored per game | 36.2 | 8.4 |
| Points allowed per game | 33.8 | 43.9 |
| Average margin | +2.4 | -35.4 |
| Current streak | — | Lost 1 |
Shared opponents
These two have played four of the same teams. It's a rough guide, since the games came in different weeks and places.
| Opponent | Meridian | Pawnee City |
|---|---|---|
| Diller-Odell | L 0-40 | L 0-49 |
| Lewiston | L 20-58 | L 0-59 |
| Parkview Christian | W 46-38 | L 14-28 |
| Sterling | W 40-20 | L 0-49 |
Players to know
Among the leaders in MaxPreps game reports through Week 8: Meridian's Maddox Haake (506 receiving 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
- Meridian's offense. It averages 36.2 points. Pawnee City allows 43.9.
Game center: live score, matchup and both teams →
Game Center: Meridian at Pawnee City →
Meridian team center → · Pawnee City team center →
Nebraska football scores and schedules → · Football playoff tracker →
Result note: a 1–0 entry is shown as listed by NSAA. It is not treated as evidence of an on-field score or a confirmed forfeit.