Football · Preview · Class D2
Shelby-Rising City at Aquinas Catholic: a top-10 matchup to close the regular season
Shelby-Rising City (8-0) at Aquinas Catholic (6-2), Friday, Oct. 23. Playoff picture, season stats, charts and history before the Week 9 game.
Game-day information: Kickoff reported by the Game Center: 2 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.
Both teams are in the latest Hurrdat Sports coaches poll: Shelby-Rising City at No. 2 and Aquinas Catholic at No. 7 in Class D2. They finish the regular season against each other Friday. Both play in District D2-1: Shelby-Rising City is 4-0 in district games and Aquinas Catholic is 3-1.
Friday, Oct. 23, at Aquinas Catholic, 2 p.m.
The playoff picture
In Class D2, the six district champions and the 10 best remaining averages qualify.
Shelby-Rising City is 1st in Class D2's NSAA point standings at 44.500. It is 4-0 in District D2-1 games.
Aquinas Catholic is 10th in Class D2's NSAA point standings at 40.875. It is 3-1 in District D2-1 games.
Projections are not official seeds. NSAA sets the field after Week 9.
How they got here
Shelby-Rising City is 8-0. Its season began with a 42-6 win over Fullerton (4-4). It hasn't lost. Its closest game was a 40-22 win over East Butler (6-2). It comes in on an 8-game winning streak, most recently a 48-14 win over Omaha Christian (2-6).
Aquinas Catholic (6-2) opened with a 43-20 win over Superior (4-4). All two of its losses came against teams with winning records: at Howells-Dodge (7-1), 36-14; Lourdes Central Catholic (6-2), 46-8. Its best win by opponent record was a 42-14 win at East Butler (6-2). It comes in on a 3-game winning streak, most recently a 42-14 win at East Butler (6-2).
By the numbers
| Shelby-Rising City | Aquinas Catholic | |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 8-0 | 6-2 |
| Class and NSAA rank | D2, 1st (44.500) | D2, 10th (40.875) |
| Coaches poll (Oct. 18) | No. 2 | No. 7 |
| Points scored per game | 50.2 | 35.0 |
| Points allowed per game | 18.6 | 20.2 |
| Average margin | +31.6 | +14.8 |
| Current streak | Won 8 | Won 3 |
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 | Shelby-Rising City | Aquinas Catholic |
|---|---|---|
| East Butler | W 40-22 | W 42-14 |
| Fullerton | W 42-6 | W 39-20 |
| Humphrey-Lindsay | W 62-16 | W 42-12 |
| Lourdes Central Catholic | W 44-22 | L 8-46 |
| Omaha Christian | W 48-14 | W 43-14 |
Players to know
Among the leaders in MaxPreps game reports through Week 8: Shelby-Rising City's Carter Eickmeier (1,702 rushing yards in 8 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
- Shelby-Rising City's offense. It averages 50.2 points. Aquinas Catholic allows 20.2.
- Aquinas Catholic's offense. It averages 35.0; Shelby-Rising City allows 18.6.
- Shelby-Rising City's streak. 8 straight wins.
- Aquinas Catholic's streak. 3 straight wins.
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