Football · Preview · Class D3
St. Mary's at North Central: playoff stakes for St. Mary's
St. Mary's (4-4) at North Central (1-7), Thursday, Oct. 22. 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.
St. Mary's goes into the final week of the regular season close to the playoff line, 17th in Class D3's NSAA point standings. Both play in District D3-3: St. Mary's is 2-2 in district games and North Central is 1-3.
Thursday, Oct. 22, at North Central, 7 p.m.
The playoff picture
In Class D3, the seven district champions and the nine best remaining averages qualify.
St. Mary's is 17th in Class D3's NSAA point standings at 39.750. It is 2-2 in District D3-3 games.
North Central is 35th in Class D3's NSAA point standings at 33.500. It is 1-3 in District D3-3 games.
Projections are not official seeds. NSAA sets the field after Week 9.
How they got here
St. Mary's is 4-4. Its season began with a 46-8 win over Niobrara-Verdigre (2-6). All four of its losses came against teams with winning records: at Burwell (7-1), 27-22; at Central Valley (7-1), 70-18; at Wynot (6-2), 22-6; at Wausa (7-1), 20-14. Its best win by opponent record was a 42-14 win at Boyd County (5-3). Last week it had a 20-14 loss at Wausa (7-1).
North Central is 1-7. Its season began with a 62-6 loss to Twin Loup (7-1). Its losses: Twin Loup (7-1), 62-6; at CWC (2-6), 24-12; at Ainsworth (2-6), 13-6; Elgin Public-Pope John (3-5), 54-22; at Wausa (7-1), 57-0; Wynot (6-2), 43-0; at Randolph (3-5), 40-30. Its best win by opponent record was a 56-50 win at Boyd County (5-3). Last week it had a 40-30 loss at Randolph (3-5).
By the numbers
| St. Mary's | North Central | |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 4-4 | 1-7 |
| Class and NSAA rank | D3, 17th (39.750) | D3, 35th (33.500) |
| Coaches poll (Oct. 18) | Not ranked | Not ranked |
| Points scored per game | 31.2 | 16.5 |
| Points allowed per game | 21.9 | 42.9 |
| Average margin | +9.4 | -26.4 |
| Current streak | Lost 1 | Lost 2 |
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 | St. Mary's | North Central |
|---|---|---|
| Ainsworth | W 52-0 | L 6-13 |
| Boyd County | W 42-14 | W 56-50 |
| Randolph | W 50-14 | L 30-40 |
| Wausa | L 14-20 | L 0-57 |
| Wynot | L 6-22 | L 0-43 |
Players to know
Among the leaders in MaxPreps game reports through Week 8: St. Mary's's Logan Brabec (1,242 passing yards in 7 reported games); St. Mary's's James Eby (561 receiving yards in 8 reported games); St. Mary's's Ben Barlow (545 receiving yards in 8 reported games); North Central's Brandt Lezotte (515 receiving 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
- St. Mary's's offense. It averages 31.2 points. North Central allows 42.9.
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