Football · Preview · Class D6
Sterling at Lewiston: playoff stakes for Sterling
Sterling (4-3) at Lewiston (6-1), Friday, Oct. 23. Playoff picture, season stats, charts and history before the Week 9 game.
Game-day information: Kickoff reported by the Game Center: 4 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.
Sterling 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 D6-1: Sterling is 2-2 in district games and Lewiston is 3-1.
Friday, Oct. 23, at Lewiston, 4 p.m.
The playoff picture
Class D6 takes the 16 eligible teams with the best averages.
Sterling is 16th in Class D6's NSAA point standings at 39.714, tied with Grand Island Lutheran and High Plains Community at today's 16th-best eligible average. NSAA's tiebreakers decide ties; we have not projected them.
Lewiston is 6th in Class D6's NSAA point standings at 43.286. That's 3.571 points above 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
Sterling (4-3) opened with a 42-14 win over Dorchester (3-4). All three of its losses came against teams with winning records: Riverside (7-1), 60-15; at Meridian (4-3), 40-20; Diller-Odell (7-1), 22-6. Its best win by opponent record was a 42-14 win over Dorchester (3-4). Its most recent scored game was a 49-0 win at Pawnee City (1-6). Note: NSAA lists Sterling at 4-3; at least one result NSAA posted this week isn't in our game data yet, so the game-by-game numbers below cover 6 games.
Lewiston is 6-1. Its season began with a 39-18 win over Mead (4-3). Its only loss came against a team with a winning record: at Diller-Odell (7-1), 25-6. Its best win by opponent record was a 55-8 win over Grand Island Lutheran (4-3). Its most recent scored game was a 25-6 loss at Diller-Odell (7-1). Its record also includes one game reported as 1-0 (forfeit or administrative result), which are left out of the scoring numbers here.
By the numbers
| Sterling | Lewiston | |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 4-3 | 6-1 |
| Class and NSAA rank | D6, 16th (39.714) | D6, 6th (43.286) |
| Coaches poll (Oct. 18) | Not ranked | Not ranked |
| Points scored per game | 32.0 | 45.0 |
| Points allowed per game | 24.7 | 12.8 |
| Average margin | +7.3 | +32.2 |
| Current streak | — | — |
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 | Sterling | Lewiston |
|---|---|---|
| Diller-Odell | L 6-22 | L 6-25 |
| Dorchester | W 42-14 | W 53-6 |
| Meridian | L 20-40 | W 58-20 |
| Pawnee City | W 49-0 | W 59-0 |
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
- Lewiston's offense. It averages 45.0 points. Sterling allows 24.7.
- Sterling's offense. It averages 32.0; Lewiston allows 12.8.
- Lewiston's defense. It allows 12.8 points a game.
Game center: live score, matchup and both teams →
Game Center: Sterling at Lewiston →
Sterling team center → · Lewiston 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.