Wildcats, Bulldogs to face off in chilly semifinal rematch
Wait, so will it be snowing cats and dogs?
On Friday night, first-seed Omaha Burke will play host to fifth-seed Millard West in a highly contested Class A semifinal matchup. The winner punches their ticket to the championship on Monday, November 19, where they'll face the winner of seventh-seed Grand Island at third-seed Bellevue West.
In week two, the undefeated Bulldogs beat the Wildcats by a definitive 31-14 margin. West, only 1-5 against the Bulldogs since 2010, looks to avenge the loss. “Remembering they beat us in week two, we are going to use that as motivation,” Millard West wide receiver Dalys Beanum said. Up to this point, Burke has blown out every single school that they've played. Their closest game of the year was a 41-24 road victory over Omaha North. Because of this, Omaha Burke senior quarterback Tyler Chadwick believes his Bulldogs are playing with targets on their backs. “We know that we’re going to get every teams best when they play us,” Chadwick said. “And playing a team twice in a season is not an easy task, but I know that our guys will be ready.”
The Bulldogs are not without fault, though. Both inside linebackers, Nebraska commit Nick Henrich (knee) and Creighton Kimnach (concussion), will not play. But the star-studded Bulldogs will still have Xavier Watts, Chris Hickman, and Jaylon Roussell to defend their end zone. Millard West is fresh off a 28-21 quarterfinal win on the road over third-seed Omaha Westside. With the victory, the Wildcats have beaten five ranked opponents — the most top ten wins of any Class A school. Their defense only allows 16.8 points per game, but will nevertheless be challenged by a Bulldog offense that averages 41 per game. “We know they are very good offensively, so we are going to need some turnovers and defensive stops in order to slow them down,” Beanum said. The game is scheduled for Friday, November 9 at 7 p.m. Catch the game at Omaha Burke — and be sure to wear a stocking cap.
