Omaha Westside didn’t just win the biggest high school football game in Nebraska this season - it slammed the door on Millard South’s run and left no doubt about where the balance of power sits right now.
The Warriors crushed the previously unbeaten Patriots 41-17 on Friday night at Buell Stadium, getting five touchdowns from Missouri quarterback commit Braylen Warren and three interceptions from a defense that made life miserable for Nebraska five-star commit Trae Taylor. Westside, now 9-0, finished off a perfect regular season, snapped Millard South’s 33-game on-field winning streak and staked its claim as the team to beat in the Class A playoffs.
Millard South, the two-time defending state champion, hadn’t lost on the field since its 2024 season opener against Basha (Arizona). For a half, it looked like the night might deliver the kind of heavyweight fight everyone expected.
The teams were deadlocked 10-10 at halftime. Then Westside took over.
The Warriors outscored Millard South 31-7 after the break and, according to a report from NEBPrepsLive, ripped off 24 unanswered points to turn a tense showdown into a rout.
Warren was the difference-maker throughout. The four-star Missouri commit went 11 of 24 for approximately 250 yards and four passing touchdowns, and he added another score on the ground. Luke Weiss and Bryce Johnson Jr. each hauled in two touchdown catches, giving Westside the kind of explosive plays that stretched the game open fast.
Weiss delivered the knockout blow early in the fourth quarter, hauling in a 67-yard touchdown from Warren to push the Warriors ahead 38-17 and effectively end any Millard South comeback hopes. Johnson, a North Dakota State commit, caught touchdown passes of 29 yards in both the second and fourth quarters.
Westside’s defense matched the offense punch for punch. Taylor finished 13 of 30 for 199 yards, but the Patriots quarterback was picked off three times - all after halftime. Kor'Dai Richard jumped a Taylor throw early in the third quarter and helped set up Warren’s 26-yard touchdown pass to Weiss.
Later, after Millard South had tied the game at 17, Micah Benning intercepted Taylor and returned it 26 yards to the Patriots’ 26-yard line. Warren finished that sequence himself, scoring on a 4-yard run to put Westside in front for good. Jacob Obermiller added another interception in the fourth quarter, and that turnover led to the field goal that helped finish off the Patriots.
Millard South opened the scoring with a 33-yard field goal by Braiden McClanathan. Westside answered with a Ty Hanna field goal, then Warren found Johnson on a 29-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-16. Taylor responded with a 4-yard touchdown run to send the game into halftime tied at 10.
The third quarter traded punches too. Weiss scored for Westside, and Aidan Marshall answered with an 18-yard touchdown run for Millard South.
But once Warren broke the tie with his touchdown run, the Patriots had no response. Johnson added his second 29-yard touchdown catch with 9:46 to go, Weiss followed with the long scoring grab, and Hanna added a 33-yard field goal to cap the 41-17 final.
The win means more than just a spotless regular season for Westside. It also avenges last year’s loss to Millard South in the Class A state semifinals and positions the Warriors for the No. 1 seed in this year’s postseason tournament.
For Millard South, the defeat ends a remarkable streak of dominance, though it does not knock the Patriots out of the title picture. The two teams could still meet again in the playoffs, possibly with a state championship on the line. If that rematch comes, Millard South will need a much better answer for Warren - and for a Westside defense that turned Nebraska’s most anticipated regular-season game into a one-sided statement.
In Other News...
Nebraska Just Got An Uncomfortable Reminder About Local QB Talent
Friday night gave Nebraska fans a jarring reminder that the states quarterback pipeline is still producing plenty of big-time talent. In a matchup between Omaha Westside and Millard South, Missouri commit Braylen Warren came out on top with a 41-17 win over Nebraska commit Trae Taylor, and the game quickly became more than just another high school result. For the Cornhuskers, it was a local spotlight game with two of the regions most closely watched quarterbacks on the same field, and Warren had the better night.
Taylors rough second half made the ending sting even more, with three interceptions helping swing the game in Westsides favor. For Nebraska, the result serves as an uncomfortable reminder that in-state recruiting battles are never straightforward, even when the Huskers are in the mix for one of their own. For both quarterbacks, the film will matter as much as the final score, and this one adds a little more scrutiny to a rivalry between two highly regarded prospects with their recruiting reputations on the line. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraska May Be Overlooking Another In-State Star Again
Tay Tay Jenkins has put together the kind of high school rsum that should be hard to ignore in Nebraska, piling up more than 5,000 career rushing yards while adding 73 touchdowns for Omaha Westside. He has also shown enough as a receiver to make himself more than just a traditional backfield threat, a combination that usually attracts plenty of attention from major college programs.
For now, though, the scholarship list remains surprisingly thin, with South Dakota standing as the lone notable offer. Interest from other schools is said to be picking up, and his coach expects an FBS program to come through before national signing day, which would fit the pattern Nebraska fans know all too well when an in-state talent starts to draw notice a little later than expected. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraska Basketball Now Faces A Costly Big Ten Reality
Nebraskas mens basketball program is now being measured in a different currency than wins and losses, with a CBS Sports nationwide report estimating the Cornhuskers roster spending at between $10 million and $12 million. Based on data from 80 teams and an assumption that all players remain eligible, the estimate places Nebraska in the middle tier of Power 5 programs, a reminder that the financial arms race around college basketball has become part of the conversation even for teams trying to build on recent progress.
For Nebraska, the number lands at an interesting moment after a successful season and a roster that has already changed shape heading into the next one. With the upcoming schedule looming, the broader question is how far that level of investment can carry a team in the Big Ten, where staying competitive usually means keeping pace not just on the floor but in the way programs are being built behind the scenes. [Read more 🡒]