CLASS A
TOP PERFORMERS
Josh Kiger, Papillion-La Vista South: Kiger pitched five strong innings and struck out seven in a 10-0 win over Millard South. He also hurt the Patriots at the plate, driving in three runs with a double and a triple.
Matt Waldron, Omaha Westside: Waldron had a solid game in Omaha Westside’s 9-8 win over Papillion-La Vista. The sophomore picked up the win in relief and drove in three runs for the Warriors, who boosted their record to 23-5.

TOP GAME
Omaha Westside 9, Papillion-La Vista 8: That’s an easy call, when one game was 10-0 and the other was 9-8. The Westside-Papio game wasn’t decided until the bottom of the seventh when Jake Meyers delivered a walk-off RBI single.

THEY SAID …

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A breakdown of the Class A and Class B state baseball tournament’s opening rounds.

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CLASS A

TOP PERFORMERS
Geoff Birkemeier of Papillion-La Vista pitched eight innings and allowed no earned runs while striking out four in an extra-inning win over Millard West. Papio South sophomore Grant Suponchick limited Lincoln Southwest to five hits, faced the minimum three batters in four innings and had an RBI double in the first inning in the Titans’ 3-2 win.

TOP GAME
After trailing 3-0 entering the bottom of the seventh inning, Millard South scored four times for a 4-3 victory over Omaha Burke.

THEY SAID IT
“We expected to be here the whole time. Once we got here, we revised our goals. We weren’t overwhelmed. I …

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TOP PERFORMER
Kelsey Doerr, Elkhorn South: The senior midfielder scored with 22.2 seconds to play in the first overtime to lift the second-ranked Storm to a victory over No. 3 Gretna. Doerr and company will play in Tuesday’s state championship in just the school’s third year of existence. Honorable mention goes to Skutt’s Jake Sievers and Nolan Heimann. Sievers had a pair of assists and Heimann had two goals for the SkyHawks.

BEST GAME
Millard West 2, Omaha Marian 1, SO: The third-ranked Wildcats got a second-half equalizer to force overtime. They survived a scare in the second extra session and two game-winning tries in the shootout before finishing off the upset of No. 1 Marian 9-8 in kicks. The marathon match finally ended when …

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TOP PERFORMER
Liz Bartels, Omaha Skutt: The Marquette recruit scored a pair of goals and dished out a pair of assists to lead the Class B No. 1 SkyHawks. Bartels’ goals came 73 seconds apart and were part of a three-score outburst in stretch of 2 ½ minutes in the first half. She now has 22 goals and 12 assists on the season.

BEST GAME
Omaha Creighton Prep 3, Grand Island 2, 2OT: An easy pick for match of the day and match of the tournament thus far. The third-ranked Junior Jays’ victory had plenty afterward even saying it was the best they had ever seen on the high school level. The classic had four second-half goals, two post-halftime equalizers, a game-winner in overtime and too …

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Watch video highlights from the Columbus Scotus-Hastings girls soccer matchup at the state tournament:

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TOP PERFORMER
Lauren Tondl, Omaha Marian: The junior midfielder scored both Crusaders goals on set pieces, the first an equalizer and the second the game-winner. They were Tondl’s second and third scores of the year and helped top-ranked Marian, Class A’s defending champion, advance to Saturday’s semifinals.

BEST GAME
Omaha Marian 2, Lincoln Southwest 1: On a day when four of the six matches were decided by more than one goal, this was the best of the bunch. Marian received the wild card to get in the tournament after losing to Southwest in a district final. The Crusaders then fell behind before coming to life for a pair of goals on free kicks.

THEY SAID IT
“He didn’t.”
— Lincoln East coach Chuck Morgan, after …

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Omaha Marian advanced to the semifinals of the Nebraska girls soccer state tournament with a 2-1 win over Lincoln Southwest on Thursday at Morrison Stadium.

Check out the game highlights video below:

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TOP PERFORMER
Lucas Venegas, Grand Island: The senior forward had a hand in each of the Islanders’ three goals Wednesday. Venegas tallied his 27th goal of the season and dished out a pair of assists. Honorable mention goes to Lincoln Pius X’s Nick Pohlen, who recorded a hat trick.

BEST GAME
KEARNEY 4, MILLARD WEST 3, SO: Bearcats keeper Quincy Bennett stopped all three Millard West attempts in a shootout and Kearney’s three kickers each scored. Bennett’s third stop set off a wild celebration in the goal by the Bearcats, who move into the semifinals for the fourth time since 2007.

THEY SAID IT
“The sequel, usually it’s never as good as the first movie, but I think Prep-Grand Island II is going to …

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EVENT OF THE WEEK
Class 3-A state-qualifying track meet
When, where: 4 p.m. Thursday, Glenwood.
Teams: Atlantic, Carroll, Creston, Denison-Schleswig, Glenwood, Harlan, Sergeant Bluff-Luton, Sioux City Heelan.
Who advances: The top two in each girls and boys event are automatic state qualifiers, along with the next eight performances statewide.

SCHEDULE
Track
Class 2-A state-qualifying meet at Nodaway Valley, 4 p.m. Thursday. Teams: CB St. Albert, Central Decatur, Clarinda, Clarinda Academy, Clarke, Interstate-35, Mount Ayr (B), Nodaway Valley, Red Oak, Shenandoah, Treynor, Tri-Center. Who advances: The top two in each girls and boys event are automatic state qualifiers, along with the next eight performances statewide.
Class 1-A state-qualifying meet at Corning, 4 p.m. Thursday. Teams: Bedford, Corning, Diagonal (G), East Mills, Essex, Fremont-Mills, Griswold, Lenox, Nishnabotna, …

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The pairings for the Nebraska prep baseball state tournament. The tournament begins Saturday.

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CLASS A

Saturday at Werner Park
Papio South vs. Lincoln SW, 10 a.m.
Millard South vs. Om. Burke, 1 p.m.
Om. Westside vs. Om. North, 4 p.m.
Millard West vs. Papillion-LV, 7 p.m.

CLASS B

Saturday at Haymarket Park
Norris vs. Waverly, 10 a.m.
Om. Roncalli vs. Om. Gross, 1 p.m.
Lincoln Pius X vs. Gretna, 4 p.m.
Om. Skutt vs. Wahoo, 7 p.m.…

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