This is a long story made as short of possibl

Here in a few minutes I am leaving for Nashville. For a Thanksgiving holiday only, don’t get your hopes up.

The long part of the story is the amazing chain of events which has led to me being in this time and space. Part of the reason for this column is that just moments ago I lost my Class A game preview when my InDesign program crashed. Frankly, I am not rewriting it, not with the snow falling and my wife and kids in the truck outside the stadium, wating for my arrival so we can leave for Nashville, hopefully getting out of Dodge (or is that O Street?).

What I can tell you about the Class A state final is this – Bellevue West (Michael Huffman and Co.) and Omaha Westside (Brett Froendt and Co.) have earned their way into the state final in a one of the best years for Class A football in recent memory. Bellevue West has been there all along, ranked No. 1 since July and winner of 12 in a row, while Westside has hit the gas in the postseason, being especially impressive in the victories against Lincoln Southeast and Millard South, both revenge wins.

“Our approach this week has been to focus on the process of preparation and not the shiny lights of the moment,” says Coach Froendt, who will be coaching in his second state final. “Balancing enjoying the moment and the accolades but knowing preparation is the key to playing great.”

Coach Huffman has also been in a previous state final, leading the Thunderbirds to the Class A state title in 2016.

“At Bellevue West, we talk about the importance of being thankful for the opportunity to play in these types of games because there are a lot of kids and coaches that work their tails off and never get a chance on the biggest stage,” says Coach Huffman. “You have to appreciate it and enjoy it, you never know if our when it will happen again. With that said, it's not about making the game it's about being successful and giving yourself a chance to win the game.”

Amen brother.

Good luck to both teams in tonight’s Frosty the Snowman Special.

Some other quick thoughts before I leave for Tennessee:

Class D-1: History was made when Osceola/High Plains won the state title in the second, and final, year of the its football merger. Burwell made a ton of mistakes, true, but the Stormdogs were good enough to take advantage of gthem. Dylan Soule played like a man on both sides of scrimmage and the strip and steal by OHP’s Javier Marino is surely the playoff of the week.

Class D-2: Good for Pleasanton, winning its way to Lincoln and taking home the state runner-up trophy. No, really, the Bulldogs beat the teams they needed to beat in order to have the chance to make lifetime memories by playing at Memorial Stadium. That said, that St. Francis team is as good as any I’ve seen in the last 10 years.

Class B: If they ever decide to name an award for the playoff finals series it should be named for Sabastian Harsh. The powerful, relentless performance by him running the ball a billion times last night against a Skutt defense stacked to stop him was inspiring in the most emphatic sort of way.

Class C-1: We are about done here, 31-0 with 11:56 left in the fourth quarter, and Wahoo has its state football championship. The Warriors bullied Pierce from the first snap of the game and completely dominated this game in a way that sort of staggers the imagination. What a sweet championship for Coach Chad Fox, a real good dude, and his entourage in Blue and Gold.

I’m headed to Nashville through the weekend and will be back on the website next Tuesday. Thanks for your interest in what we do and see you all on the other side. Happy Thanksgiving from @HuskerlandBob.