The Nebraska School Activities Association (NSAA) will honor Millard West, Omaha Marian, Omaha Creighton Prep, Omaha Skutt Catholic, Lincoln Pius X, Columbus Scotus, Hastings St. Cecilia, Bertrand, and Ewing high schools as the third annual U.S. Cellular Cup champions.

The U.S. Cellular Cup, which will be presented to the 2008-09 championship schools during the fall, is the Association's all-activities program award.

Millard West won the all-school U.S. Cellular Cup in Class A by winning NSAA state championships in football, boys cross country, girls swimming & diving, and boys and girls soccer. The Wildcats, who scored 665 points in the all-school division, used a third-place finish in the Class A girls U.S. Cellular Cup standings and a second-place finish in the boys standings to out-distance Lincoln Southwest High School for the all-school championship. Omaha Marian won NSAA state titles in girls golf and tennis, and placed second in Class A2 journalism to clinch its third consecutive U.S. Cellular Cup. Omaha Creighton Prep scored 390 points to win the Class A boys U.S. Cellular Cup. The Junior Jays won state championships in tennis, basketball, and swimming & diving, and finished as the state-runner up in baseball to wrap up Class A boys division.

Omaha Skutt Catholic won U.S. Cellular Cups in the all-school and boys divisions of Class B for 2008-09. The SkyHawks won Class B state championships in wrestling, and girls soccer and tennis to hold off Lincoln Pius X, which won the girls Class B U.S. Cellular Cup. Skutt Catholic claimed its 12th consecutive state wrestling title in Class B, advanced to the quarterfinal round of the state football playoffs, finished second in boys tennis, and qualified for the state basketball and baseball championships to secure to Class B Cup on the boys side. Lincoln Pius X won the Class B girls U.S. Cellular Cup title, edging Skutt Catholic 277.5 to 275. The Thunderbolts won the Class B state volleyball championship, finished fifth in cross country, advanced to the semifinals of the state soccer championships and were the state runner-up in girls basketball. That proved to be enough to hold off the SkyHawks, who finished the spring with state championships in girls soccer and tennis.

Columbus Scotus claimed its first two U.S. Cellular Cups in the Class C all-school and girls divisions. The Shamrocks were the Class C1 state volleyball champions and the Class C girls state track & field champions this past school year. The Scotus boys also chipped in by winning the Class B boys state soccer title. Scotus scored 367.5 points in the all-school division to finish ahead of Hastings St. Cecilia, which claimed the U.S. Cellular Cup in the C boys division. The Bluehawks claimed the Class C1 state championship in boys basketball and runner-up trophies at the Class C State Track & Field Championships and Class C State Golf Championships to win its U.S. Cellular Cup.

Ewing used NSAA state titles in D2 football, volleyball, and girls basketball, and a state runner-up finish in boys basketball to win the Class D all-school and boys divisions of the U.S. Cellular Cup in Class D. The Ewing girls finished second behind Bertrand in the girls competition. Bertrand used a second-place finish in C2 volleyball, third-place finish in the NSAA Class D Girls State Track & Field Championships, and fourth-place finishes at the D1 State Play Production and D1 State Speech Championships to edge Ewing for the U.S. Cellular Cup.

2008-09 U.S. Cellular Cup Champions

Class A - All School

(Boys & Girls Combined)

1. Millard West, 665

2. Lincoln Southwest, 607.5

3. Omaha Westside, 555

4. Millard North, 507.5

5. Lincoln East, 450

6. Kearney, 394.16

7. Lincoln Southeast, 392.5

7. Omaha Marian, 392.5

9. Millard South, 390

10. Omaha Creighton Prep, 390

Class A - Boys

1. Omaha Creighton Prep, 390

2. Millard West, 342.5

3. Lincoln Southwest, 300

4. Kearney, 285.83

5. Lincoln East, 283.75

6. Millard South, 262.5

7. Omaha Westside, 258.75

8. Lincoln Southeast, 235

9. Fremont, 220

10. Omaha Burke, 202.5

Class A - Girls

1. Omaha Marian, 365

2. Millard North, 362.5

3. Millard West, 347.5

4. Lincoln Southwest, 332.5

5. Omaha Westside, 316.25

6. Papillion-La Vista South, 205

7. Papillion-La Vista, 200

8. Lincoln East, 191.25

9. Norfolk, 177.5

10. Fremont, 175

Class B - All School

(Boys & Girls Combined)

1. Omaha Skutt Catholic, 585

2. Lincoln Pius X, 552.5

3. Scottsbluff, 417.5

4. Gretna, 396.66

5. Beatrice, 395

6. Omaha Gross Catholic, 337.5

7. McCook, 300

8. Waverly, 287.5

9. Seward, 265

10. Adams Central, 257.5

Class B - Boys

1. Omaha Skutt Catholic, 330

2. Lincoln Pius X, 295

3. Beatrice, 227.5

4. Gretna, 218.33

5. Scottsbluff, 212.5

6. Omaha Gross Catholic, 190

7. McCook, 180

8. Lexington, 167.5

9. Waverly, 162.5

10. York, 153.75

Class B - Girls

1. Lincoln Pius X, 277.5

2. Omaha Skutt Catholic, 275

3. Scottsbluff, 225

4. Seward, 220

5. Gretna, 198.33

6. Beatrice, 187.5

7. Omaha Gross Catholic, 167.5

8. Holdrege, 155

9. Omaha Mercy, 150

10. Waverly, 145

Class C - All School

(Boys & Girls Combined)

1. Columbus Scotus, 367.5

2. Hastings St. Cecilia, 332.5

3. Kearney Catholic, 312.5

4. Grand Island Central Catholic, 295

4. Norfolk Catholic, 295

6. Bennington, 257.5

7. Ravenna, 252.5

8. Archbishop Bergan, 250

9. Syracuse, 245

10. Fillmore Central, 232.5

Class C - Boys

1. Hastings St. Cecilia, 252.5

2. Archbishop Bergan, 205

3. Boys Town, 192.5

4. Norfolk Catholic, 185

5. Syracuse, 170

6. Stanton, 158.75

7. Axtell, 157.5

8. Columbus Scotus, 142.5

9. Howells, 142.5

10. Pierce, 140

Class C - Girls

1. Columbus Scotus, 245

2. Kearney Catholic, 190

3. Grand Island Central Catholic, 180

4. Crofton, 175

5. Bennington, 162.5

6. Fillmore Central, 155

7. Ravenna, 145

8. Aquinas Catholic, 142.5

9. Yutan, 137.5

10. Minden, 132.5

Class D - All School

(Boys & Girls Combined)

1. Ewing, 332.5

2. Humphrey St. Francis, 272.5

3. Bertrand, 230

4. Mead, 210

5. Lindsay Holy Family, 207.5

6. Burwell, 192.5

7. Bancroft-Rosalie, 190

8. Chambers, 185

9. Hayes Center, 182.5

10. Bruning-Davenport, 167.5

Class D - Boys

1. Ewing, 185

2. Burwell, 162.5

3. Humphrey St. Francis, 155

4. Hayes Center, 140

5. St. Mary's, 135

6. Sterling, 125

7. Amherst, 105

7. Bruning-Davenport, 105

9. Clarkson, 102.5

9. Osceola, 102.5

Class D - Girls

1. Bertrand, 160

2. Ewing, 152.5

3. Chambers, 145

4. Humphrey St. Francis, 132.5

5. Mead, 130

6. Lindsay Holy Family, 128.75

7. Bancroft-Rosalie, 127.5

8. Paxton, 120

9. Elkhorn Valley, 107.5

10. Clay Center, 105

U.S. Cellular Cup Details & Point System

The U.S. Cellular Cup features a girls division, boys division and a combined all-school division. Schools within each division were divided into four classes, (A, B, C, and D) based on enrollment used for the boys basketball classification. The Class C1 and C2 schools are combined for Class C, while the D1 and D2 schools form Class D. In all, a total of 12 U.S. Cellular Cups will be presented annually to member schools.

Each year the NSAA and a supporting corporate sponsor will recognize the top activities programs in the state with the Cup award. The Cup winners are determined by a point system based on performance in state championship events within each division and class. Music, which does not have a state championship, will earn points based on district music contest participation.

The boys and girls competition in each class features schools earning points from their respective athletic activities. In the case of coed schools, the fine arts activity points are divided in half and awarded to each school's boys and girls U.S. Cellular Cup totals. The all-school division contest will include all activities in which each high school participates.

A member school will earn five points for participating in an NSAA sponsored activity. All schools that finish in the top eight (plus ties) of a state championship event will receive points. In NSAA events involving more than four classes, like volleyball and basketball, the top eight positions in C1, C2, D1 and D2 will earn full points in the U.S. Cellular Cup standings. If there are fewer than eight schools from a classification placing in an activity, only those schools represented will receive points.

U.S. Cellular Cup Points

State Champion 50

State Runner-up 45

Third Place 40

Fourth Place 35

Fifth Place 30

Sixth Place 25

Seventh Place 20

Eighth Place 15

In the event of a tie, the schools receive an equal number of points based on the total points of the tied places, divided by the number of tied teams. Example, a three-way tie for third place in boys golf (40 + 35 + 30 = 105 ÷ 3 = 35 points each) would earn each school 35 points.

In activity championships that only recognize two places, like football, the non-advancing semifinal teams split the third and fourth place points (40 + 35 = 75 ÷ 2 = 37.5 points each); the non-advancing quarterfinal teams will split the fifth through eighth place points (30 + 25 + 20 + 15 = 90 ÷ 4 = 22.5 points each).

In district music, each school earns five total points for entering at least two instrumental entries; and five total points for at least two vocal entries.

In activities that do not culminate in a team state championship, like debate, the highest individual places from the finals, will earn the points for their member school. Schools tied after advancing to the semifinals and quarterfinals equally divide those place points (3-4, 5-8) between their schools.

For those schools involved in cooperative agreements, each school in the coop earns points in that respective activity.

U.S. Cellular standings are released after the conclusion of the fall, winter, and spring activity seasons. The up will be presented to the winning schools during a special ceremony the following fall.