LINCOLN, Neb. — Sidney’s pursuit of its first state football championship ended in a 20-6 loss to defending champion Wahoo on Tuesday morning, but the Red Raiders left Memorial Stadium with something no Sidney team had ever earned before: a state trophy.

Sidney (12-1) held Wahoo to its lowest point total of the season and shut out the Warriors in the second half, but missed opportunities and strong winds limited the Red Raiders offensively. Sidney finished with 177 total yards and reached the red zone twice, scoring once.

“We’re super proud,” head coach Ryan Smith said. “We had a great following, clearly. Worse than either trophy is that it’s done. I’m going to go into that locker room and hug seniors one last time. It doesn’t matter if we’re 0-9 or 12-1, it’s the worst part of the season.”

Junior running back Rhys Dorcey led Sidney with 64 rushing yards on 28 carries and scored the Raiders’ lone touchdown on an 8-yard run early in the fourth quarter. He also threw for 27 yards in relief of injured quarterback Alek Doty.

Sidney’s defense kept the team within reach all morning. The Red Raiders held Wahoo (13-0) to 178 total yards and limited standout quarterback Jase Kaminski to 89 passing yards. Keian Kaiser led Sidney with nine tackles and three tackles for loss, while Ben Monheiser, Kyle Jaggers and Zech Roggasch each added seven.

“Anybody who knows anything about us knows that we love to play defense,” Smith said. “We’re physical and pretty fast. Our linebackers fly around, our defensive line gets after it, and our defensive backs love to hit.”

Wahoo scored all 20 of its points in the first half - a 15-yard run from Kip Brigham, a 62-yard pass to Eli Shada and a 6-yard run by Harrison Krueger. The Warriors, who finished 13-0, claimed their second straight Class C1 title.

Smith said windy conditions played a major factor in Sidney’s offensive struggles.

“Wahoo took advantage of the conditions better than we did,” Smith said. “We had a number of breaks that went over our heads or we lost control of the ball. Alek tweaked his ankle early. He just couldn’t plant. He just couldn’t be himself.”

The Raiders controlled the ball for 26 minutes, 9 seconds, but committed five turnovers in the loss.

The loss ends the most successful season in Sidney history - the school’s first trip to Memorial Stadium, its first championship appearance and its first football trophy.

“It hurts to be done with these kids,” Smith said. “These seniors were freshmen my first year as a head coach. They should be proud of their performance. It’s tough when it’s over and you didn’t come home with the gold, but we’re going to take this one and be awfully proud of it.”

A night before to remember

An estimated 400 Sidney fans packed The Tavern on the Square in Lincoln’s Haymarket on Monday night for the Red Raider Rally Tailgate Party. Alumni spanning more than six decades - from the 1960s to 2025 and from California to Indiana - filled the venue for pizza, drinks, giveaways and live music from Jackson Wayne.

The Tavern is owned by 2004 Sidney graduate Matt Taylor, who hosted the event alongside 987 The Big Boy, Hometown Liquor and other local partners.

Bar manager and 2005 Sidney graduate Justin Huus said the moment was emotional for longtime fans.

“When I was a kid, we lost a lot of football games,” Huus said. “It’s amazing. I follow the team every week. They’re racking up win after win. It’s a beautiful sight.”

Derek Robb, a 2018 Sidney graduate, four-time state wrestling champion and former Red Raider football player, said the team’s run meant a lot to past players.

“I really enjoyed my time at Sidney,” Robb said. “It’s good to see the team continue to build and push toward a state championship.”