Auburn will play at Chadron during the first round of the high school football playoffs in Nebraska. It is a very long drive.
The Bulldogs are going to travel more than 1,000 miles round trip for a game they are expected to lose.
This is not the only first round high school football playoff game in the Cornhusker State that requires a lengthy road trip. Eight different teams will commute more than 300 miles, with two other games over 290 miles.
Auburn will play at Chadron.
Auburn High School serves the towns of Auburn, Peru, Julian, Howe and Brownville in the state of Nebraska. The building is used as classrooms for students in Grades 6-12. It enrolls less than 300 students in Grades 9-12.
Chadron High School is located in Chadron, Nebraska. It also enrolls less than 300 students in Grades 9-12.
Both of these schools compete in Class C1 of the NSAA. Class C1 is the the second-smallest classification for 11-man high school football. Classes D1, D2, D3 and D6 play 8-man. Classes A, B, C1 and C2 play 11-man.
The regular season came to an end on Friday. The NSAA announced its postseason brackets on Saturday.
Auburn will play at Chadron. The Bulldogs earned the No. 14 seed (of 16) at 5-4. The Cardinals earned the No. 3 seed at 8-1. Their first round matchup is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. MT on Friday, October 30.
Nebraska high school football games require a lengthy drive!
If you were to draw a straight diagonal line from the northwesternmost corner of Nebraska to the southwesternmost corner of Nebraska, the line would stretch approximately 459 miles. However, due to the current infrastructure, it is impossible to drive a straight diagonal line from one corner of the state to the other.
As a result, Auburn will be forced to drive more than 500 miles to Chadron. It will play the game on Friday afternoon, get right back on a bus, and drive more than 500 miles back home.
Barring an upset win for the Bulldogs, it will be a long bus ride home. But they are not the only ones who face this reality! There are 10 Nebraska high school football playoff games that require a round-trip of approximately 600 miles.
- Auburn to Chadron — 521 miles
- Omaha Gross Catholic to Scottsbluff — 454 miles
- Alliance to Boys Town — 396 miles
- Hay Springs to Red Cloud — 378 miles
- Meridian to Garden County — 355 miles
- Aquina Catholic to Hemingford — 352 miles
- Mitchell to Boone Central — 338 miles
- Leyton to Riverside — 302 miles
- McCook to Blair — 299 miles
- Central City to Sidney — 291 miles
The European mind cannot even begin to comprehend these kinds of drives for high school football games within the same state. And, compared to states like Montana, a 1,000-mile round trip is nothing!