Nebraska Teams Taking on Show Me Qualifier: The 16s

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Show Me storylines abound with the 16s.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We just highlighted the stacked group of <a href="https://prepdig.com/2025/04/nebraska-teams-taking-on-show-me-qualifier-the-17s/">Nebraska 17s teams</a> heading to Kansas City, but the list grows further as we travel down the age ladder. The Great Plains Region has a wealth of 16s teams looking for a bid breakthrough, and the Show Me Qualifier is often the venue to get it done.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Which squads rise to the occasion?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">16 Open</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Redemption opportunities await in 16 Open.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Great Plains Region came agonizingly close to securing 16 Open bids through the Northern Lights Qualifier. Three of the same challengers from Minneapolis are back in Kansas City for another run at the big prize.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pool 1 brings <strong>Nebraska Elite 16 Apex</strong> into the mix right away. This squad is battle-hardened after a grueling journey to reach Round 2 of NLQ. We're not expecting such a lengthy Day 1 schedule at Show Me, but some play-in brackets still loom. Regardless, 16 Apex is bringing some good momentum into the weekend after so many quality Open reps.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Scroll down to Pool 8 and Pool 9 to find our other two Nebraska representatives. Due to an imbalanced number of entries in this division, both of these squads occupy three-team pools and are guaranteed to see a crossover match at the end of Round 1.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Premier Nebraska 16 Gold</strong> will aim high this weekend after rolling through last weekend's Great Plains Region Bid Tournament. Having a 16 National bid in the bank is nice, but 16 Gold has serious Open aspirations and will be a force in Kansas City. Tough opening-round matchups against Kairos and Flyers await.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[program_tooltip program_id='428717' first='Nebraska' last='ONE'] 16 Synergy</strong> occupies the No. 2 seed in Pool 9. Fittingly, this team is pitted against Mizuno Northern Lights, rehashing the Silver bracket finale at NLQ. We have fond memories of past Synergy performances at the Show Me Qualifier, and we're eager to add another chapter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">16 USA</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>You won't want to miss this 16 USA quintet. This group has a little of everything.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We're fresh off seeing many of these teams spar at the Great Plains Region Bid Tournament. This includes <strong>Premier Nebraska 16 Black</strong>, which came within one spot of securing a GJNC bid last weekend. Of course, this group tallied another fourth-place finish at NLQ's 16 USA division. Despite the near-misses and setbacks, we're well-acquainted with 16 Black's "clutch factor" at national qualifiers. Time to rekindle the Show Me magic.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[program_tooltip program_id='428717' first='Nebraska' last='ONE'] 16 Black</strong> is the one Great Plains squad in 16 USA that nabbed a bid at last weekend's tournament. A runner-up finish in the 16s age group gave this talented squad a 16 American berth, but [program_tooltip program_id='428717' first='Nebraska' last='ONE'] returns to the grind in 16 USA. Elevate those expectations.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Impressive opening set from [program_tooltip program_id='428717' first='Nebraska' last='ONE'] 16 Black.<br><br>This group has displayed its resilience at every step of the bid tourney. <a href="https://t.co/WxqhVtUA5i">pic.twitter.com/WxqhVtUA5i</a></p>&mdash; Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) <a href="https://twitter.com/KingsleyATK/status/1908937203037659454?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 6, 2025</a></blockquote> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>How about a couple of our favorite 16s underdogs? We saw both <strong>Kearney Elite 16-1</strong> and <strong>AVC 16 Blue</strong> at the GPR Bid Tournament, and both appear to be rounding into form for this qualifier appearance. It might be a misnomer to call Kearney Elite an underdog after the team began its GPR journey as the No. 4 seed. Regardless, we're anxious to see how the qualifier debuts pan out for this pair.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is also our first Nebraska Juniors mention. <strong>Nebraska Juniors 16 Black</strong> has asserted itself as one of the top lineups in the club's gym, so we can expect some victories to pile up in Kansas City.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">16 Liberty</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Is nine teams enough for you?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Show Me's 16 Liberty division is stacked with Nebraska squads looking for the two available bids. We have single-club double-ups, new qualifier entries, and everything in between.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Club Legacy 16 Alpha</strong> and <strong>[program_tooltip program_id='428743' first='VCNebraska' last=''] 16 Black</strong> will be popular bracket picks in this division. After all, both made the final 16 Liberty group in Minneapolis. 16 Black has the luxury of a 16 Freedom bid to fall back on, but that won't quell the motivation for this weekend's proceedings.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Next stop on the morning tour is <a href="https://twitter.com/LegacyVBOmaha?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LegacyVBOmaha</a> 16 Alpha in the 16 Liberty bracket.<br><br>This team has delivered on the lofty expectations heading into NLQ. <a href="https://t.co/H5oPRNsDbr">pic.twitter.com/H5oPRNsDbr</a></p>&mdash; Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) <a href="https://twitter.com/KingsleyATK/status/1906337217384968580?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 30, 2025</a></blockquote> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[program_tooltip program_id='428717' first='Nebraska' last='ONE'] is stacking two teams in this division. <strong>[program_tooltip program_id='428717' first='Nebraska' last='ONE'] 16 Lime</strong> and <strong>16 Grey</strong> loom in this division and add to the club's strong depth in this age group. 16 Grey could build off a strong outing in Minneapolis to end last month.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>South Central NE 16 Black</strong> could be a worthy dark horse pick this weekend. We've documented this small-town crew's cohesive roster of high school teammates and prep stars. That has translated to Show Me success before, and it could happen again.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Don't forget about <strong>Banzai VBC 16 Power</strong> joining the fray. We're always drawn to this club when they arrive on the qualifier scene, as evidenced by their 17s and 18s participants at NLQ.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Our final trio of teams comes from clubs we've previously mentioned here. <strong>Premier Nebraska 16 Red</strong> should enter the weekend with some extra fire after what we saw at the bid tournament. Likewise, <strong>AVC 16 White</strong> and <strong>Nebraska Juniors 16 Red</strong> hope to climb the regional ladder with big performances in Kansas City. We have several 2027 watch list additions looming from these squads.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">16 American</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One bid is up for grabs, and seven Great Plains teams are hunting for it.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We have to start with the Nebraska Elite tandem, right? One of NLQ's biggest Nebraska storylines was the emergence of two Nebraska Elite groups in the final 16 American bracket. <strong>Nebraska Elite 16 Ohana</strong> and <strong>16 Surge</strong> have caught fire during the midseason grind, and either one could replicate the Minneapolis triumph. We're here for it.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Victory secured for <a href="https://twitter.com/Premier16Silver?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Premier16Silver</a>, which is due to face its 16 Gold counterparts in the next pool contest. <a href="https://t.co/T3b9qJpOeM">pic.twitter.com/T3b9qJpOeM</a></p>&mdash; Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) <a href="https://twitter.com/KingsleyATK/status/1908892963591123419?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 6, 2025</a></blockquote> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Club Legacy is joining the double-stack affair. We've lauded 16 Alpha's brilliant season, but keep tabs on <strong>Club Legacy 16 Bravo</strong> and <strong>16 Charlie</strong> in this division. 16 Bravo joined the list of 16 American bracket entrants in Minneapolis, so the high-profile success is there.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Welcome to the party, [program_tooltip program_id='428728' first='River' last='City Jrs']. This will be our first look at <strong>[program_tooltip program_id='428728' first='River' last='City Jrs'] 16 White </strong>during the 2025 campaign, and it comes at one of the area's most prominent qualifiers. What a time to join the scouting report.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[program_tooltip program_id='428717' first='Nebraska' last='ONE'] gets another one on the board with <strong>[program_tooltip program_id='428717' first='Nebraska' last='ONE'] 16 White</strong>. Once again, we have another chance to expand our 2027 radar and add new names to the database.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Our last squad is a familiar one. <strong>Premier Nebraska 16 Silver</strong> battled hard at the GPR Bid Tournament and can carry on a long tradition of Premier success in American division qualifiers. The margin for error is small, but 16 Silver could be a title frontrunner.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Victory secured for <a href="https://twitter.com/Premier16Silver?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Premier16Silver</a>, which is due to face its 16 Gold counterparts in the next pool contest. <a href="https://t.co/T3b9qJpOeM">pic.twitter.com/T3b9qJpOeM</a></p> <p>— Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) <a href="https://twitter.com/KingsleyATK/status/1908892963591123419?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 6, 2025</a></p> </blockquote> <p></p>