Big Winners from Midwest Power League #2

<p>Another Midwest Power League is in the books!</p> <p>The second installation of this annual series brought plenty more excitement to the UBT Sports Complex in Omaha. I’ll have a player feature coming out later today, but I wanted to first take a look at some trends and personal highlights from Sunday.</p> <p>There’s no shortage of big winners and prevailing trends that I could have chosen from, but here are a few that stick out.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Championship Experience</strong></p> <p>Unsurprisingly, the most successful teams in Omaha on Sunday were those who have been on the big stage already this season.</p> <p>Nebraska Juniors 18 Black, for example, claimed the 17/18 Open title at Power League after coming out on top at the Asics President’s Day Classic last weekend. All this positive momentum could carry 18 Black to some big peaks this year. They’re just getting started.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://x.com/NeJrs18?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NeJrs18</a> prevails in extra points!<br /> <br /> [player_tooltip player_id="58784" first="Brenna" last="Schmidt"] crushes it to give Jrs a 17-15 win in the third! <a href="https://t.co/T2rAAr8ciS">pic.x.com/T2rAAr8ciS</a></p> — Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) <a href="https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1497999486903271426?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2022</a></blockquote> <p><script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p> <p>The 17/18 Open runner-up, Premier Nebraska 17 Gold, has also had a big season that included a successful run for a Nationals bid in late January. The Midwest Power League clearly provides an opportunity for 17 Gold to experiment with lineups and situational substitutions that will help them in the long run. That makes it all worth it.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">A big block propels <a href="https://x.com/premier17gold?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@premier17gold</a> to another win! <a href="https://t.co/Ernkkn1MMh">pic.x.com/Ernkkn1MMh</a></p> — Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) <a href="https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1497970230454145032?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2022</a></blockquote> <p><script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p> <p>VCNebraska 16 Elite emerged victorious in the 17 Club division on Sunday, and this is a group that obviously has a track record of showing out in big events. They received a power pool selection at Triple Crown NIT last week, which is a testament to 16 Elite’s high standing among their peers. Playing against 17s was clearly not too much to handle.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Playing Up</strong></p> <p>Well, I just made reference to VCN 16 Elite playing in a 17s division, so let’s acknowledge more teams that punched above their age bracket at Sunday’s Power League.</p> <p>Nebraska Elite 15 Mamba picked up a division title in 16 Club. This roster has a lot of hidden gems in Nebraska’s 2025 class, including many small-town talents that already made a big impact on the high school side last fall.</p> <p>The 16/17 Open division also had a pair of scrappy 15s teams that found success. Mamba’s 15s counterpart, Nebraska Elite 15 Matrix, showed some maturity and poise as they faced older teams. Collectively, Mamba and Matrix represent a very bright future for the Nebraska Elite gym, and I’m excited to feature both of these teams later this season.</p> <p>Of course, Nebraska ONE 15 Synergy put together some great performances in 16/17 Open, too. We were on the scene in Kansas City last week as 15 Synergy from the "bubble" pools all the way to the Round of 16 in Triple Crown NIT’s Elite bracket. Facing off against some of the nation’s toughest competition has translated into continued improvement for a Nebraska ONE team that will be seriously fun to watch for years to come.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Another deuce result in a third set!<a href="https://x.com/We_are_NEONE?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@We_are_NEONE</a> 15 Synergy wins an awesome match against Nebraska Elite. <a href="https://t.co/tuuUznovzd">pic.x.com/tuuUznovzd</a></p> — Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) <a href="https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1498000573341306885?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2022</a></blockquote> <p><script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>The Atmosphere</strong></p> <p>My final note here is just a comment on how nice it is to get the whole gang back together again.</p> <p>There is a certain camaraderie about a bunch of Nebraska clubs uniting in one gym. These are high school teammates, friends, and neighbors. In all of my recent national travels for Prep Dig, it’s always nice to get back to my Nebraska roots and see some familiar faces. The Midwest Power League is a perfect venue to do that.</p>