The giant slayer in the class C2 state football championships is fittingly nicknamed the Knights. Twelfth-seeded Elmwood Murdock has already eliminated two high seeds (#5-Lincoln Christian, #4-Archbishop Bergan) and now faces the true Goliath, top-seeded Ponca.

"I like to come in here and come up against the #1 seed," Knights running back Lance Steffen said. "I like to be the underdog, all this negative publicity is just fire in our belly."

Elmwood-Murdock closed the regular season with a 6-2 record but will be facing an unbeaten Ponca team.

"I think it's more mental than anything," Knights head coach Leigh Schmale said. "The kids have to believe they can win."

The quarterfinal round game kicks off Tuesday night at 6 PM in Ponca.