Braves win defensive battle over Cedar
BATTLE CREEK - A defensive stalemate was finally broken in the fourth quarter, as the first team to score went on to win. Battle Creek topped Cedar Catholic 13-7 on Friday night in a battle of two teams fighting for playoff spots.
“It was a physical game with a lot of good hits on both sides throughout the game,” said Cedar coach Chad Cattau. “Our kids knew that a probable playoff berth was on the line and we really stepped up our effort and played with a playoff level of intensity. We just weren’t able to do enough on the offensive side to pull out a win.”
Neither the Braves nor the Trojans were on the scoreboard as the teams began the fourth quarter. That all soon changed with a 35-yard touchdown run by Kadin Renner for the Braves just a minute into the final quarter.
Battle Creek then lengthened the 7-0 lead by another touchdown with a 50-yard touchdown run by Dylan Mettler. The extra point was no good and Cedar trailed 13-0.
With just under two minutes left in the game, the Trojans got on the board with a one-yard touchdown run by Myles Thoene on a quarterback sneak. The touchdown run was set up by a 30-yard scramble by Thoene.
Cedar then recovered an onside kick to put themselves in position for a comeback win.
“Ted Bengston kicked a perfect onside and Tate Thoene was able to recover it,” said Cattau. “We got the ball on about the 49-yard line and we were able to pick up some yards through the air. On fourth down, Myles [Thoene] had to scramble and run with it and he was tackled about two feet short of the first down. Battle Creek then ran the clock out. It was a great last effort from our kids.”
It was exactly the type of game expected from two teams flirting with the bottom playoff spots in the Class C2 wildcard standings. Defenses clashed as yards were hard fought. Battle Creek’s 299 yards are impressive, but factor out the 95 yards gained on the two touchdown runs and it falls more in line with Cedar’s 199 yards during the defensive game.
“Both teams played very well throughout the game,” said Cattau. “I was very pleased with how we executed on the defensive side of the ball. we played very physical, and fundamentally we were pretty good throughout the game. We just didn’t make enough plays on the offensive side of the ball.”
Cattau then accepted some of the blame for the loss, saying “I need to do a better job of finding plays that work against the aggressive defenses that we tend to see. We only gave up 13 points and we need to win games like that.”
With this loss, Cedar’s season is likely done after the team hosts Stanton on Friday to close the regular season. The Trojans currently sit 20th in the wildcard standings, and C2 only has 16 playoff spots. Unfortunately for Cedar, it is not likely that a win over 2-6 Stanton would help bolster the Trojans into a wildcard spot. That being said, anything is possible.
Cedar Catholic 0 0 0 7 — 7
Battle Creek 0 0 0 13 — 13
Fourth Quarter
BC (11:00): Kadin Renner 35-yard touchdown run. Extra point kick by Mason Mink good.
BC (7:00): Dylan Mettler 50-yard touchdown run. Extra point kick by Mason Mink no good.
CC (1:40): Myles Thoene 1-yard touchdown run. Extra point kick by Ted Bengston good.
Team Stats CC BC
Total Off. 199 299
Passing Yds 29 62
Rushing Yds 170 237
Penalty Yds 1-5 4-40
First Downs 11 13
PASSING
Cedar Catholic - Myles Thoene, 7-19 29 yards 1 INT. Battle Creek - Ty Heimes, 5-14 51 yards 1 INT.
RUSHING
Cedar Catholic - Jacob Keiser, 15-68; Myles Thoene, 11-46 1 TD; Eric Hoesing, 7-34; Nathan Potts, 4-22. Battle Creek - Dylan Mettler, 18-146 1 TD; Kadin Renner, 11-64 1 TD; Ty Heimes, 10-10; Reece Bode, 3–17
RECEIVING
Cedar Catholic - Jacob Keiser, 4-17; Matthew Becker, 2-6; Cole Becker, 1-6. Battle Creek - Caydon McCracken, 3048; Dylan Mettler, 1-7; Chase Otmanns, 1-7.
TACKLES
Cedar Catholic - Eric Hoesing, 14; Josh Pinkelman, 12; Tate Thoene, 11; Rex Becker, 10; Cole Becker, 4; Matthew Becker, 4; Peyton Haahr, 4; Easton Becker, 3; Nathan Potts, 2; Jacob Keiser, 2; Myles Thoene, 2; Connor Vlach, 1; Hunter Thoene, 1; Noah Arens, 1. Battle Creek - Buddy Walz, 9; Luke Stueve, 6; Caydon McCracken, 6; Dylan Mettler, 6; Kadin Renner, 5; Anson Hawthorn, 5; Austin Marx, 5; Slate Kraft, 5; Owen Lade, 4; Parker Pokorney, 4; Curtis Eickhoff, 4; Mason Mink, 1; Jace Meinke, 1; Wyatt Schmitt, 1; Reece Bode, 1; Parker Anderson, 1.