Record Breaker Turnovers help Cedar earn big win
HARTINGTON — Turnovers turned a tough game into a blowout for Cedar Catholic Friday night.
The Trojans used a 41-point second quarter to pull away for a 69-0 win over BRLD.
The win sets school records for the most points scored in one game and the biggest point differential in school history. Prior to this, Cedar scored 66 points against Laurel-Concord-Coleridge in 2014. Prior to Friday’s game, the Trojans largest margin of victory was a 57-0 win over Randolph in 2009.
The Trojans took control Friday by forcing six Wolverine turnovers — most of them in the second quarter.
Cedar Catholic (4-1) gained 313 of its 419 total yards on the ground as Easton Becker ran for 126 yards and two touchdowns, Ty Thoene added 82 yards and a score, Tate Thoene went for 57 yards and a trip to the house and Brett Kleinschmit finished with 45 yards and two touchdowns. Kleinschmit added a punt return for a touchdown to his ledger while playing a myriad of roles.
“I thought our kids had a great week of practice to prepare for this game,” Cedar Catholic head coach Chad Cattau said. “We finally played at the emotional level that we needed them too. It was really fun to watch all the players be excited about big plays and celebrating with each other. When our team plays that way, they really have a lot of fun and we play at a much higher level.”
Cattau said the squad needs to keep that intensity the rest of the season.
Kleinschmit said he enjoys playing all over the field.
“I like playing a lot if it helps the team,” he said. “The advantage is I get to play more and the negative is that you get tired. You have to work hard in practice (to be able to play that much). I like playing on both sides of the ball. At linebacker, you can make big plays and on offense, it’s fun having the ball in your hands to make things happen.”
The Trojans dominance was punctuated by the play on both sides of the line as they continued the seasonlong, high-level performance according to Cattau.
“It was also on a consistent level from play to play, and not a couple of plays in a row and then we would struggle for a play or two and then play well again,” Cattau said. “They were bringing great intensity throughout the game on both sides of the ball. Those groups deserve a lot of credit for what we were able to accomplish.”
Cattau noted the play of Jay Steffen, Hunter Thoene, Ethan Becker, Owen Dendinger, James Fischer, Conner Hochstein, and Max Steffen.
“These guys really carried us throughout the night and we will need that again from them moving forward,” Cattau said. “I thought we were able to get an excellent night from all three aspects of our team. Our offense played well, our defense played excellent, and our special teams had a big night as well.
“On special teams, we returned a punt for a touchdown and also had two fumble recoveries against their kickoff return team. The special teams units gave us the field position the entire night and that was very important. We will really need our special teams groups to play well going forward with the big games we have ahead of us.”
Next up is a big showdown with rivals Crofton. Both teams are rated in the Top 10 in the State again this year.
The Trojans are ranked fourth in Class C2 by the Omaha World Herald, while Crofton is ranked ninth in the State by the Omaha newpaper.
“Any time we play Crofton, it’s going to be a highly emotional and competitive game,” Cattau said. “It doesn’t matter what either team has done in the previous weeks or what anyone’s record is because this is always a dogfight, so we need to be prepared for that. That means we need to have a great week of preparation from our entire team.
“Our kids know that if we don’t have a great effort in practice from our younger kids, then we don’t play as well on Friday night so everyone needs to be prepared and play hard every rep this week in practice.”
Kleinschmit says the team has improved since the loss to Battle Creek two weeks ago and that can only help heading into the final month of the campaign.
“We are playing a lot harder as a team,” he said. “Our offense has really stepped it up with the run game and blocking. We are playing with a lot more passion and the loss helped us realize we have to ste up our game.”
PASSING
Cedar - Tate Thoene, 3-4-106.
RUSHING
Cedar - Easton Becker, 15-126; Ty Thoene, 4-82; Tate Thoene, 8-57; Brett Kleinschmit,8-45; Braden Reifenrath, 2-4; James Christensen, 1-2; Karsan Albers, 1-2; Keyton Arens, 1- -5.
RECEIVING
Cedar - Grant Arens, 2-86; Carter Arens, 1-20.
TACKLES
Cedar - Carson Arens, 5; Hunter Thoene, 5; Cole Benson, 4; Jay Steffen, 4; James Christensen, 3; Spencer Albers, 3; Brett Kleinschmit, 3; James Fischer, 2; Owen Dendinger, 2; Jaelen Lammers, 2; Braeden Kleinschmit, 2; Easton Becker, 1; Blake Arens, 1; Brandon Rohan, 1; Ethan Becker, 1; Ty Thoene, 1; Keaton Steffen, 1; Nolan Becker, 1.
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