The Ord Chanticleers will square off against the Cedar Catholic Trojans on Friday. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with Ord sitting on seven straight wins and Cedar Catholic on ten.
Ord is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They breezed past Doniphan-Trumbull to the tune of 63-30. The Chanticleers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five matchups by 33 points or more this season.
On the defensive side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Ord's defense and their six sacks. Caden Lytle was especially locked on to Doniphan-Trumbull's QB and sacked him four times. Those four sacks set a new season-high mark for Lytle. Howard Winkelbauer got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Cedar Catholic got themselves on the board against Hershey on Friday, but Hershey never followed suit. They blew past the Panthers 48-0. The Trojans are also no stranger to big wins: their blowout was the sixth contest they've won by 20+ points this season.
Ord better keep an eye on Hunter Bensen. He was instrumental in Cedar Catholic's win, rushing for 68 yards and one touchdown, while also picking up 46 receiving yards. That's the most receiving yards Bensen has posted since back in September. Hunter Kuchta was in the mix as well, providing Cedar Catholic with one score.
Cedar Catholic's run defense was locked in: Hershey could only muster 3.4 yards per carry. While three picked up at least five total tackles, Micah Cattau stood above the rest. He rushed for 17 yards and one TD. Cedar Catholic didn't have any issues in that department, having averaged 10.4.
Ord's victory bumped their record up to 7-3. As for Cedar Catholic, their win bumped their record up to 10-0.
Friday's game might be decided on the ground. Ord has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 258.6 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Cedar Catholic struggles in that department as they've been averaging 258.7 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Ord didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against Cedar Catholic in their previous matchup back in October of 2023, but they still walked away with an 18-13 victory. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was the Trojans' Jaymison Cattau, who picked up 102 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for the Chanticleers to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
