Football Game Preview: Mater Dei Knights vs. Althoff Catholic Crusaders

The Mater Dei Knights will venture away from home to square off against the Althoff Catholic Crusaders at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Mater Dei has been dominant on offense recently, having racked up an incredible 135 points over their last three games.

On Friday, everything came up roses for Mater Dei against Miller Career Academy/Vashon/Sumner as the team secured a 48-8 win. The Knights pushed the score to 48-0 by the end of the third, a deficit the Phoenix cut but never quite recovered from.

Hunter Hochbaum

Passer Rating

09/19/25 @ Harrisburg	147.7
10/03/25 vs Miller Career Academy/Vashon/Sumner	146.8
08/29/25 @ Columbia	134.8
09/26/25 vs Macomb	91
09/12/25 @ Effingham	85.1
+ 1 more games

Mater Dei relied on the efforts of Hunter Hochbaum, who threw for 170 yards and three touchdowns on only 11 passes, and Bodie Brockmeier, who rushed for 129 yards and a pair of scores on only 13 carries. Hochbaum's passing game has become a key predictor of the Knights' success: the team is 2-1 when his passer rating is 100 or higher, but only 0-3 otherwise. Will Meyer was in the mix as well, providing Mater Dei with one TD.

They were just one part of a punishing run game: Mater Dei was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 200 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in October of 2024.

Mater Dei's defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB seven times. The heavy lifting was done by Liam Koetting and Reed Pingsterhaus, who racked up four sacks between them. Mater Dei received some extra help from Meyer, whose fumble return for a touchdown made for one of the most unforgettable moments.

Meanwhile, Althoff Catholic posted their closest victory since September 20, 2024 on Friday. They had just enough and edged out Collinsville 16-14. The win continues a trend for the Crusaders in their matchups with the Kahoks: they've now won six in a row.

The victory got Althoff Catholic back to even at 3-3. As for Mater Dei, their record now sits at 2-4.

Mater Dei was taken down by Althoff Catholic 46-6 in their previous meeting back in October of 2024. Thankfully for the Knights, Dierre Hill Jr (who rushed for 348 yards and four scores on only 13 carries) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.