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Cedar Catholic blanks Battle Creek to stay unbeaten
BATTLE CREEK — The Cedar Catholic Trojans didn’t just win Friday night — they made history.
In the long-running rivalry with Battle Creek, no Cedar Catholic team had ever beaten the Braves by a wider margin. That changed Oct. 3 when the Trojans turned a slow start into a 52-0, the most lopsided victory they’ve ever recorded in the 19-game series. Cedar Catholic (6 0) managed just one touchdown in the first quarter, but once the offense clicked, the game turned into a showcase. The Trojans poured on 40 unanswered points over the next two quarters to bury Battle Creek (2-4) and secure their first shutout over the Braves since a 6-0 defensive slugfest in the 2023 state semifinal.
“This was as complete a game as we’ve played once we settled down,” coach Chad Cattau said. “We didn’t start as sharp as we wanted, but once we got things straightened out we played pretty well. We did a great job running the ball between the tackles and wearing them down.”
Brady Hochstein got Cedar on the board late in the opening quarter with a 24-yard dash. From there, the Trojans opened the playbook and overwhelmed the Braves’ defense.
Easton Hochstein ripped off a 50-yard scoring run early in the second quarter, then added another 21-yard touchdown run just before halftime.
Bodie Hochstein hauled in a 42-yard strike from quarterback Grady Haberer, who finished an efficient 4-of-7 passing for 131 yards and a score.
By the break, Cedar led 26-0 and never looked back.
The ground game stayed punishing after halftime.
Brady Hochstein added back-to-back 9-yard touchdown runs in the third, capping a night where he rushed for 107 yards and three scores.
Special teams joined the party when Cooper Hochstein took a punt 55 yards to the end zone, and Hudson Dendinger iced the blowout with a 33-yard touchdown run in the fourth.
Cattau praised his roster’s depth and unselfishness.
“We aren’t relying on one guy to carry us, and that makes us harder to defend,” he said. “These kids don’t care who gets the touches as long as the final score is in our favor. That shows a lot of maturity.”
The stats proved it: Cedar churned out 257 rushing yards and 131 through the air for 388 total yards. Six different players carried the ball, and five different receivers caught passes.
Behind the big plays, Breiton Whitmire added 32 tough rushing yards and was a defensive force with eight tackles, three for loss. Linebackers Quinn Hochstein and Brady Hochstein each made six stops, with Brady adding two tackles for loss. Easton Hochstein was everywhere, piling up nine tackles to go with his long scoring run. The Trojan defensive front spent the night in Battle Creek’s backfield, with multiple players recording tackles for loss.
For Cedar Catholic fans, the historic margin is more than trivia — it’s a statement about where this undefeated team stands heading into the season’s home stretch.
The Trojans now prepare to travel to Ponca Oct. 10, collect a forfeit win over Oakland-Craig, and then face perennial power Norfolk Catholic Oct. 24 in one of Class C2’s most anticipated regular-season matchups.
If Friday night is any indication, this Cedar Catholic team has the depth, physicality and momentum to make that showdown a mustwatch event.
Cedar Catholic 6 20 20 6 - 52 Battle Creek 0 0 0 0 - 0 TEAM TOTALS Rushing — 257 yds Passing — 131 yds Total — 388 yds PASSING Grady Haberer — 4-7, 131 yds, 1 TD RUSHING Brady Hochstein — 12-107, 3 TD Easton Hochstein — 2-53, 1 TD Hudson Dendinger — 1-33, 1 TD Breighton Whitmire — 4-32 Ryan Hoebelheimrich — 3-55 Cooper Hochstein — 2-4 Grady Haberer — 3-5 RECEIVING Bodie Hochstein — 1-40, 1 TD Hunter Kuchta — 1-42 Graham Potts — 1-25 Cooper Hochstein — 1-14 Breighton Whitmire — 1-10 DEFENSE – TOP TACKLERS Easton Hochstein — 9 Breighton Whitmire — 8 (3 TFL) Brady Hochstein — 6 (2 TFL) Quinn Hochstein — 6 (2 TFL) Sam Wiebelhaus — 5 Hudson Dendinger — 5 (1 TFL)
FIRST QUARTER
Cedar: Brady Hochstein 24 run, kick no good, 0:42. 6-0.
SECOND QUARTER
Cedar: Easton Hochstein 50 run, Jared Rutar kick, 10:49. 13-0. Cedar: Bodie Hochstein 42 pass from Grady Haberer, kick no good, 6:11. 19-0. Cedar: Easton Hochstein 21 run, Rutar kick, 2:41. 26-0.
THIRD QUARTER
Cedar: Brady Hochstein 9 run, kick no good, 10:09. 32-0. Cedar: Brady Hochstein 9 run, Rutar kick, 6:00. 39-0. Cedar: Cooper Hochstein 55 punt return, Bodie Hochstein kick, 2:00. 46-0.
FOURTH QUARTER
Cedar: Hudson Dendinger 33 run, kick no good, 8:20. 52-0.
