Cedar Catholic athletes earn post-season honors

HARTINGTON — A season that saw plenty of highs and lows ended on an upbeat note for the Cedar Catholic basketball teams.

This week several Cedar Catholic athletes earned spots on the Omaha World Herald All State Honorable Mention team.

Last week, the Mid-State Conference announced its boys and girls All Conference, and honorable mention teams for the recently completed season.

Four members of the Cedar boys’ basketball team were named All State Honorable Mention by the Omaha newspaper. Myles Thoene, Tate Thoene, Brady Steffen and Charlie Schroeder all earned the honor.

Junior Myles Thoene and sophomore Tate Thoene were both selected to the MidStates Conference boys First Team, while senior Brady Steffen and sophomore Charlie Schroeder were named honorable mention for the Trojans, who finished at 18-7.

Myles Thoene averaged 12.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.7 apg and 1.4 spg while playing a team-high 27.5 minutes a night.

Tate Thoene finished the season playing 26.1 minutes per game and averaged a team-best 14 points per go, while adding 5.7 rpg, 1.8 apg, and 2.3 spg.

“Miles and Tate have worked hard to become the players they are, and are very deserving of the recognition,” Cedar coach Matt Steffen said. 

Brady Steffen wrapped up his career with a season that included 7.6 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 5.8 apg and 2.7 spg, while Schroeder went for 10.9 ppg, 8.2 rpg 1.5 apg and almost two blocks a night.

The S&S duo of Steffen and Schroeder was the commander of the boards for the Trojans as Steffen finished as the team’s top facilitator.

“Brady had a great senior season averaging (six) assists per game,” coach Steffen said. “Charlie had a good season with a few ups and downs, but overall a good year. I am proud of the head work all our players put in this year, and I think we had a successful year.”

For the Cedar girls, Brynn and Aiden Wortmann, as well as Abby Hochstein and Makenna Noecker, all earned All State Honorable Mention nods from the World Herald.

Junior Brynn Wortmann led the way for the Lady Trojans as the squad’s lone first-team All MidStates Conference selection, while senior Abbie Hochstein and freshman Makenna Noecker each earned honorable mention selections to that team.

The trio had a big part to play in the Lady Trojans’ 11-15 season that culminated in a C2 state semifinal run.

Wortmann scored 13.5 ppg, pulled in 2.6 rpg, 1.9 sgg and 0.9 apg.

“Brynn has worked very hard on her skills the last two years and that is paying off now,” Cedar Catholic head coach Craig Wortmann said. “She is a great shooter and scorer. If her threes are not going in, she is willing to drive to the bucket and get her team points.  That is a good measure of a true scorer.  She is more of a silent leader, but the girls really look up to her for that.  She makes the game easier for the rest of her team.”

Hochstein wrapped up her prep days averaging 10 points nightly, along with 5.7 rpg and a steal per game.

“Abby has been a three-year starter for us” Craig Wortmann said. “She has done all the small things asked of her from guarding bigger girls to playing post and guard.  She did this and would get 10 points a game for us.  Abby is a coachable athlete that we will truly miss next year.”

Noecker had quite the breakout in her first high school days of basketball as she averaged 13.2 ppg along with two steals a night and 1.4 rpg.

“Makenna is a true scorer that can shoot from anywhere on the court,” Craig Wortmann said. “As a freshman, she helped her team in scoring and ball handling more than we anticipated.  I look forward to coaching her in the future, and to see what she can accomplish the next three years.”