Cedar, Crofton battle is set to resume

C2-District 3

Cedar Catholic (3-3) 

at Crofton (1-5, 1-1)

Last week

Cedar Catholic won at Norfolk Catholic, 34-7

Crofton won 29-13 at Stanton

The Trojans are building like a slow burn as they moved to 2-0 in district play with a methodical win at Norfolk Catholic and now should be heavily favored to clinch at least a winning record in district play as they take on Crofton.

However, the Trojans will play a team brimming with confidence after Crofton captured its first win, with a 29-13 win at Stanton, so no easy Cedar Catholic win should be taken for granted.

“It is always a battle,” Cedar Catholic head coach Chad Cattau said. “We know we will get their best effort every year, and so we need to make sure we are ready to play at a high level. Their record is very deceiving compared to how good they can play. They have played a very difficult schedule and they have shown great improvement during that time. 

“They have a great ability to run the ball, and they have been successful on the ground each game this year. We have to be ready to play great defense and limit their opportunities. It will be a fun game for our kids, and I am excited to see how we respond after our win this past Friday.”

Cattau saw running back Jacob Keiser come off being cleared to play Thursday to run for 256 yards on 24 carries and three touchdowns in the Norfolk Catholic win as he was back to full speed and then some.

“Our plan was to give him about 10-15 carries, but he got into a rhythm so we continued to ride that momentum,” Cattau said. “He brings us a different level of play for our offense because he can score from anywhere on the field. Other teams must always know where he is on the field. His abilities should help open up some things for other running backs and our throwing game as well. We need to be very smart about doing what we can to keep him as healthy as we can the rest of the season.”