Cedar hosts rival Crofton on Friday
HARTINGTON - The Cedar Catholic Trojans look to get the season back on track this week when Crofton comes to town on Friday.
The traditional rivalry game features two teams with losing records. Cedar Catholic is 2-4 on the season after a loss to Norfolk Catholic last week. Crofton is 1-5 after earning the first win of the season last week against Stanton.
“It’s always fun playing in this game because of the history of the rivalry,” said Cedar coach Chad Cattau. “We have had some great games since I have been here and there were a lot before that. I know a lot of adults that still talk about playing Crofton when they were in high school, so it’s something that will remain with these kids for a long time.”
There is also a lot on the line for the Trojans. With three games left, Cedar is still looking to end the season with a record over .500 and a solid finish to District play.
“We still feel that if we can go 5-4 we have a chance to get into the playoffs because of our strength of schedule,” said Cattau. “That being said, we need to win out and give ourselves that chance. At this point though, all of our focus has to be on Crofton and not worry about games beyond this one.”
Crofton squeezed out a 20-19 win over Stanton. Andy Knapp led the way for the Warriors with 93 yards and connected with Justin Potts for 90 yards on two receptions and a touchdown. Crofton’s Zach Weber punched in the other two touchdowns on his only touches of the night.
“Crofton looks very similar to what they have in the past,” said Cattau. “They run a lot of double wing, similar to Ponca, and also a lot of double tight end sets. They run the ball efficiently and that sets up their play action game. They really like to rely on Andy Knapp in their running game. He started the season as their quarterback, but because of some injuries they have had to move some people around.”
Cedar Catholic and Crofton look to add another chapter to the book of the historic rivalry on Friday night and with both teams sporting a losing record this will definitely be a unique game in the storied matchup.