The victory secured the No. 1 seed in the Ralph Bishop League Tournament North Division and earned Post 4 homefield advantage when play opens June 27.

Hartington had trailed 6-3 entering the bottom of the seventh before mounting its comeback.

Hudson Whitmire scored by stealing home, and Grady Haberer followed with an inside-the-park home run that scored Gavin Klug and tied the game at 6-6.

Ponca scored once in the eighth, but the Buzzards answered in the bottom half.

Rex Lippert started the inning at second base under Legion Baseball extrainning rules. Maddox Haberer laid down a bunt single past the pitcher to move Lippert to third, then stole second.

Cade Kleinschmit grounded to second, allowing Lippert to score while Haberer advanced to third. Haberer was later picked off third base, but Parker Leise singled to left field.

Whitmire was intentionally walked before Klug hit a ground ball to shortstop. The throw to first got past the Ponca first baseman, allowing Leise to race home with the winning run.

Rylan Fischer pitched the final four innings to earn the win. He allowed three hits and struck out five Ponca batters.

The Buzzards collected eight hits in the victory. Grady Haberer went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and an inside-the-park home run. Fischer was 2-for-2 with an RBI, while Whitmire, Klug, Maddox Haberer and Leise each added a hit.

Earlier in the week, Hartington rolled to a 19-3 five-inning win over Wisner-Pilger/ Howells-Dodge June 17 in Wisner.

Klug led Post 4 at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a double, three runs and two RBIs.

Keaton Keiser and Lippert also doubled.

Grady Haberer went 2-for-4 with three RBIs and earned the win on the mound. He pitched three innings, allowing one run on four hits.

Fischer went 2-for-4 with two RBIs, while Keiser scored three runs. Eli Bensen scored three times, and Lippert went 3-for-3 with a double and an RBI.

The Juniors were set to face Hooper/ Scribner June 24 before opening Ralph Bishop League Tournament play. Post 4 will host Pierce June 27 at Felber Park. First pitch is scheduled for noon.

Ponca00204001—782 Hartington30000032—881 WP: Rylan Fischer. LP: Gunnar James. 2B: Grady Haberer (H). HR: Grady Haberer (H). PON (4-6) 0 0 2 0 4 0 0 1 - 7 8 2 HAR (9-2) 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 - 8 8 1 WP: Rylan Fischer LP: Gunnar James. 2B: Grady Haberer (H). HR: Grady Haberer (H). Lineup AB R H RBI BB SO Hudson Whitmire 2 2 1 0 3 0 Gavin Klug 4 1 1 1 1 0 Grady Haberer 4 2 2 2 0 1 Rylan Fischer 2 1 2 1 1 0 Keaton Keiser 3 0 0 0 1 3 Rex Lippert 4 1 0 0 0 2 Blake Bensen 3 0 0 0 0 3 Maddox Haberer 1 0 1 0 0 0 Cade Kleinschmit 3 0 0 1 0 1 Reid Potts 1 0 0 0 0 0 Parker Leise 4 1 1 0 0 0 TEAM 31 8 8 5 6 10 HAR (9-2) 4 2 9 0 4 X X - 19 15 0 WPHD (4-10) 0 0 1 0 2 X X - 3 6 6 WP: Grady Haberer LP: Isaac Meyer. 2B: Gavin Klug, Keaton Keiser, Rex Lippert (H); Isaiah Coufal, Isaac Meyer (W). Lineup AB R H RBI BB SO Hudson Whitmire 5 1 1 1 0 0 Gavin Klug 4 3 3 2 1 0 Grady Haberer 4 2 2 3 1 1 Rylan Fischer 4 2 2 2 1 0 Keaton Keiser 5 3 1 1 0 0 Reid Potts 3 2 1 2 0 1 Eli Bensen 2 3 1 1 0 0 Blake Bensen 2 1 1 0 3 0 Marcus Haberman 2 1 0 0 1 0 Maddox Haberer 2 0 0 0 0 0 Rex Lippert 3 1 3 1 1 0 TEAM 36 19 15 13 8 2

When the final gun sounded, the West team posted a 51-0 shutout over the East squad.

Wynot had two players and a coach involved in the game on the East Team and former Blue Devil Kotner Koch was named the offensive MVP for his team.

Koch was joined on the East by teammate Devin Brummer after the two hooked up a lot on the gridiron this past fall with Brummer hitting Koch in the passing game on their way to the state title. Their coach, Steve Heimes was also on hand on the East coaching staff.

“It was great they had one more game to play with each other,” said Heimes. “I wish them both a lot of success in their future endeavors.”

The duo connected 13 times for 265 yards in the state title game last November in the memorable clash with O’Neill St. Mary’s that produced a pile of offensive records with the Blue Devils cashing in on a 71-60 victory.

There wasn’t a lot of offense for the East in the Sertoma Game as the West defense and St. Mary’s Gage Hedstrom on offense dominating the contest.

“It was a great experience for all of us,” Heimes said. “We met a lot of great players and coaches from around the state. I was amazed at how many of the players were going on to play college football, wrestle and run track.”

WEST TEAM Coaches: Head Coach Andy Seaman (Brady); Assistant Coach Blake Schwarz (Elm Creek); Assistant Coach Ty Spies (Loomis); Assistant Coach Ryan Sanger (Brady).

Roster: Kevin Shuler (Hitchcock County); Caden Culbertson (Lawrence-Nelson); Jesse Reyes (Maxwell); Brogan Setlik (Arcadia/Loup City); Tucker Biskup (Alma); Thomas Donley (Wilcox-Hildreth); Mason Giebler (North Platte St. Patrick’s); Brennan Linder (Pleasanton); Gage Hedstrom (St. Mary’s); Ethan Latta (Dundy County-Stratton); Adam Denkert (Kenesaw); Cauy Meyer (Loomis); Dawson McCarter (Overton); Nikolas Weibert (Bridgeport); Maurice Robinson (Sandhills-Thedford); Carlos Diaz (Dundy County-Stratton); Hayden Sich (Arapahoe); Lane Bybee (St. Mary’s); Tate Kvanvig (Mullen); Witten Painter (Ainsworth); Mace Beran (Twin Loup); Owen Plog (Hemingford); Jayden Loghry (Hitchcock County); Caden Swanson (Loomis).

EAST TEAM Coaches: Head Coach Matt Kuchar (Bloomfield); Assistant Coach Kory Kahlandt (Exeter-Milligan/ Friend); Luke Ericson (Osceola); Assistant Coach Steve Heimes (Wynot)

Roster: Carson McDonald (McCool Junction); Callen Schnitzler (Lourdes Central Catholic); Hayden Gravatt (Johnson-Brock); Devin Brummer (Wynot); Levi Kamler (Bruning-Davenport-Shickley); Tucker Bickford (Weeping Water); Dashiell Coleman (Elmwood- Murdock); Kotner Koch (Wynot); Coy Vrbka (Shelby-Rising City); Brett Kalloff (Exeter-Milligan/ Friend); Logan Nelson (Wisner-Pilger); Korbin Werner (Elkhorn Valley); Tanner Classen (Archangels Catholic); Nathan Tomcak) (Howells-Dodge); Dane Lyons (Lourdes Central Catholic); Gatlin Davidson (Stanton); Levi Gall (Clarkson/Leigh); Owen Kuchar (Bloomfield); Tate Stolpe (Wausa); Brenden Gabel (Osceola) Hayven Stewart (Plainview).

The Expos added a couple of runs in the second, single runs in the third and fourth then tacked on six in the top of the seventh to go up 15-3, but the Mad Frogs plated three runs in the bottom of the frame to extend the game.

Wynot added two in the top of the eighth and held Menno to a single run in the bottom of inning to close out the game by the 10-run rule.

Jesse Lundahl had a solid performance on the mound tossing seven innings while scattering eight hits and six runs.

He also struck out 11 Mad Frogs in the contest.

Jalen Wieseler was 4-for-4 at the plate including a home run, scored three times and drove in four runs. Lundahl and Landon Wieseler were both 3-for-5 with Wieseler scoring three times and Lundahl twice.

Lee Heimes was 2-for-5 at the dish and scored four times.

Jackson Sudbeck and Devon Lammers also smacked long balls for the Expos in the contest.

Wynot was rained out June 21 from a home date with Crofton and will host Yankton June 25 before hosting the Freeman Black Sox on June 28.

WYN 5 2 1 1 0 0 6 2 X - 17 15 1 MEN02010031X-792 WP: Jesse Lundahl LP: Brayden Sattler.

2B: Brayden Sattler, Trent Guthmiller (M). HR: Devon Lammers, Jackson Sudbeck, Jalen Wieseler (W); Kyle Munkvold (M).

“We needed new white uniforms and the guys have been begging for new white jerseys for years,” said Post 4 skipper Don Whitmire. “We just got them in and they have our new logo on them.”

The logo includes a buzzard holding a baseball bat after hitting a ball in flight.

“That idea came from one of my assistants, Cale Haberer,” said Whitmire. “He came up with the logo and the idea from all of the buzzards flying around the ball park all the time that roost in our trees around the field.” Whitmire and company retired the old white jerseys and thanks to Security Bank, the group can now proudly display their new attire.

“We’re going to break them in this week when we play Hooper/Scribner,” the coach said. “The guys are pretty excited.”

Hartington American Legion Post 4 Buzzards, has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?

The Dolphins won the meet with 599 points, the Wayne Dolphins finishing second with 574. The Dodge Sea Monkeys were third with 212 and West Point was fourth with 80.

Individual results from the meet will be available in next week’s Cedar County News.

Hartington will be back in action June 29 back at Wayne before traveling to Blair July 1.

July 7 the Dolphins will travel to West Point with the conference meet set for July 18 at Wayne.

Hartington will not host a meet this summer due to the condition of the starting blocks.

Hartington broke open a pitcher’s duel with runs in the fourth and fifth innings behind a strong performance from Koby Detlefsen.

Hunter Bensen opened the fourth inning with a triple and scored when Detlefsen grounded out for the first out of the frame. Grady Haberer followed with a single, but a pair of flyouts ended the inning.

Post 4 added four runs in the fifth to take a 5-0 lead.

Sam Wiebelhaus singled past the shortstop before Bodie Hochstein was hit by a pitch. Blake Bensen entered as a courtesy runner for Wiebelhaus.

Hudson Whitmire then lined a single to left field, scoring Bensen. Whitmire advanced to second on the throw, while Hochstein moved to third.

Easton Hochstein grounded into a fielder’s choice to score Hochstein and leave Whitmire on third. Hunter Bensen followed with another fielder’s choice, scoring Whitmire.

Detlefsen then drew a walk before Haberer laced a triple to right field to score Detlefsen.

Detlefsen worked six innings on the mound, allowing two hits and two runs. He walked two and struck out 13 WP/HD batters to earn the win.

Hunter Bensen came on in relief and struck out the side in the seventh inning.

Hartington added a run in the sixth, while WP/HD scored twice in the bottom half of the inning.

The Buzzards added two insurance runs in the seventh.

Wiebelhaus opened the inning with a walk after a strikeout. Blake Bensen again entered as a courtesy runner and moved to third after stealing second and advancing on a wild pitch.

Bodie Hochstein walked to put runners at the corners with one out. Hochstein advanced to second without a throw before Whitmire grounded out to shortstop to score Bensen. Hartington added another run later in the inning to reach the final margin.

The Seniors were scheduled to face Hooper/Scribner Post 121/18 June 24 as they prepared for the league tournament.

Hartington will host the opening round of the tournament as the No. 1 seed.

The schedule was expected to be announced soon.

HAR (11-2) 0 0 0 1 4 1 2 - 8 8 0 WP/HD (4-9) 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 - 2 2 2 WP: Koby Detlefsen LP: Andre Martin. 2B: Isaac Meyer (W). 3B: Grady Haberer, Hunter Bensen (H). Lineup AB R H RBI BBSO Husdon Whitmire 5 1 2 2 0 0 Easton Hochstein 4 0 0 1 1 1 Hunter Bensen 3 2 1 1 1 0 Koby Detlefsen 2 2 1 1 2 0 Grady Haberer 3 1 2 1 0 0 Gavin Klug 3 1 2 1 0 0 Rylan Fischer 4 0 1 1 0 1 Sam Wiebelhaus 2 0 1 0 2 0 Bodie Hochstein 1 1 0 0 2 0 TEAM 28 8 8 8 8 2

The two teams butted heads for the entire first half before the Red Team finally found paydirt on quarterback run by St. Mary’s Gage Hedstrom from four yards out with 7:57 left in the third and the score was 6-0 after Norfolk Catholic’s Edwin Alarcon missed the extra point kick.

A little over six minutes later the Red Team was back in the end zone.

O’Neill’s Grady Welke crashed in from the two and Cedar Catholic’s Jared Rutar knocked the extra point kick through the uprights to make it 13-0 with 1:43 left in the period.

Alarcon made good on a second chance, booting a game-record 52-yard field goal to push the Red advantage to 16-0 with 7:11 left in the game.

The White Team got on the board when Elkhorn Valley’s Korbin Werner caught a 34-yard pass from West Point-Beemer’s Peyton Penrose with 4:42 left on the clock.

Alarcon’s field goal forced the White Team to go for two, but the Red defense was up to the task and the Red Team held on for the win.

Joining Rutar on the Red Team were teammates Breiton Whitmire, Brady Hochstein and Sam Wiebelhaus.

Carter Kelly and Mason Krause from Hartington- Newcastle were also on the winning Red squad, along with Wynot’s Kotner Koch and Parker Schmidt.

Red Team 0 0 13 3 - 16 White Team 0 0 0 6 - 6 THIRD QUARTER R: Gage Hedstrom 4 run (Edwin Alarcon kick no good) 7:57. R: Grady Welke 2 run (Jared Rutar kick) 1:43. FOURTH QUARTER R: Edwin Alarcon 52 field goal, 7:11. W: Korbin Werner 34 pass from Peyton Penrose (Twopoint try no good), 4:42.

Hartington used 10 hits to score 23 runs in the game against Wakefield and used five RBI’s by Rylan Fischer. He posted three hits while driving in his five runs and scoring three himself.

Post 4 took control of the game from the first pitch, scoring six runs in the first then added one in the second to take a 7-0 lead into the Wakefield half of the second frame.

Post 81 looked to make a game of it after scoring a couple of runs in its half of the inning, but seven runs in the top of the third by Hartington and nine in the fourth shut the door on Wakefield and earned Post 4 the 23-2 win.

Hudson Whitmire went 2-for-4 on the evening and drove in four, Haberer was 2-for-2, both hits being triples and scored three runs.

Fischer was 3-for-3, drove in the five runs and also crossed the plate three times.

Post 4 traveled to Crofton to take on the unbeaten Crofton Juniors and broke open a 1-1 game in the final inning by scoring four runs.

Marcus Haberman opened the Hartington seventh with a single past the shortstop and Blake Bensen was put in to run for Haberman.

After a flyout, Whitmire stepped to the plate and delivered a single over the shortstop’s head leaving runners at first and second.

Gavin Klug smacked a double into left field which scored Bensen and put Whitmire on third.

Rylan Fischer singled after a strikeout to chase Whitmire and Klug home then Keaton Keiser doubled to drive in Fischer and after the dust settled on the at bat, Post 4 was up 5-1.

Klug, who pitched a gem, struck out the first two Crofton batters in the seventh then coerced a ground out back to himself for the final out.

Klug pitched all seven innings scattering six hits while allowing one run, issued no walks and struckout 16.

Post 4 will travel to Wisner to take on Wisner-Pilger/Howells-Dodge June 17 and will take on Ponca Post 117 at Felber Park on June 19.

HAR (7-2) 6 1 7 9 X X X - 23 10 1 WAK (2-6) 0 2 0 0 X X X - 2 1 1 WP: Gavin Klug LP: Drake McAfee. 2B: Gavin Klug, Hudson Whitmire, Rylan Fischer (H); Drayden Nielsen (W). 3B: Grady Haberer (2) (H).

The contest, which ended 25-13, 25-16, 25-23 and 25-23, was set to go a minimum of four sets.

Laurel-Concord-Coleridge head coach Julie Kvols was the head coach of the Light Team.

“I do not like to lose but in a game like this it isn’t necessarily the goal,” said Kvols. “It’s just nice to showcase all of the volleyball talent in Northeast Nebraska. Let the players put on their uniforms for one last time and have fun.”

Kvols was the assistant coach last year when the match was played outside, but it was moved back indoors this year.

“It was kind of a novelty to play outside last year, but it was nice to play it indoors,” she said. “It is what the girls are used to and it really allows them to just go out on the court and show what they can do.”

Wynot’s Tristan Wieseler was Kvols’ assistant and will be the head coach next year per the NEN all-star volleyball game rules.

“He is a very good coach who knows what he is doing,” Kvols said of Wieseler. “It was great coaching with him.”

Wieselers’ setter at Wynot, Haley Wieseler, ended up playing a lot due to the illness of the other Light Team setter.

“Haley did a great job, it was just kind of different because when she played at Wynot she would set the ball and still be available to help block because she is tall and very good at it,” said the Lady Bear coach. “She did a great job, it was just a little different for her.”

Wieseler finished the match with 25 set assists leading all participants in the event and added a kill and three ace serves to her afternoon..

Lady Bear Tyler Recob was on the Light Team and finished with four kills in the match.

The Lady Blue Devils had two additional players on the Light Team along with Wieseler.

Kenna Oligmueller had four winners and two ace serves while teammate Jaylin Geisen had one kill, one ace and one assist.

“It was a cool experience,” said Kvols. “It was nice to get to know some of the players you have competed against over the past four years. They are good kids and very talented.”

Dark Team 25 25 25 25 Light Team 13 16 23 23 Light Team (kills-aces-blocks): Haley Wieseler (Wynot) 1-3-0; Camry Kittelson (Elgin Public/Pope John) 0-00; Tyler Recob (Laurel-Concord-Coleridge) 4-0-0; Karley Freudenberg (Battle Creek) 3-2-0; Naomi Sullivan (Pierce) 8-0-1; Skyler Siebrandt (Stanton) 10-0-0; Kenna Oligmueller (Wynot) 4-2-0; Jaylin Geisen (Wynot) 1-1-0; Ava Kasik (Clarkson/Leigh) 7-2-0. TOTALS 38-10-1. Set assists: Dark Team 35 (Wattier 15, Patzel 15, Smutny 4, Jacobs 1); Light Team 29 (Wieseler 25, Freudenberg 2, Sullivan 1, Geisen 1). Dark Team (kills-aces-blocks): Jaidyn Smutny (Battle Creek) 0-2-0; Kayton Zwingman (Elgin Public/Pope John) 4-0-0; Sidonia Wattier (Norfolk Catholic) 11-3-2; Anslee Watters (Norfolk Catholic) 9-5-1; Charli Jacobs (Wisner-Pilger) 3-1-0; Hayden Brummer (Norfolk Catholic) 7-2-1; Bergen Classen (O’Neill) 3-0-0; Julie Ridder (Guardian Angels Central Catholic) 3-0-1; Kailey Patzel (Newman Grove/St. Edward) 5-3-0. TOTALS 45-16-5.

Post 4 used a strong pitching performance from Breiton Whitmire and a powerful offensive showing to turn away the Bullsnakes 17-1 in a four-inning contest.

“We’re starting to hit the ball better and our defense has been there all year,” said Hartington manager Don Whitmire. “Wakefield is a good team, so this was a big win and it keeps us on track to accomplish what we want to get done this summer.”

In the game, Hartington wasted little time taking control of the contest scoring four runs on two hits in the first inning while Breiton Whitmire took the mound and allowed just one hit in his four-inning outing.

In the first inning, Easton Hochstein came to the plate for Post 4 with the score already 2-0.

Hochstein hammered an 0-2 pitch over the right field fence to score Grady Haberer who had singled earlier in the frame.

“I barrelled it,” Hochstein said. “I wasn’t sure it was going to be far enough, but I knew I had hit it very well. It made it over and it felt really good coming off the bat.”

Hartington added a run in the second, but Post 81 responded with a run in the bottom of the inning to make it 5-1.

Four more runs by Post 4 in the third and then eight in the top of the fourth put the game out of reach and halted to contest in the bottom of the inning by the run-rule as Whitmire got a couple of flyballs and a groundout to retire the side after allowing a walk to Matthew Metzler.

Whitmire helped his own cause with a double and a triple at the plate while scoring three runs, Hochstein ended 2-for-2 with the homer and scored three times and Haberer was 2-for-3 and also crossed the plate three times. Jaylen Carpenter got the lone hit for Wakefield.

Earlier in the week, Hartington traveled west to take on Crofton and came away with the 7-2 win.

Post 4 jumped on Crofton with a couple of runs in the opening inning when Tate Fischer and Hunter Bensen worked back-to-back walks with one out.

Fischer stole second and third while Bensen was being walked, then Bensen stole second to put both runners in scoring position.

After another out, Haberer singled past the second baseman to score Fischer and Bensen and advanced to second on an error, but a flyout ended the at bat.

Hartington got right back on the horse in the second frame when Sam Wiebelhaus was plunked by the Crofton pitcher with one out and Bodie Hochstein drew a walk.

Breiton Whitmire singled past the shortstop, scoring Wiebelhaus and moving Hochstein to third.

Whitmire stole second then Hochstein scored on a passed ball.

Bensen was hit by a pitch then Whitmire scored on a wild pitch.

Koby Detlefsen drew a walk as did Haberer.

Bensen stole home and the score was 6-0 heading into the bottom of the second.

Later in the game, Easton Hochstein rifled a single to left field, pushing Brady Hochstein across the plate in the fifth.

Crofton scored a couple of runs in the sixth to get to the final score.

Detlefsen pitched a gem on the hill, going the entire seven innings, allowing just two hits, issued no walks and struck out 20 of the 25 batters he faced.

Post 4 was set to travel to Wisner June 17 to take on Wisner-Pilger/ Howells-Dodge before heading south to take on Hooper/Scribner Posts 121/18 on June 24.

HAR (10-2) 4 1 4 8 X X X - 17 10 0 WAK (5-4) 0 1 0 0 X X X - 1 1 4 WP: Breiton Whitmire LP: Mason Lamprecht. 2B: Breiton Whitmire (H). 3B: Breiton Whitmire (H). HR: Easton Hochstein (H). Lineup AB R H RBI BB SO Breiton Whitmire 4 1 3 1 0 0 Tate Fischer 3 2 1 3 0 0 Hunter Bensen 2 1 0 0 2 2 Koby Detlefsen 2 2 1 1 1 1 Grady Haberer 3 3 2 1 1 0 Easton Hochstein 2 3 2 3 1 0 Hudson Whitmire 2 2 2 3 1 0 Sam Wiebelhaus 1 0 0 1 1 1 Bodie Hochstein 2 1 0 1 0 1 TEAM 21 17 11 14 7 5 HAR (10-2) 2 4 0 0 1 0 0 - 7 5 1 CRO (4-9) 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 - 2 2 2 WP: Koby Detlefsen LP: Josh Palensky. Lineup AB R H RBI BB SO Breiton Whitmire 5 1 2 2 0 1 Tate Fischer 3 1 0 0 2 1 Hunter Bensen 2 2 0 0 1 1 Koby Detlefsen 3 0 0 0 1 1 Grady Haberer 2 0 1 1 2 0 Brady Hochstein 3 1 0 0 1 1 Easton Hochstein 3 0 1 0 1 0 Sam Wiebelhaus 1 1 1 0 1 0 Bodie Hochstein 2 1 0 0 2 2 TEAM 24 7 5 3 11 7

In fact, the Bluebirds scored all of the runs they would need in the first inning and they were done scoring at the end of the second frame.

The Expos scored first, manufacturing a run in the first inning.

Lee Heimes worked a walk after the first batter struck out then Jalen Wieseler got on board thanks to a Tabor error which landed Heimes at third base.

Peyton Wieseler hit a ground ball which forced out the runner at second, but Heimes scooted in from third for the game’s first run.

Unfortunately the lead didn’t last long as the Bluebirds came up with the eight-run bottom of the inning and added two in the second to go up 10-1.

Jesse Lundahl and Landon Wieseler scored in the third inning and Jackson Sudbeck scored in the top of the fourth and both teams failed to score the rest of the contest.

Landon Wieseler took the loss on the hill for Wynot. Dylan Heine was 3-for-3 at the dish for the Expos. Wynot is set to travel to Menno June 18 before hosting Crofton on June 21.

WYN (2-6) 1 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 - 4 10 2 TAB (4-3) 8 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 X - 10 WP: Landon Bares LP: Landon Wieseler. 2B: Nolan Janssen (2) (W); Landon Schmidt, Easton Mudder (T). HR: Riley Rothschadl (T).

The Midwest Elite 16’s roster features players from South Dakota and Iowa, with Calley being the sole representative from Nebraska. The team overcame a challenging season marked by injuries, including three players from last year's roster who were unable to compete by the time the USAV tournament began. Calley herself showed great resilience, having recovered from a fractured back that sidelined her for nine weeks during the previous season.

This victory follows the team's AAU 15’s Club National Championship win last year in Orlando, Florida. Calley has played with this group for three seasons— one with Midwest Volleyball Power and two with Midwest Elite—under coaches Rick Pruett, Kam Smith, and Melissa Smith.

She is the daughter of Austen and Laura Stewart and will be a junior at Wynot Public School this fall.

Summer sports are in full swing in Hartington. As the weather heats up, so does the competition, with several area baseball and softball teams taking to the diamond last week. Pictured above are scenes from Hartington 8u baseball, Hartington 14u and 12u softball and Hartington Ponies games as local athletes delivered pitches, chased down balls, swung the bats and raced around the bases during a busy week of summer action.

Softball and baseball photos by Kellyn Dump

The Light Team will be coached by LCC’s head volleyball coach, Julie Kvols and Tristan Wieseler of Wynot.

Three Wynot players will compete in the game — Kenna Oligmueller, Jaylin Geisen, and Haley Wieseler LCC 2026 graduate, Tyler Recob, was selected to play in the contest. sd was Classic.

The Light Team consists of the following team members: Battle Creek: Karley Freudenberg, Clarkson-Leigh: Ava Kasik, Elgin Public/Pope John: Camry Kittelson, Laurel-Concord/Coleridge: Tyler Recob, Oakland-Craig: Mia Thomsen, Pierce: Naomi Sullivan, Stanton: Skyler Siebrandt, Wynot: Kenna Oligmueller, Jaylin Geisen, Haley Wieseler.

Oligmueller’s White team exploded for 52 points in the second half to break open a halftime tie of 33-33 to take the game 85-55.

Oligmueller tossed in four points on the night for the Light squad which was paced by Pender’s Hadley Walsh who scored 17. Sidonia Wattier Wattier of Norfolk Catholic added 16, Haley Kramer from Wayne scored a dozen and Omaha Nation’s Mikkel Parker scored 11.

Walter scored nine points for the Dark team which was led by O’Neill’s Bergyn Classen who had 11.

DARK TEAM 9 24 9 13 - 55 LIGHT TEAM 12 21 22 30 - 85 DARK TEAM: Sonya Guzinski (Oakland- Craig) 2-8 0-0 5; Bergyn Classen (O’Neill) 4-11 0-0 10; Emerson Bellar (Wisner-Pilger) 2-6 0-0 6; Taylor Dawson (Wausa) 3-6 0-0 7; Kailey Patzel (Newman Grove/St. Edward) 0-6 0-0 0; Gracie Williamson (St. Mary’s) 3-9 0-0 6; Lauren Sterup (North Bend Central) 4-12 0-2 8; Addison Walter (Cedar Catholic) 3-12 2-4 9; Charlie Dinslage (Guardian Angels Central Catholic) 1-5 2-2 4. Totals 22-75 4-8 55. LIGHT TEAM: Bo Caskey (Norfolk High) 4-9 0-0 9; Haley Kramer (Wayne) 5-11 0-0 12; Taylen Stark (Niobrara/Verdigre) 1-11 0-0 2; Hadley Walsh (Pender) 7-13 2-3 17; Sidonia Wattier (Norfolk Catholic) 8-14 0-1 16; Kenna Oligmueller (Wynot) 2-8 0-0 4; Karsyn Dusatko (Stanton) 1-6 0-0 2; Mikkel Parker (Omaha Nation) 4-11 0-0 11; Whitney Wegener (Archangels Catholic) 1-5 2-4 4; Kenadie Throener (Howells-Dodge) 3-4 2-2 8. Totals 36-92 6-10 85.

HARTINGTON — The Hartington Post 4 Senior American Legion baseball team had a busy week playing a couple of Ralph Bishop League games and four games in the Lewis and Clark Classic which one of the pools in the tournament was played at Felber Park.

Post 4 used a strong pitching performance from Brady Hochstein June 8 to turn back the West Point Senior Legion Bombers 7-1, won a game in the tournament over the Renner (SD) Post 307 Royals 7-6 on June 6, lost a game to Parkston (SD) Post 194 8-6 on June 6, lost to Nebraska Door and Window Seward Post 33 9-3 and defeated Dakota Valley Panthers Senior Legion 4-2 to open the tournament on June 5.

Earlier in the week, Hartington traveled to South Sioux City and defeated the Post 307 Legion 14-4 in league action.

The West Point Senior Legion Bombers came to Felber Park unbeaten on June 8 and ran into Hochstein on the hill who pitched six innings of shutout baseball while striking out five and walking three while allowing just two hits.

The Post 4 offense gave Hochstein all he needed in the first inning scoring two runs Hartington added three in the third and a couple of insurance runs in the sixth to put the game away.

Post 4 went 2-2 in the 3-day Lewis and Clark Classic which was put on by the Yankton American Legion program.

Hartington won its last game, literally hanging on for a 7-6 win over Renner Senior Legion Post 307.

Hartington entered the seventh inning with a fairly comfortable 7-3 lead with the Royals coming to bat.

Hunter Bensen got the first two batters he faced in the seventh with a strikeout and a flyout, but a walk and backto- back doubles by Renner made it 7-6 then another walk left a couple of runners on with two outs.

Bensen settled in and struck out the final batter for the Royals and Post 4 grabbed the win.

Hartington lost two consecutive games, the final game on Friday and the first game on Saturday.

Post 4 opened the opening game Saturday with a couple of runs in the first inning.

Parkston answered with three in the top of the second, but Hartington responded with three in its half of the frame.

Parkston took a 7-5 lead in the fourth then the teams each scored a run in the fifth and the 8-6 final score was posted.

In the last game of the day on June 5,Nebraska Door and Window Seward American Legion Post 33 pitching held Post 4 to just three hits in the game.

Sam Wiebelhaus, Rylan Fischer and Hudson Whitmire hit singles while Whitmire, Wiebelhaus and Koby Detlefsen scored but it wasn’t enough as Hartington fell 9-3.

In the opening game of the tournament, Post 4 and Dakota Valley were tied 2-2 heading into the bottom of the sixth.

Hunter Bensen opened the Hartington half of the sixth with a single past the shortstop then stole second base.

Detlefsen singled past the third baseman and Hartington had runners at the corners with nobody out.

Detlefsen swiped second base then Grady Haberer lifted a flyball out to left field.

Bensen tagged up at third and scored then Detlefsen scored on the throw from the outfield and the final score was set.

Hartington remained unbeaten in the Ralph Bishop League with a 14-4 game over South Sioux City on June 3 in the game shortened due to the run-rule.

Breiton Whitmire and Haberer both smacked triples in the game while Bodie Hochstein, Easton Hochstein and Gavin Klug all hit doubles.

Hartington was set to travel to Crofton in league action June 10 to open a four-game road trip.

Post 4 will travel to Wakefield June 15, to Wisner-Pilger Howells-Dodge on June 17 and Hooper/Scribner on June 24.

WPB (4-1) 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 - 1 2 3 HAR (8-2) 2 0 3 0 0 2 X - 7 4 3 WP: Brady Hochstein LP: Elliot Reeson. 2B: Isaac Guenther (W); Koby Detlefsen (H). Lineup AB R H RBI BB SO Breiton Whitmire 3 1 1 1 1 0 Tate Fischer 3 1 0 0 1 0 Hunter Bensen 3 1 0 0 1 1 Koby Detlefsen 2 2 2 1 1 0 Grady Haberer 2 0 1 2 1 0 Brady Hochstein 3 0 0 0 0 0 Easton Hochstein 2 1 0 0 1 1 Sam Wiebelhaus 2 0 0 0 1 1 Bodie Hochstein 3 1 0 0 0 2 TEAM 23 7 4 4 7 5 REN (5-7) 0 0 2 0 0 1 3 - 6 3 2 HAR (8-2) 2 0 3 0 2 0 X - 7 9 0 WP: Gavin Klug LP: Sam Donohoe. 2B: Sawyer Konechne, Sam Donohoe (R). Lineup AB R H RBI BB SO Breiton Whitmire 3 1 2 3 0 0 Tate Fischer 4 1 1 0 0 0 Hunter Bensen 4 0 1 2 0 0 Koby Detlefsen 3 1 2 0 0 0 Grady Haberer 3 1 0 0 1 1 Sam Wiebelhaus 4 0 0 0 0 2 Gavin Klug 2 2 1 0 2 0 Rylan Fischer 2 1 1 1 0 0 Hudson Whitmire 3 0 1 1 0 1 TEAM 28 7 9 7 3 4 PAR (7-1) 0 3 0 4 1 X X - 8 6 0 HAR (8-2) 2 3 0 0 1 X X - 6 8 4 WP: Grady Bowar LP: Tate Fischer. 2B: Sean Deckert (P); Hunter Bensen (H). Lineup AB R H RBI BB SO Breiton Whitmire 1 2 0 0 0 1 Tate Fischer 3 2 3 2 0 0 Hunter Bensen 3 0 1 1 0 1 Koby Detlefsen 2 0 0 1 1 0 Grady Haberer 3 0 1 1 0 0 Sam Wiebelhaus 2 0 0 0 0 1 Gavin Klug 2 0 0 0 0 1 Rylan Fischer 2 1 2 0 0 0 Hudson Whitmire 2 1 1 0 0 0 TEAM 20 6 8 5 1 4 SEW (8-1) 5 0 2 0 0 0 2 - 9 8 1 HAR (8-2) 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 - 3 3 0 WP: Tyler Hammond LP: Koby Detlefsen. 2B: Kyle Riley, Tyler Hammond (S). Lineup AB R H RBI BB SO Breiton Whitmire 4 0 0 1 0 2 Tate Fischer 4 0 0 0 0 2 Hunter Bensen 3 0 0 0 0 3 Koby Detlefsen 1 1 0 0 0 0 Grady Haberer 3 0 0 0 0 0 Sam Wiebelhaus 1 1 1 0 2 2 Gavin Klug 3 0 0 1 0 0 Rylan Fischer 3 0 1 0 0 1 Hudson Whitmire 3 1 1 1 0 0 TEAM 25 3 3 3 2 8 DV (1-3) 0 0 0 0 2 0 X - 2 5 1 HAR(8-2) 1 0 1 0 0 2 X - 4 3 0 WP: Tate Fischer LP: Grady Ramos. 2B: Jack Wiese (DV). Lineup AB R H RBI BB SO Breiton Whitmire 1 1 0 0 2 0 Tate Fischer 3 0 0 0 0 0 Hunter Bensen 3 1 1 0 0 2 Koby Detlefsen 3 1 1 0 0 2 Grady Haberer 3 0 0 2 0 2 Easton Hochstein 2 0 0 0 0 2 Sam Wiebelhaus 2 0 0 0 0 2 Gavin Klug 2 1 1 0 0 0 Bodie Hochstein 1 0 0 0 0 1 TEAM 20 4 3 2 2 11 HAR (8-2) 2 5 7 0 0 X X - 14 11 1 SSC (1-4) 0 2 0 1 1 X X - 4 3 4 WP: Tate Fischer LP: Reese Stockton. 2B: Bodie Hochstein, Easton Hochstein, Gavin Klug (H). 3B: Breiton Whitmire, Gavin Klug (H). Lineup AB R H RBI BB SO Breiton Whitmire 2 3 2 0 1 0 Tate Fischer 3 1 2 2 1 0 Hunter Bensen 3 2 1 1 1 1 Koby Detlefsen 3 1 1 1 1 1 Grady Haberer 3 1 1 2 0 2 Dawson Dresden 1 0 0 0 0 1 Easton Hochstein 4 0 2 2 0 1 Sam Wiebelhaus 2 1 0 0 1 1 Keaton Keiser 1 1 0 0 0 1 Gavin Klug 1 2 1 0 1 0 Rylan Fischer 2 0 0 0 0 1 Bodie Hochstein 2 2 1 1 0 1 TEAM 27 14 11 9 6 10

A 70-pound lake sturgeon was pulled from the Missouri River at Gavins Point Dam on April 14.

Blake Logan and his fellow Missouri River Program biologists pulled in the net with the fish, which is listed as threatened in Nebraska. They photographed it, weighed it, and measured it at 59.6 inches in length.

“Our sampling crews in the Missouri River Program handle thousands of fish each year from March through November but rarely see lake sturgeon,” Logan said. “I would say we catch one individual every other year.”

Before this sturgeon was released, it was found to have been fitted with a PIT (Passive Integrated Transponder) tag, a small, cylindrical tag used to identify and track individual animals.

Biologists with the Missouri Department of Conservation had captured and tagged the fish at the Missouri River’s confluence with the Osage River in 2017. At that time, the sturgeon measured 47 inches in length and weighed 29 pounds.

From where it was captured in the Osage River, to where it was netted at Gavins Point Dam, the fish would have swam 681 miles upstream.

In addition to studying paddlefish, the Missouri River Program samples other species, including sturgeon.

“We’ve been extensively sampling for sturgeon species since 2002, when we started as a partner under the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ funded sturgeon monitoring projects,” Missouri River Program Manager Kirk Steffensen said.

“Lake sturgeon have always been a rare capture in Nebraska, and the few we’ve sampled were never the size that Blake sampled,” he said. “We capture far fewer lake sturgeon compared to pallid sturgeon, and shovelnose sturgeon are by far the most common.”

As a species, sturgeon have been around for more than 150 million years and existed during the Jurassic Era, when dinosaurs roamed the earth. These fish are considered living fossils, having changed little from their ancestors.

Lake sturgeon were reportedly more common in the Missouri River before the 1900s but were nearly or completely extirpated due to overharvesting, Logan said.

In Missouri, where the lake sturgeon is listed as endangered, the MDC has been working for several decades to reintroduce fish to the Mississippi and Missouri river systems through hatchery spawning and stocking. It also has documented natural spawning but is unsure if the young are surviving.

“Presumably, all lake sturgeon in Nebraska are progeny of the Missouri Department of Conservation’s lake sturgeon recovery program,” Logan said.

They grow to be much larger in other areas of the country, too. For example, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources in 2012 tagged and released a 240-pound lake sturgeon that measured 87.5 inches.

Lake sturgeon often live to be 30-50 years old, with some individuals approaching 100 years. Logan estimated the fish the crew netted was at least 20 years old.

In Nebraska, the lake sturgeon and the endangered pallid sturgeon are illegal to harvest and possess. If caught by an angler, they should be immediately released into the water unharmed. The only sturgeon that is legal to harvest in the state is the shovelnose. See a sturgeon identification guide on page 29 of the 2026 Fishing Guide.

In the win over the Cardinals, Wynot sprinted out to a 3-1 lead at the end of the first frame then went up 5-2 after two and 6-1 at the end of the third.

The teams matched runs with each scoring two in the fourth but the Expos plated three in the sixth and seventh innings go in front 11-3.

The Cardinals would score two in their final at bat but Wynot closed out the game by the 11-5 final score.

Devin Lammers smacked a pair of home runs on the evening while Jalen Wieseler and Lee Heimes each rifled a double.

Jackson Sudbeck picked up the win scattering 10 hits over six innings of work, walking one and striking out five.

The Expos got out to an early lead against the Lakers leading 2-0 after one and 3-2 after two but Yankton would score 14 runs in the final four innings to put the game out of reach.

Wynot will return to the field June 11 when the Expos travel to Tabor and will host Crofton June 21 in Wynot.

WYN 3 2 1 2 0 1 2 0 0 - 11 12 1 IRE100200002-5154 WP: Jackson Sudbeck LP: Jake DeLange. 2B: C. Edberg (I); Jalen Wieseler, Lee Heimes (W). HR: Devin Lammers (2) (W) .

Against the Bombers Post 4 fell behind 4-3 after the first inning and the score remained the same until West Point added three runs in the fourth and two more in the top of the fifth.

Hartington responded with two runs in the fifth but West Point used an 8-run sixth to put the game out of reach and end the contest by the 8-run rule in the sixth frame.

Post 4 scored their five runs on just two hits, one by Hudson Whitmire and one by Gavin Klug while Rylan Fischer chased home two Hartington batters.

Whitmire took the loss on the mound giving up nine hits and nine runs in five innings of work.

Hartington used a big evening from Grady Haberer at the plate June 3 to turn back South Sioux City on the road with the 14-6 win.

Haberer went 4-for-4 at the plate, scored four times and drove in four runs with one of his four hits being a triple.

Post 4 tied the game in the top of the third inning with four runs after South Sioux City had claimed a 4-0 lead in the first two frames.

The hosts reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the third after plating two more runs, but Hartington took the lead for good with four runs in the fourth.

Whitmire singled with one out on a line drive up the middle then Gavin Klug worked a walk.

Whitmire and Klug stole third and second base respectively before Haberer came to the plate and smacked his triple over the centerfielder’s head to score the baserunners.

Rylan Fischer singled into center field to plate Haberer and advanced to second on a South Sioux City error then Keaton Keiser drew a walk.

Fischer stole third then Keiser stole second before Dawson Dresden scored Fischer with a ground ball to second and the Hartington half of the inning ended with a strikeout.

Klug, who picked up the win on the hill, sat South Sioux City down in order in the bottom of the fourth then Post 4 added three runs in the top of the sixth to make it 11-6.

Hartington would score three more in the top of the seventh to arrive at the 14-6 final score.

Post 4 was set to take on Stanton on June 9 in a game played in Hartington then head to Crofton on June 10 to open a three-game stretch on the road. Hartington will play at Wakefield on June 15 and at Wisner-Pilger Howells-Dodge on June 17.

WPB 4 0 0 3 2 8 X-17 12 1 HAR 3 0 0 0 2 0 X- 5 2 5 WP: Hudson Bramlet LP: Hudson Whitmire. 2B: Joe Eames, Josh Snodgrass (W). Lineup AB R H RBI BB S Hudson Whitmire 3 1 1 0 1 0 Gavin Klug 3 2 1 0 1 1 Grady Haberer 0 1 0 0 3 0 Rylan Fischer 3 0 0 2 0 0 Keaton Keiser 0 1 0 1 1 0 Blake Bensen 3 0 0 0 0 3 Cade Kleinschmit 3 0 0 0 0 2 Marcus Haberman 3 0 0 0 0 2 Maddox Haberer 1 0 0 0 0 1 Eli Bensen 2 0 0 0 0 1 TEAM 21 5 2 3 6 1 0 HAR 0 0 4 4 3 0 3 - 14 13 1 SSC2220000-632 WP: Gavin Klug LP: Wagner. 3B: Grady Haberer (H). Lineup AB R H RBI BB S O Hudson Whitmire 4 3 3 0 1 0 Gavin Klug 1 4 1 0 4 0 Grady Haberer 4 4 4 4 0 0 Rylan Fischer 4 2 2 2 0 1 Keaton Keiser 1 1 0 0 3 1 Dawson Dresden 5 0 1 3 0 1 Blake Bensen 5 0 2 2 0 2 Marcus Haberman 5 0 0 0 0 4 Eli Bensen 2 0 0 0 0 1 Maddox Haberer 2 0 0 0 0 2 TEAM 33 14 13 11 8 11

Now, more than a decade after quarterbacking the Trojans in the 2014 Class C2 state championship game against Aquinas Catholic, Kaiser will lead the program from the sideline.

Kaiser was recently named the head coach for the upcoming Cedar Catholic football season, which begins in August.

He replaces longtime head coach Chad Cattau, who stepped away after guiding the Trojans to 165 wins, seven district titles and three of the four state championship game appearances in school history.

Kaiser has been a member of Cattau’s staff for the past six seasons and served as defensive coordinator last fall, helping Cedar Catholic finish 11-1 and advance to the Class C2 quarterfinals.

“Naturally, I’m really excited, but it certainly adds a lot of responsibility,” Kaiser said. “I know I will have some questions, but Coach Cattau has said just ask him and he will answer what he can.”

Kaiser said moving into the head coaching role means keeping an eye on every part of the program, from the practice field to the attitude and energy of the players.

“I know I will need to be aware of almost everything, right down to the attitude of the guys,” Kaiser said. “We need to find ways to keep things fresh and lively, especially in our summer workouts. Our guys work very, very hard, but we need to give them some variety to keep things interesting for them.”

He also knows his game-day responsibilities will look much different now.

“At our level, the head coach is pretty much responsible for getting the field ready and everything it entails to host a game or travel to a game,” Kaiser said. “You have to be a manager before and after the game and a coach during it.”

Kaiser will continue to serve as defensive coordinator, but will also take on duties as the running game coordinator. He said that role should fit well with his overall responsibilities on game night.

“I will continue to be the defensive coordinator, but I will also be the running game coordinator,” he said. “I will be watching our offensive line and see if we need to make changes in our blocking schemes. It kind of makes sense.”

Kaiser said he is eager to get started and believes the Trojans have a solid foundation to build on.

“We have some good players coming back,” he said. “I remember when I played and when I was a junior, I felt like I was strong enough and confident enough to compete with anyone. That’s the mentality we need all of our players to get to.”

That confidence helped carry Kaiser and the Trojans to Memorial Stadium as players.

Now, he hopes it can help carry the next generation of Trojans forward.

Hochstein is busy after graduating from high school last month and finishing a successful track campaign in Omaha.... and don’t forget baseball.

“I like to be busy,” said Hochstein. “So this is great.”

He traveled to Kearney last week to participate in the 68th Nebraska Shrine Bowl where he played outside linebacker.

“It didn’t go as expected, we lost the game,” said Hochstein. “But it was fun and it was great competing against the best of the best.”

For the record, the South Team won 14-7, but everyone really won.

“We visited the kids at the Shrine Hospital and that was very cool,” Hochstein said. “You realize how much work it is for them just to do anything and it really puts things into perspective and makes you realize all of the blessings you have.

“The game was really fun, they rotated us in and out a lot but the competition was really great.”

He also got more familiar with some of his future teammates.

“There were five or six guys who will be going to Wayne this fall so I got to know some of them,” he said. “I don’t remember all of their names, but at least I will recognize their faces. It’s really an exciting time for me.”

This week, he already won a baseball game on the mound for the Post 4 Senior American Legion team sending the West Point Senior Legion Bombers back to West Point with a 7-1 loss after practicing Monday for this week’s Northeast Nebraska All-Star Football game which will be played at Veterans Memorial Field in Norfolk.

Cedar Catholic will have four athletes compete in that contest. Jared Rutar, Breiton Whitmire and Sam Wielbehaus will also compete in Norfolk. Hartington-Newcastle’s Mason Krause and Carter Kelly are also listed on the roster, along with Kotner Koch from Wynot.

“That will be fun to get to play with them one last time. We’ve already had a practice and it’s going pretty well,” Hochstein said.

The game is set to kickoff at 7 p.m. Friday, June 12 then it’s back to the dugout for Whitmire, Wiebelhaus and Hochstein.

It was announced earlier this spring that 2025 was the last time he would coach the men in red for football, and James Kaiser was named the new head coach.

Looking back on his very successful career as coach, Cattau, as usual, was humble and wanted to thank everyone else for his successes.

He graduated from high school back in 1995 at Leigh, then moved on to Wayne State College, where he earned his undergraduate degree in 2000 and his master’s degree from Wayne State in 2010.

After graduating from college, he was hired by Cedar Catholic and has been a Trojan ever since, and he still still is.

“I really don’t know what games will be like for me this fall,” said Cattau. “It will be the first Friday nights not coaching since 1999 so it’s hard to say.

“I know it will be difficult, but I will be a big supporter of the team each and every week.”

Another thing he will miss will be the scheming and friendships he has developed over the years.

“There are so many coaches that have helped along the way starting with the assistants here at Cedar,” the coach said. “All of our assistant coaches have meant a lot to me in more ways than words can describe.

“The behind the scenes hours that all of these guys put in for our players can’t even be calculated. We have had coaches here for many years that helped and we had some that were here for a limited amount of time, but they all contributed to the success of the program in so many ways.”

Cattau also looked to coaches on the other sideline when playing common opponents. They talked about almost anything — blocking schemes, players and sometimes it had little to do with football.

“I have always had a great relationship with many of the coaches we faced off against,” he said. “Some of the guys I reached out to the most were Tony Hoffman and Tom Allen from Crofton, Mark Brahmer from Pierce and Jeff Bellar from Norfolk Catholic.

“Coach Bellar and I always talked regularly during past seasons and not just to bounce ideas off of one another and discuss the teams we were playing that week, but to talk about life and our families. He will forever be someone I will call a close friend of mine.”

And of course, he wanted to thank his players over the years.

“I want to thank each and every player who put in the time and the effort for our school to be successful,” “It takes a real commitment from everyone involved to be successful as a team, and I have always thought our guys represented themselves and their hard work in a positive manner. We had a lot of great wins and some tough losses along the way, but I hope throughout that process, each of these young men were able to grow as people and it has helped them become successful workers, husbands and dads along the paths of their lives because ultimately, that is what high school coaches are trying to produce.

“Chasing championships is a great goal and a great thing to achieve but sending young men out prepared for their lives beyond school is a bigger accomplishment. I love seeing former players being successful in whatever path they are on is a great feeling.”

He started his coaching career while still at Wayne State as an assistant coach for basketball under Clayton Steele from Laurel High School and was hired for his first full time job at Cedar, where he was an assistant coach for football, girls basketball and track.

He was an assistant when the Trojans played for a state title in 2001 against Lawrence-Nelson and the head coach for three additional appearances at Memorial Stadium in 2009 against Ponca, 2014 against Aquinas, and 2023 against Norfolk Catholic.

Cattau has a career record of 165-86, has won seven district titles, has coached 36 First-Team All-State players, 12 Shrine Bowl players and literally hundreds of all-district selections.

He was an assistant for the 2024 Shrine Bowl and in the Northeast Nebraska All-Star Classic in 2015. He was the head coach in the NE. Neb All Stars in 2017.

Another thing he will definitely miss will be the interaction with his own family when it pertains to football and athletics.

“Through this coaching gig I was able to meet my wife, Dawn, and that has been the greatest impact on me as a person and coach,” he said. “She has been the behind the scenes rock of my career and our family, and she will never get enough credit for that.

“I was able to coach her younger brother when he was at Cedar and that path brought us together. Her impact on our teams each year was always important. She was basically a single mom for many months while the kids were little and I have nothing but love for her for giving me the opportunities I have had through her sacrifices.”

He also thanked his children. “Our children have also been a great influence on me,” said the coach. “Jada was always the biggest supporter and fan I had during games and away from the field. I can’t say enough about how enjoyable my time coaching Jaymison and Micah has been. Now, I just get to sit back and watch Micah and Eli grow as young men and players during their careers, and hopefully, spend more time with them just being a dad.”

Every now and then someone comes along that just “gets it.” It’s quite apparent, Chad Cattau “gets it’ and has been passing it along for many years and will continue to mold young adults into good people.

Post 4 opened Ralph Bishop League action with three straight wins, mixing timely hitting, strong pitching and late-inning offense to stay unbeaten on the young season.

Hartington defeated Plainview 12-5 Monday at Felber Park after edging Wayne Post 43 4-2 May 29 at home and rolling past Pierce 8-0 May 27. The local team drilled Tri County 20-0 to open the season May 26.

The three wins pushed Hartington to 4-0 overall and gave Post 4 an early boost in Ralph Bishop League play.

Hartington had to work its way out of trouble in the win over Plainview. Plainview jumped out to an early lead and had Post 4 trailing 4-1 heading into the bottom of the fourth inning.

Hartington responded with three runs in the fourth to tie the game, matched Plainview with a run in the fifth and then broke the game open with a seven-run sixth inning.

The big sixth started when Gavin Klug worked a walk and Hudson Whitmire followed with a single.

Breiton Whitmire reached on a Plainview error, allowing Klug to score, and Tate Fischer followed with a single past third base to bring home Hudson Whitmire.

Hunter Bensen kept the inning going with a single up the middle to score Breiton Whitmire.

Koby Detlefsen then reached on another Plainview error, allowing Fischer to score.

Grady Haberer reached on catcher’s interference to load the bases, and Post 4 kept taking advantage of every opening Plainview gave it.

Bensen scored on a wild pitch, Detlefsen scored on a catcher’s error and Haberer later came home on a Klug groundout to stretch the lead to 12-5.

Breiton Whitmire closed the door in the seventh, retiring Plainview in order with two strikeouts and a line-drive out to left field.

Hartington finished with 10 hits in the win.

Fischer went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI, while Bensen went 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI. Detlefsen finished 2-for-3 with a double, three RBIs, a run scored and a walk.

Sam Wiebelhaus added a hit and drove in two runs, while Hudson Whitmire scored twice.

Post 4 had opened the week with a dominant performance at Pierce.

Breiton Whitmire took the hill and threw four no-hit innings, striking out 10 before giving way to Bensen in the fifth inning.

Bensen finished the combined no-hitter, striking out three and walking one.

Wiebelhaus supplied the biggest swing of the game with a home run and two RBIs.

Breiton Whitmire and Haberer each scored twice, while Fischer, Detlefsen, Easton Hochstein, Wiebelhaus and Bodie Hochstein all added to the offensive effort.

Hartington followed that win with a hard-fought 4-2 victory over Wayne in a matchup of two Ralph Bishop League North Division teams.

Post 4 wasted little time getting on the board, scoring three runs in the first inning.

Back-to-back singles by Breiton Whitmire and Fischer started the rally before Bensen drove a triple into the right-field corner to score both runners.

Detlefsen brought Bensen home on a groundout, giving Hartington a 3-0 lead.

Wayne plated two runs in the fourth, but Post 4 added an insurance run in the fifth and held on for the win.

Detlefsen earned the win on the mound, while Brady Hochstein came on in relief to record the save.

Hartington was scheduled to return to action June 3 at South Sioux City before coming home for a tournament featuring Dakota Valley, Parkston, Renner and Seward.

PLV (1-1) 1 0 3 0 1 0 0 - 5 5 6

HAR (4-0) 100317X — 12 10 4 WP: Breiton Whitmire. LP: Chase Thomas.

2B: Wyatt Schroth (P); Koby Detlefsen (H).

Hartington leaders: Tate Fischer 2-3, 2 runs, RBI; Hunter Bensen 2-4, 2 runs, RBI; Koby Detlefsen 2-3, double, 3 RBIs, run, walk; Sam Wiebelhaus 1-3, 2 RBIs, walk; Hudson Whitmire 1-2, 2 runs.

Hartington 4, Wayne 2 WAY (4-1) 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 - 2 6 1 HAR 30001 Ox —4 WP: Koby Detlefsen. LP: Adrian Contreras. Save: Brady Hochstein.

3B: Hunter Bensen (H). HR: Drew Reinhardt (W).

Hartington leaders: Tate Fischer 2-3, run, RBI; Hunter Bensen 1-3, triple, run, 2 RBIs; Koby Detlefsen RBI; Grady Haberer 1-3.

Hartington 8, Pierce 0 HAR (4-0) 1 5 2 0 0 - 86 1 PIE(0-4)00000 -00 1 WP: Breiton Whitmire. LP: Bode Sweeney.

2B: Easton Hochstein (H). HR: Sam Wiebelhaus (H).

Hartington leaders: Breiton Whitmire 2 runs, 2 walks; Tate Fischer 1-3, run, RBI; Hunter Bensen 1-3; Koby Detlefsen 1-2, run, walk; Grady Haberer 2 runs; Easton Hochstein 1-2, double, RBI; Sam Wiebelhaus 1-1, home run, 2 RBIs.

Hartington pitching was the story of the game against Plainview as Rylan Fischer and Dawson Dresden combined to hurl a one-hitter over the seven inning contest.

Dresden started the game and allowed one run and Fischer finished the game and picked up the win allowing one run on one hit while striking out 10 in his five innings of work.

Post 4 broke up a 1-1 tie in the second inning with three runsin the second. Dresden worked a walk to open the Hartington half of the second frame then Blake Bensen was plunked by the Plainview pitcher to put runners on first and second with nobody out.

After a Post 4 strikeout, both runners advanced on a passed ball then Maddox Haberer lifted a base hit into center field scoring Dresden and moving Bensen to third. Haberer advanced to second on the throw back into the infield.

Hudson Whitmire was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Gavin Klug hit a fly ball to center which was deep enough to getBensen home and advanced Maddox Haberer to third.

Grady Haberer singled past the shortstop and Maddox Haberer scored. The inning ended when a Hartington runner was picked off of first base, but Post 4 had built a 4-1 advantage.

Hartington posted another run in the fourth and Plainview added a run in the fifth, but Fischer got the final six outs to grab the win for Post 4.

Post 4 won a last-inning walkoff over Wayne Rolling Hills Pot 43 after scoring six runs in the final two frames to take an 8-7 win.

Bensen opened the Hartington seventh getting on board with a Post 43 error by the shortstop.

Dresden smacked a line drive to left field that was caught then a Post 4 strikeout left Bensen at third after he stole a couple of bases with two outs.

Maddox Haberer hit a fly ball to left field which was dropped by the left fielder scoring Bensen which tied the game.

Whitmire was hit by a pitch then Gavin Klug stepped to the plate and rifled a single into left field which scored Maddox Haberer and ended the game.

Wayne took a 3-2 lead into the sixth inning,but Hartington put up four runs in the bottom of the sixth to take the lead 6-3.

Dresden, Whitmire, Gavin Klug and Grady Haberer all scored in the sixth. Post 43 scored four runs to put the pressure on and take a 7-6lead setting up the walkoff for Hartington in the last at bat.

The Post 4 pitching was on display again against Pierce Fischerand Grady Haberer combined for a one-hitter and the Hartington bats recorded eight hits, took advantage of seven walks and enjoyed seven Pierce errors to plate 12 runs.

Hartington pitching allowed just two free passes while striking out nine Pierce batters in the contest which was stopped after five innings by the run rule.

Post 4 was set to travel to South Sioux City on June 3 before hosting the West Point Junior Bombers on June 8 and Stanton on June 9 before a date with Crofton on June 10 in Crofton.

PLV (0-2) 1 0 0 0 1 0 0-2 1 1 HAR (4-0) 1 3 0 1 0 0 X - 5 4 1 WP: Rylen Fischer LP: Zach Frahm.

2B: Grady Haberer (H).

Lineup AB R H RBI BB SO Hudson Whitmire 2 0 0 0 1 0 Gavin Klug 1 2 0 1 2 0 Grady Haberer 2 0 2 1 0 0 Rylan Fischer 2 0 0 2 0 0 Keaton Keiser 2 0 0 0 0 1 Dawson Dresden 2 1 0 0 1 2 Blake Bensen 1 1 1 0 0 0 Marcus Haberman 2 0 0 0 1 2 Maddux Haberer 2 1 1 1 0 1 Eli Bensen 1 0 0 0 0 0 TEAM 17 5 4 5 5 6 WAY (2-1)000304-711 4 HAR (4-0) 0 0 0 1 1 4 2 - 8 6 1 WP: Hudson Whitmire LP: Brayden Stegemann.

2B: Easton Endicott (2), Spencer Moormeier (2) (W); Grady Haberer, Gacin Klug, Rylan Fischer (H). 3B: Spencer Moormeier (W). Lineup AB R H RBI BB S< Hudson Whitmire 3 1 1 0 1 1 Gavin Klug 4 2 3 1 0 1 Grady Haberer 3 1 1 2 1 1 Rylan Fischer 3 0 1 3 1 2 Keaton Keiser 4 0 0 0 0 4 Blake Bensen 3 1 0 0 0 1 Dawson Dresden 2 1 0 0 0 1 Marcus Haberman 3 0 0 0 0 2 Keyan Wickre 1 1 0 0 1 1 Maddux Haberer 2 1 0 0 0 0 TEAM 28 8 HAR 2 2 1 6 1 XX 128 1 PIE 0 00 1 0XX 1 1 7 6 6 4 14 WP: Rylan Fischer LP: B. Wolken. HR: Grady Lineup AB R H RBI BB SO Hudson Whitmire 4 1 2 1 0 0 Gavin Klug 4 0 0 1 0 0 Grady Haberer 3 3 3 3 0 0 Rylan Fischer 2 1 1 0 2 0 Keaton Keiser 0 2 0 0 2 0 Marcus Haberman 3 1 1 1 1 2 Blake Bensen 4 1 1 2 0 3 Keyan Wickre 1 2 0 0 2 1 Maddux Haberer 3 1 0 0 0 2 TEAM 24 12 8 8 7 8

WYNOT — Devon Lammers made sure the night ended early.

Lammers blasted two home runs and helped power a 17-hit Wynot attack Thursday as the Expos shook off a slow start and rolled past the Menno Mad Frogs, 15-5, in seven innings at Terry Foxhoven Field.

The game ended by the 10-run rule when Lammers launched his second homer of the night in the bottom of the seventh.

“We had a slow start, but we hit the ball well and had a couple of big innings,” Expos manager Lee Heimes said. “It was good to get out and string together some hits.”

Lammers finished 4-for-5 with two home runs, a double and three RBIs.

Menno looked sharp early, scoring three runs in the second inning and adding two more in the top of the third to grab a 5-0 lead.

The Expos did not stay quiet for long.

Wynot started its comeback in the bottom of the third after Jackson Sudbeck and Heimes both reached base on errors. Jalen Wieseler made the Mad Frogs pay, driving a 1-0 fastball over the left-field wall to cut the deficit to 5-3.

Jesse Lundahl then reached on another Menno error and scored on a Lammers double to pull Wynot within 5-4.

The Expos took control for good one inning later.

Sudbeck worked a oneout walk and Heimes followed with a line drive into right field, moving to second on the throw. Jalen Wieseler was intentionally walked to load the bases before Lundahl reached on another Menno error, tying the game at 5-5.

Landon Wieseler then doubled to right field to score Heimes and give Wynot a 6-5 lead. Pinch runner Dylan Heine was thrown out at the plate on the play, but the Expos had taken the lead for good.

Sudbeck took over on the mound for starter Landon Wieseler and shut Menno down the rest of the way.

“Jackson came in and pitched well to hold them down,” Heimes said. “And our defense played well for him.”

Sudbeck worked four scoreless innings, allowing just two hits while striking out eight to earn the win.

With Sudbeck in control, the Wynot bats kept swinging.

Lammers opened the bottom of the fifth with a line-drive homer to left field. Six straight singles by Carson Wieseler, Sudbeck, Heimes, Jalen Wieseler, Lundahl and Landon Wieseler helped push the lead to 10-5.

The Expos added four more runs in the sixth before Lammers ended the game with his second long ball in the seventh.

Wynot will be back at home June 4, against Yankton.

Menno0 32 0 0 00-555 Wynot 0 0 4 2 4 4 1 - 15 17 1 WP: Jackson Sudbeck. LP: Macon Opplinger. 2B: Menno — Kyle Munkvold, Brayden Sattler; Wynot — Devon Lammers, Landon Wieseler. HR: Wynot — Jalen Wieseler, Devon Lammers 2.

Both golfers fired 150s to tie for 13th and earn medals at the Indianhead Golf Course.

Ulrich started the tourney out with a first-day 79, but caught fire on the second day to finish with a 71. His 71 was the best outing of any Cedar golfer during the two-day stretch.

As a team, Cedar Catholic finished ninth in the event.

Fremont Bergan defeated Adams Central in a playoff to earn the team trophy. Kearney Catholic’s Nash Malone took medalist honors by two strokes with a 5-under par 139.

Team scoring

1. Bergan Catholic, 294-297—591; 

2. Adams Central, 303-288—591;

 3. Kearney Catholic, 302-298—600; 

4. St. Paul, 305-301—606; 

5. Lincoln Christian, 312-300—612; 

6. Bishop Neumann, 322-294—616; 

7. Norfolk Catholic, 313-309—622; 

8. Johnson-Brock 307-324—631; 

9. Cedar Catholic, 335-312—647; 

10. Battle Creek, 324-324—648;

11. Gothenburg, 328-324—652; 

12. Cozad, 341-313—654; 

13. Omaha Brownell Talbot, 337-320—657;

14. Ogallala, 333-331—664;

15. Boone Central 343-339—682.

Individual medalists

1. Nash Malone, Kearney Catholic, 68-71—139; 

2. Myles Smith, Sutton, 69-72—141; 

3. Brenson Underwood, Adams Central, 75-67—142; 

4. Braeden Dyer, Adams Central, 71-71—142;

5. Jack Alberts, Grand Island CC, 72-71—143; 

6. Boston Bojanski, Bergan, 71-72—143; 

7. Brooke Thiele, Neumann, 76-68—144;

8. Benjamin Mooss, Lincoln Christian, 75-69—144; 

9. Casen Kavan, St. Paul, 75-71—146; 

10. Colten Butler, Superior, 74-73—147; 

11. Jackson Luebbe, Bergan, 73-75—148; 

12. David Watson, Lincoln Christian, 76-73—149; 

13. Memphis Ulrich, Cedar Catholic, 79-71—150; 

13. Gavin Lindgren, Battle Creek, 78-72—150;

15. Dalton Kumm, Bergan, 76-74—150;

16; Brody Sudbeck, Omaha Brownell Talbot, 76-74—150; 

17. Trey Mooney, Bergan, 74-76—150; 

18. Beau Paro, St. Paul, 75-75—150; 

19; Brayden Kosch, Norfolk Catholic, 73-78—151; 

20. Will Brockhaus, Norfolk Catholic, 80-74—154.

Cedar Catholic and HNS golfers

Toby Heine, Cedar, 87-73—160; Maverick Heine, Cedar, 82-84—166; Langston Christensen, Cedar, 87-84—171; Landyn Keiser, Cedar, 91-87—178; Kayne Gratzfeld, Hartington- Newcastle, 87-93—180