The Ord Chanticleers closed out the regular season Thursday night with a 52-6 home loss to a talented Cedar Catholic Trojan team. The loss moves Ord to 7-2 on the season as the Chanticleers now turn their attention toward the Class C2 state playoffs.
Cedar Catholic grabbed the early momentum, scoring once in the first quarter before adding 17 points in the second to take a 24-0 halftime lead. The Trojans continued to pull away in the third quarter, including a 21-yard interception return for a touchdown. Ord continued to battle and got on the scoreboard in the fourth quarter when Jordan Williams connected with Knox Nelson for a 29-yard touchdown pass. The two-point conversion was unsuccessful, and Cedar Catholic went on to earn the 52-6 victory.
The Chanticleers finished with 128 yards of total offense. Williams led Ord on the ground with 55 yards on 12 carries and completed three passes for 43 yards and a touchdown. Kane Whited added 20 rushing yards, while Nelson led the receivers with a 29-yard touchdown reception.
Defensively, Howard Winkelbauer led the Chanticleers with eight tackles and a tackle for loss. Nolan Woodward added four tackles, two assists, and a tackle for loss, while Landon Truax and Beau Wells each recorded three tackles.
Turnovers proved costly for Ord, as the Chanticleers finished with four giveaways. Cedar Catholic totaled 327 yards of offense, including 215 yards on the ground. Despite dropping the final two games of the regular season, Ord finishes with a strong 7-2 record and has earned the No. 4 seed in the Class C2 Nebraska State Football Playoffs.
Ord will host Fillmore Central on Friday at 7:00 p.m. in the opening round of the playoffs. The Chanticleers will look to respond, get back to the things that helped them start the season 7-0, and take advantage of the opportunity to play postseason football in front of their home crowd.