Turning the corner — Mater Dei senior tail back Brett Hilmes gets the edge for Mater Dei in the second quarter of their rout over St. Teresa on Friday in Breese. Hilmes had 31 yards rushing and one reception for MD. PHOTO BY JEREMY CHAWGO The Mater Dei Knights football team kept their brief playoff hopes alive after a record-tying win on Friday with their 65-39 win over visiting St. Teresa.
The 65 points ties the school record from 2021 against Alton Marquette. The Knights are now 3-5 on the season and will need to upset Mt. Zion on Friday at home to have a chance to crack the playoffs.
Mt. Zion is the state’s fourth-ranked team in Class 4A with a 7-1 record. Their lone loss is to state power house Rochester.
As for Friday’s win, the start was not what head coach Jim Stiebel envisioned as the Bulldogs took the opening kickoff back to the house for a 98-yard touchdown.
Mater Dei was forced to punt on their opening possession after just three plays, setting up another St. Teresa scoring drive.
The Bulldogs needed just six plays to go 45 yards when Gavin Paul hit Eli Etchason for a three-yard touchdown and a 14-0 lead just three minutes into the contest.
“We didn’t start out real great and we have to get better than that,” said Mater Dei head coach Jim Stiebel. “We have to have better composure out of our seniors. I’m not real happy with the way they carried themselves tonight.”
Jump ball — Mater Dei senior Beckett Wade elevates for a pass against the defense of St. Teresa’s KJ Kenison in the first half of the Knights 65-39 win over the Bulldogs on Friday. Wade had 68 yards receiving. PHOTO BY JEREMY CHAWGO The Knights righted the ship from there, outscoring the Bulldogs 65-25 behind sophomore quarterback Hunter Hochbaum.
Mater Dei got on the board on their third possession of the football when Brett Hilmes ran in from eight yards out to get MD within 14-7 with just over four minutes left in the opening frame.
After the next St. Teresa drive stalled at midfield, Mater Dei needed just one play to get even when Hochbaum hit Reed Pingsterhaus on a 49-yard touchdown pass to get the game at 14-14 entering the second quarter.
Mater Dei had their best quarter of the season in the second frame when they put up 30 points.
Their first score was a nine-play drive that was capped on a 15-yard touchdown completion from Hochbaum to Bentley Nicklin for a 21-14 lead.
“He gets better each week and there are still things that he can improve on,” added Stiebel. “Hunter tries to make something out of nothing some times and needs to just throw it away.”
St. Teresa got the game back tied for the final time when Paul connected with Reid Douglass on a 48-yard touchdown pass for a 21-21 score with 5:49 left in the first half.
To the house — Mater Dei defensive star Dylan Souder takes a pick-six to the house in the Knights record-tying win on Friday in Breese. The 65-39 win tied for the most points in a game in school history for MD. PHOTO BY JEREMY CHAWGO Mater Dei needed just two plays to answer the Bulldogs’ score when Hochbaum hit Pingsterhaus for another 49-yard touchdown completion for a 28-21 lead with 5:11 remaining.
The Mater Dei special teams got two points on their own with a bad snap on a punt to extend their lead to 30-21.
Mater Dei’s next drive stalled before the MD defense picked them up. MD freshman Dylan Souder scouted a Paul pass route, picked the ball off and took it to the house for a 30-yard touchdown return and a 37-21 lead with three minutes remaining.
Pingsterhuas came up big on defense with another MD interception to set up the Knights for the final score of the half.
Hochbaum scrambled up the middle for a nine-yard touchdown and a 44-21 lead entering the half. MD had 372 yards of offense in the first half while St. Teresa garnered just 95 yards.
Mater Dei started the second half where they left off in the first half, when they needed just four plays to march 80 yards and convert on a two-yard touchdown run from Hochbaum for a 51-27 lead.
St. Teresa got back in the scoring column when Landric Cox ran in from 15 yards out to get the Bulldogs within 51-27 with 4:45 left in the third quarter.
After both teams threw interceptions, St. Teresa found themselves back in the end zone when Cox hit Reid Douglass on a 46-yard touchdown completion as they got within 51-33 starting the fourth quarter.
Mater Dei responded once again when Hochbaum hit Bodie Brockmeier on a 21-yard touchdown pass and a 58-33 lead.
Brockmeier found the end zone once again when he ran it in from 11 yards out to give Mater Dei their biggest lead at 65-33 with 5:30 left to play.
The Bulldogs got the final score of the game when Erik Hayden hit Tylinn Davis for a 56-yard touchdown completion.
Hochbaum was the man for the Knights as he finished 13-of-23 through the air for 367 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions. He also ran the ball 16 times for 75 yards and two more touchdowns.
Brockmeier had 11 carries for 77 yards with a score and one catch for another touchdown. Pingsterhaus had three catches for 99 yards and two scores. Nicklin had five catches for 117 yards and a score.
“We are starting to get things going in the running game, we just have to be more consistent at it and finish off more blocks,” Stiebel said.
Luke Etheridge led the defense with 10 tackles while Lydon Barwick added six tackles and two sacks.
St. Teresa had three players throw passes in the loss with Douglass leading the receivers with seven catches for 118 yards and two scores.
