The state high school athletic association has posted football schedules for 2016-17 (Iowa goes on a two-year rotation for class assignment and scheduling, so 2017 will be identical to 2016 except for swapping home and away games) - and it's true, Linn-Mar will play Xavier these two seasons. How's that for burying the lead?
Again, we're dealing with some significant changes compared to 2014-15. Class 3A (as well as most of the other classes) are now made up of seven 8-team districts, instead of eight 7-team districts. This means one more district game on the schedule, with the only non-district games coming in the first two weeks of the season. Additionally, only 16 teams in each class advance to the playoffs, rather than the 32 we've had since 2008. Bigger districts + fewer playoff teams = more competitive district races with more good teams finding themselves left out of the postseason.
Let's look quickly at District 3, followed by Xavier's schedule. Of the eight teams in the district, you have to figure Xavier, Decorah and Independence at least are going to be strong contenders. Xavier went 9-1 last year, and will return key starters at quarterback, tailback, and on both front lines. Decorah knocked off Xavier in the playoffs and made it to the quarterfinals, and they return a lot of experience. Independence is coming off two straight solid years, and despite first-round playoff exits in both seasons, is developing a tough program. Then you've got South Tama, moving up from 2A and an 11-1 season, and an always-solid Waverly-Shell Rock squad that's lost to Xavier in the playoffs the last two years. That's five of the eight teams that should be in the mix for the district title - Benton Community, Charles City and Vinton-Shellsburg probably, probably aren't cut out to be contenders, but one never knows until you get out on the field.
Now to the schedule for the Saints, starting with the two non-district games:
Friday August 26 - Iowa City Regina (1A) at Xavier
The Regals have won six consecutive state championships, with two losses - total! - in those six seasons. One of those losses, though, was Xavier's incredible comeback last October, when the Saints stormed back from a 35-0 halftime deficit to win the game 38-35 on a field goal as time expired. Even with the two-class difference, these two parochial schools have the makings of a solid rivalry.
Friday September 2 - Xavier at Linn-Mar (4A)
In the old MVC days, Xavier pretty much had Linn-Mar's number. The Saints beat the Lions all nine times they played prior to 2009, then avenged a 14-7 regular season loss that year with a 41-3 beatdown in the second round of the playoffs. Their last meeting was Xavier's final regular season game in the MVC, when the Saints rolled 44-14 behind Brendan Miller's school-record 271 yards rushing and 4 touchdowns. I'm sure the entire Xavier community is looking forward to playing a former MVC partner, and not the least, enjoying the excellent facility the Linn-Mar stadium offers.
Friday September 9 - Xavier at Benton Community
District play starts at Newhall, against the Bobcats. Benton Community made the playoffs last year at 5-4, after finishing 6th in their district the three years prior. Still, the Bobcats have a tough road in District 3, although pairing Benton Community and Xavier in the same district makes a ton of geographic sense (they're less than 30 miles apart).
Friday September 16 - Charles City at Xavier
After two straight road games, the Saints will alternate home and away the rest of the season. The Comets played an exciting and competitive playoff game at Xavier in 2014, but that year was an exception - Charles City won just three games combined in 2012, 2013 and 2015.
Friday September 23 - Xavier at Decorah
A long two-hour road trip faces the Saints as they look for payback for last year's unexpected playoff defeat. The Vikings look to continue their tradition of excellence with a solid core of returning players, and no doubt expect to keep a strong claim on the top of their district (district champions in 2012 and 2013, with a state 3A championship in 2012). This game could mean a lot for district rankings and playoff qualifications for this season.
Friday September 30 - Independence at Xavier
Xavier gets perhaps their two toughest district rivals back-to-back, as Independence won 6 games in 2014 and 8 games last year. The Mustangs also share with Xavier an unexpected early 2015 playoff exit at the hands of Decorah, as the Vikings took down Indee in the first round before knocking off Xavier last year.
Friday October 7 - Xavier at Waverly-Shell Rock
The Go-Hawks have played two tough, physical playoff games at Saints Field the past two seasons, with Xavier barely holding on for a 14-7 win last year. Now the Saints have to go to Waverly, where the Go-Hawks hope to continue their streak of playoff appearances and build on their 55-37 record since 2007.
Friday October 14 - Vinton-Shellsburg at Xavier
It's the second District 3 team with the Vikings mascot, but this one doesn't quite have the tradition of Decorah. I don't believe Vinton-Shellsburg has ever qualified for the playoffs, and haven't finished above fifth in their district since at least 2011. Former Cedar Rapids Jefferson coach Jim Womochil has led the Vikings since 2012, but has only managed 10 victories in four years.
Friday October 21 - Xavier at South Tama
A trip west on Highway 30 to end the season, against a team that had great success in Class 2A the past two seasons. The Trojans went 19-4 with three playoff wins, adding to their 9-3 season as a member of Class 3A in 2012 (2013 was a down year, as they finished sixth in their district). Will the Trojans continue their path of excellence after moving up a class? Could this regular season finale have a tremendous impact on playoff qualifications and district finish? It very well might.
With the reduction of playoff teams to 16, the postseason schedule is now a much more sane one-game-per-week affair. As far back as at least 2006 (and perhaps several years earlier), Iowa's high school football playoffs featured a first-round game on the Wednesday after the last regular season Friday game; then a second game on the following Monday; with a third game for the survivors on that upcoming Friday (or Saturday, in some classes and some seasons). That's a grueling four games in two weeks, and parents, coaches and administrators were understandably concerned about injuries and just the overall well-being of players (not to mention the impact on school days, with games and travel scheduled on school nights). Unfortunately, with the dual requirements of needing five rounds to get through a 32-team field and UNI's demand that the high school association be finished by the week before Thanksgiving, there wasn't much wiggle room to fix that.
So, the reduction in playoff qualifiers. That took an entire round out of the playoffs, and allows teams to play a full 9-game regular season, plus four rounds of playoffs, all a week apart, and still fit in the required late August/mid November window.
This year's games: First round - Friday October 28
Quarterfinals - Friday November 4
Semifinals - (3A) Thursday November 10
Championship - (3A) Thursday November 17
Friday, March 4, 2016
Monday, January 25, 2016
A Non-District Rumor! Let's Speculate ...
My previous post went into some detail about the new districts for 2016-17 and the scheduling/playoff changes that's going to bring. In the course of that, I was speculating about Xavier's two non-district opponents: I figure Regina will likely continue to be one, but the other opponent was pretty much up in the air (no local 3As will probably be interested at all; the metro 4As have said they only want to play 4A competition; Dowling didn't work out all that well for the past two seasons; Wahlert will almost certainly not have a non-district opening; Assumption, I dunno; who else?).
There's talk that an area 4A may indeed be willing to put Xavier on their non-district list. Linn-Mar may have interest in resuming a series with the Saints for 2016-17, as a non-district game. Frankly, this is somewhat of a surprise, at least at this point. The impression has been the Cedar Rapids-area 4A schools don't want to play Xavier because 1) they say there's nothing in it for them - beat Xavier, and you were supposed to since you're bigger; lose to them, and you just lost to a lower-class opponent; 2) Saints Field is looked down upon as a field and a facility, compared to Kingston and the other local 4A fields; 3) the attendance boost for Xavier games at Kingston, say, really wouldn't make up for a return game at Xavier; 4) the 4A schools have no difficulty in filling out their non-district schedule with 4A competition only; and 5) there's some lingering resentment against Xavier, as they are seen as ditching the MVC and bringing about the district system to the eastern part of the state (this opinion really isn't true at all, as I've pointed out before - Assumption and the MAC schools were the first to petition to go to districts, and Xavier pledged to remain in the MVC as long as membership and scheduling didn't change. Once Wahlert dropped to 3A, that cat was out of the bag).
I did expect this attitude to thaw over time, with maybe four to six seasons before the metro 4As might consider putting Xavier back on their schedules. So this talk, that Linn-Mar might agree to play the Saints after just two seasons of district play, is earlier than I would have thought. I'm glad to hear it, though ... the travel aspect is huge (especially with Xavier being stuck in a district along with Decorah, Charles City and Waverly-Shell Rock, while Linn-Mar's district includes Burlington and Ottumwa) and Linn-Mar's facilities are awesome (the Saints got only one game at the new Linn-Mar field before moving to 3A).
There's still no real problem with the area 4As being able to fill their four non-district games with 4A opponents. Here's the eastern Iowa 4A district setup:
4A DISTRICT 5
There's talk that an area 4A may indeed be willing to put Xavier on their non-district list. Linn-Mar may have interest in resuming a series with the Saints for 2016-17, as a non-district game. Frankly, this is somewhat of a surprise, at least at this point. The impression has been the Cedar Rapids-area 4A schools don't want to play Xavier because 1) they say there's nothing in it for them - beat Xavier, and you were supposed to since you're bigger; lose to them, and you just lost to a lower-class opponent; 2) Saints Field is looked down upon as a field and a facility, compared to Kingston and the other local 4A fields; 3) the attendance boost for Xavier games at Kingston, say, really wouldn't make up for a return game at Xavier; 4) the 4A schools have no difficulty in filling out their non-district schedule with 4A competition only; and 5) there's some lingering resentment against Xavier, as they are seen as ditching the MVC and bringing about the district system to the eastern part of the state (this opinion really isn't true at all, as I've pointed out before - Assumption and the MAC schools were the first to petition to go to districts, and Xavier pledged to remain in the MVC as long as membership and scheduling didn't change. Once Wahlert dropped to 3A, that cat was out of the bag).
I did expect this attitude to thaw over time, with maybe four to six seasons before the metro 4As might consider putting Xavier back on their schedules. So this talk, that Linn-Mar might agree to play the Saints after just two seasons of district play, is earlier than I would have thought. I'm glad to hear it, though ... the travel aspect is huge (especially with Xavier being stuck in a district along with Decorah, Charles City and Waverly-Shell Rock, while Linn-Mar's district includes Burlington and Ottumwa) and Linn-Mar's facilities are awesome (the Saints got only one game at the new Linn-Mar field before moving to 3A).
There's still no real problem with the area 4As being able to fill their four non-district games with 4A opponents. Here's the eastern Iowa 4A district setup:
4A DISTRICT 5
- Cedar Falls
- Cedar Rapids Jefferson
- Cedar Rapids Washington
- Mason City
- Waterloo East
- Waterloo West
4A DISTRICT 6
- Davenport West
- Dubuque Hempstead
- Dubuque Senior
- North Scott
- Pleasant Valley
- Western Dubuque
4A DISTRICT 7
- Bettendorf
- Clinton
- Davenport Central
- Davenport North
- Iowa City High
- Muscatine
4A DISTRICT 8
- Burlington
- Cedar Rapids Kennedy
- Iowa City West
- Linn-Mar
- Ottumwa
- Prairie
All the Cedar Rapids-area schools have at least two non-district games all set up right in the metro, with Wash and Jeff having three possibilities. For Linn-Mar, though, other than Wash and Jeff there aren't obvious local opponents - potential trips to Dubuque, Epworth, Iowa City or the Quad Cities, perhaps. Filling one more non-district game with Xavier would be really handy for the Lions.
Again, just a rumor. We've got about a month until schedules come out, and then we'll know.
Friday, January 22, 2016
The Future Is Now ... Or At Least Future Opponents
It's the depths of winter, which means Snowpocalypse 2016 is bearing down on the eastern seaboard while we midwesterners tire of our winter coats and stocking caps ... oh, and also that the Iowa High School Athletic Association has made everyone's January with their bi-annual release of the new football districts!
There's some really substantial changes in the district system for 2016-17. For one, as we all knew last fall, the state is going to reduce playoff qualifiers from 32 to 16 per class. That knocks a round out of the playoffs, which allows all the games to be scheduled on Fridays (or Thursdays, or Saturdays for Dome games) and eliminates the Wednesday-Monday-Friday gauntlet players had to face in prior seasons. Then, another pretty huge change was to make seven districts of eight teams each, instead of eight districts of seven (for Classes 3A through A; 4A and eight-player are set up differently because 4A has only 48 members and eight-player has, I think, 62). Coaches and athletic directors mostly drove this change, as they wanted more district games on the schedule and fewer games that didn't count toward playoff eligibility. However, this complicated playoff selection because, well ... math. Sixteen doesn't go into seven, not even with a sledgehammer.
So we've got wild cards! And I'm not talking about jokers ... although the River City Jokers would be a pretty awesome team name for some school. Anyway - the top two finishers in each district get into the playoffs. With seven districts, that's 14. The final two qualifiers will be determined using the following tiebreakers:
There's some really substantial changes in the district system for 2016-17. For one, as we all knew last fall, the state is going to reduce playoff qualifiers from 32 to 16 per class. That knocks a round out of the playoffs, which allows all the games to be scheduled on Fridays (or Thursdays, or Saturdays for Dome games) and eliminates the Wednesday-Monday-Friday gauntlet players had to face in prior seasons. Then, another pretty huge change was to make seven districts of eight teams each, instead of eight districts of seven (for Classes 3A through A; 4A and eight-player are set up differently because 4A has only 48 members and eight-player has, I think, 62). Coaches and athletic directors mostly drove this change, as they wanted more district games on the schedule and fewer games that didn't count toward playoff eligibility. However, this complicated playoff selection because, well ... math. Sixteen doesn't go into seven, not even with a sledgehammer.
So we've got wild cards! And I'm not talking about jokers ... although the River City Jokers would be a pretty awesome team name for some school. Anyway - the top two finishers in each district get into the playoffs. With seven districts, that's 14. The final two qualifiers will be determined using the following tiebreakers:
- Any team considered a district champion (in other words, if you have a three-way tie in a district)
- District record
- Head-to-head (which includes both district and non-district games, which is a bit interesting)
- Point differential (changing the 13-point differential system to a 17-point system)
- Alphabetical, with the starting letter determined by a random draw
The head-to-head thing is interesting because this is the first and only instance where a non-district game can have any impact on playoff qualification. Some observers had complained in the past about non-district games having no meaning, being essentially exhibition games, because the results of those games had nothing to do with the postseason. Your playoff status was based entirely on your district finish/district record/district point differential. You could lose all three of your non-district games 87-0, but win your six district games and you're district champion with perhaps three home playoff games. And with the crazy setup of 4A districts the past two years, with a couple of districts that had only five members, those teams had more non-district games (5) than district ones (4).
So, firstly, by expanding the districts to eight you now have seven games that apply toward the playoffs, instead of six. Adding in the head-to-head caveat now could mean schools might try to avoid non-district games within their class. For example, say Xavier schedules Wahlert as a non-district game (wait, you're saying. I thought Wahlert was in Xavier's district. That's yesterday's news, man. More on that to come). Wahlert ekes out a last-second win, but hey ... it's just a non-district game, means nothing for the postseason, right? Then, consider Xavier and Wahlert both end up with identical district records, good enough to get into the field of 16, except there's already 15 teams that have qualified. Wahlert would get the nod, thanks to their non-district head-to-head win, even if Xavier's point differential was better. There's certainly a school of thought that says you could avoid this outcome by simply not playing anybody else in your class, outside your district foes. That seems a little conspiracy-game theory-overthinking things in my mind, but it's out there.
I would wager the Xavier-Iowa City Regina game will continue as a non-district matchup. Nobody else in 1A wants to play Regina; the Regals already have one 3A rivalry opponent in Solon, so playing Xavier again would fill their dance card. Xavier's other non-district game, though ... I'm not sure. I don't think the Dowling experiment worked out so well, considering the travel and the weather difficulties. Wahlert is going to fill their non-district schedule with metro 4A opponents Hempstead and Senior. Assumption is a possibility, as they'd need another non-district game in addition to Bettendorf, although the whole in-class/head-to-head thing might be a consideration. Outside of those other parochial schools, I really don't know who might be a possible opponent. Center Point-Urbana, Marion, and Clear Creek-Amana are all neighbors, as well as Solon, but I doubt any of them would volunteer to play Xavier. The Cedar Rapids 4A schools (who have four non-district games to fill instead of two) have made it pretty clear they only want to play other 4A teams. It's a mystery at this point. We'll find out in about a month.
OKAY! The Districts! Who's where? What's changed? How much travel is there going to be (a lot)?
3A DISTRICT 1 (Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley drops to 2A)
- Algona
- Humboldt
- LeMars
- Sergeant Bluff-Luton
- Sioux City Heelan
- Spencer
- Spirit Lake (up from 2A)
- Storm Lake
3A DISTRICT 2
- Ballard
- Boone
- Dallas Center-Grimes
- Gilbert
- Greene County
- Iowa Falls-Alden (up from 2A)
- Perry
- Webster City
3A DISTRICT 3 (Crestwood drops to 2A)
- Benton Community
- Charles City
- Decorah
- Independence
- South Tama (up from 2A)
- Vinton-Shellsburg
- Waverly-Shell Rock
- Xavier
3A DISTRICT 4 (Western Dubuque moves up to 4A)
- Center Point-Urbana (up from 2A)
- Central DeWitt
- Clear Creek-Amana
- Davenport Assumption
- Dubuque Wahlert
- Maquoketa
- Marion
- West Delaware
3A DISTRICT 5
- Fairfield
- Fort Madison
- Keokuk
- Mount Pleasant
- Oskaloosa
- Solon
- Washington
- West Burlington/Notre Dame (up from 2A)
3A DISTRICT 6 (Chariton and Saydel drop to 2A, Newton moves up to 4A)
- Bondurant-Farrar
- Carlisle
- Grinnell
- Knoxville
- Nevada
- North Polk (up from 2A)
- Norwalk
- Pella
3A DISTRICT 7
- ADM
- Atlantic
- Carroll
- Creston
- Denison-Schleswig
- Glenwood
- Harlan
- Winterset
A couple of odd things: Xavier was essentially plucked out of District 4 and added to the old District 3 (which had also lost Crestwood and had West Delaware moved out); Benton and South Tama also got added to the same district as Decorah. That's a 123-mile trip from Tama to Decorah. Meanwhile, Center Point-Urbana, Independence, Wahlert and West Delaware - all closer geographically to the old District 3 - got put into District 4 in eastern Iowa.
The oddest thing, though, is Solon's inclusion in District 5 while Clear Creek-Amana goes to District 4. Solon is north of Tiffin, not by a lot, but north. So the Spartans can wave at the Clippers as their bus goes past on their trips to Keokuk and Fort Madison ... If you draw the district boundaries on a map, the contortions to have Solon go south and CCA go east are obvious. And I don't know why the state chose to do that.
Heck, let's look at a map:
See the weird zigzag there in the boundaries along I-80 south of Cedar Rapids? Imagine how much cleaner that would look if it were CCA in the red District 5 and Solon in the aqua District 4. Oh, well.
The actual schedules won't be out until late February. Then schools will know who they play when, and where. Remember, with the two-year district system, the schedules will be the same in 2016 and 2017, with only the home field reversed.
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
It's Gotta End Sometime
The second-round playoff game outcome was certainly unexpected, but this was no fluke. The Decorah Vikings used their oversized offensive line and a lot of sorcery in the backfield to run over, through and past the Xavier Saints in their 30-21 upset victory. Decorah keeps on going after a 4-5 regular season finish, having now knocked off 8-1 Independence and 9-0 Xavier.
After last Wednesday's struggle with a tough, hard-nosed Waverly-Shell Rock team, you might expect Xavier to come out prepared for another battle. Instead, the Saints fumbled (and recovered) the opening kickoff, then fumbled (and lost) the ball on their first play. Decorah recovered in Saints territory and drove 29 yards in six plays to take a quick 7-0 lead. The Saints went rhree and out on the next possession, and the Vikings put together a 14-play drive capped by a 28-yard field goal to take a 10-0 first quarter lead.
The mention of driving is crucial. The Saints defense, which had been so good throughout the year, simply couldn't get the Vikings off the field. Decorah converted on 5 out of 8 third down plays in the first half, and on one of the three they didn't get, they converted on 4th down. So Xavier had 8 chances to stop drives, and could only do it twice.
The second quarter, though, did go Xavier's way. After finally forcing a three and out and getting great field position at the Decorah 45, Bryce Schulte evaded a pass rush, doubled back across the field, and threw a strike to a diving Blake Whitten right at the pylon to make it 10-7. Sean Murphy then intercepted Cole Steffen on Decorah's next possession, and Maliki Wilson led a nice Xavier drive down to the 9. There Schulte faked the quick throw/wide receiver screen (which the Saints have run a lot in recent games), then ran straight upfield on the quarterback draw for the score. Xavier took the lead 14-10.
But Decorah answered. On 2nd and 10 on their own 49, Steffen gave to Zach Lea on a quick fullback trap. It was the same type of play that worked well for Xavier this year, especially against Regina. It worked against the Saints this time, as Lea found no defenders on the left side of the field once he got past the line of scrimmage and ran 51 yards to put the Vikings back up 17-14. Xavier got another interception late with a shot to get back in the end zone, but a long Schulte throw was incomplete as the clock expired.
The third quarter was a struggle. Both teams traded possessions, unable to get much positive yardage going until Xavier took over at their 36. The Saints picked up a couple of first downs, then Wilson was stopped for a 1-yard gain on 3rd and 5 at the Decorah 28. Dallas Klein came in to try a 41-yard field goal on the first play of the final period - he had nailed a 40-yarder against Marion at the end of the first half - but while he had the distance here, the kick was just wide right.
Decorah went to the air. Steffen connected with Shawn Sindelar on a wide-open throw to the middle of the field, and Sindelar went for 40 yards. On the next play, Steffen found Garrett Wise sneaking out of the backfield down the right sideline, and he took it in from 36 yards out. Decorah was back up by 10, 24-14.
Now the Saints came back. Schulte found Whitten on two big first-down conversions to get to the 5, then Erik Rodriguez pounded the ball in from the 4. The lead was now just 24-21, with still over 8 minutes to play. Xavier had been in worse positions before (Solon, Regina) and had gotten big turnovers or defensive stops late as well (Assumption, Waverly-Shell Rock). Could the defense step up here again?
Decorah once again had the answer. The Vikings went on a 12-play, 73-yard drive, converting on a 4th and 4 to stay alive, and finished it with a 7-yard Steffen run. The extra point was blocked, but it was still a two-possession game at 30-21 with under 4 minutes left.
Xavier started with a reverse, then Schulte went to the air, moving the ball downfield, picking up four first downs and driving to the 21. A short pass to Wilson got 5, then two iincompletions (including a near-catch by Nick Stark, who had to turn around and leap for what might have been a touchdown if the pass was just a touch closer). Klein came out to try the 33-yard field goal to cut the lead to 6 - but Marshall Johnson came in hard from the left side and blocked the kick.
Xavier still had a couple of time outs with a chance to force a punt, but that Decorah offense just kept pushing. Wise's 5-yard carry on 3rd and 4 sealed the game.
An entertaining, competitive game, to be sure - but hardly anybody expected this outcome. Decorah had been outscored and outgained on the year, giving up over 300 yards per game. The Vikings had lost their first three (including to a couple of 2A programs), then won four in a row, then lost their final two regular-season matchups, including a 28-7 loss to a, frankly, bad Charles City team. They had no business winning their first round matchup against an Independence squad that had already beat them once, and had only lost a close game to powerhouse West Delaware. They certainly had no business, on paper, coming down to Saints Field and controlling the line of scrimmage and handing Xavier their first loss with a nine-point win.
But here we are. Decorah moves on, facing a rematch with that strong West Delaware team. Xavier's season ends, at Saints Field for the first time since 2010 (they dropped a first-round game to Kennedy that year, in what is still one of the oddest, most dumbfounding games I've seen Xavier play, losing a fumble late that allowed Kennedy to drive for the winning score). Since then their seasons have ended at Pleasant Valley in 2011, and then in the Dome the past three years. Alas, there will be no Dome trip for the Saints in 2015.
A lot to look forward to, though. Schulte will be back, with 20 TD passes this year and 34 for his career, to go with nearly 2700 passing yards. Wilson will also return after amassing 1200+ rushing yards and 14 total touchdowns. Three-fifths of the offensive line is back, and while they will need to replace most of the defense, that's been the case for the past three seasons. Dallas Klein will no longer be the kicker (a perfect 42 for 42 on extra points this year, and 14 field goals for his career) but Ryan Jasper did a nice job as punter as a junior. There's plenty to be excited about for 2016.
After last Wednesday's struggle with a tough, hard-nosed Waverly-Shell Rock team, you might expect Xavier to come out prepared for another battle. Instead, the Saints fumbled (and recovered) the opening kickoff, then fumbled (and lost) the ball on their first play. Decorah recovered in Saints territory and drove 29 yards in six plays to take a quick 7-0 lead. The Saints went rhree and out on the next possession, and the Vikings put together a 14-play drive capped by a 28-yard field goal to take a 10-0 first quarter lead.
The mention of driving is crucial. The Saints defense, which had been so good throughout the year, simply couldn't get the Vikings off the field. Decorah converted on 5 out of 8 third down plays in the first half, and on one of the three they didn't get, they converted on 4th down. So Xavier had 8 chances to stop drives, and could only do it twice.
The second quarter, though, did go Xavier's way. After finally forcing a three and out and getting great field position at the Decorah 45, Bryce Schulte evaded a pass rush, doubled back across the field, and threw a strike to a diving Blake Whitten right at the pylon to make it 10-7. Sean Murphy then intercepted Cole Steffen on Decorah's next possession, and Maliki Wilson led a nice Xavier drive down to the 9. There Schulte faked the quick throw/wide receiver screen (which the Saints have run a lot in recent games), then ran straight upfield on the quarterback draw for the score. Xavier took the lead 14-10.
But Decorah answered. On 2nd and 10 on their own 49, Steffen gave to Zach Lea on a quick fullback trap. It was the same type of play that worked well for Xavier this year, especially against Regina. It worked against the Saints this time, as Lea found no defenders on the left side of the field once he got past the line of scrimmage and ran 51 yards to put the Vikings back up 17-14. Xavier got another interception late with a shot to get back in the end zone, but a long Schulte throw was incomplete as the clock expired.
The third quarter was a struggle. Both teams traded possessions, unable to get much positive yardage going until Xavier took over at their 36. The Saints picked up a couple of first downs, then Wilson was stopped for a 1-yard gain on 3rd and 5 at the Decorah 28. Dallas Klein came in to try a 41-yard field goal on the first play of the final period - he had nailed a 40-yarder against Marion at the end of the first half - but while he had the distance here, the kick was just wide right.
Decorah went to the air. Steffen connected with Shawn Sindelar on a wide-open throw to the middle of the field, and Sindelar went for 40 yards. On the next play, Steffen found Garrett Wise sneaking out of the backfield down the right sideline, and he took it in from 36 yards out. Decorah was back up by 10, 24-14.
Now the Saints came back. Schulte found Whitten on two big first-down conversions to get to the 5, then Erik Rodriguez pounded the ball in from the 4. The lead was now just 24-21, with still over 8 minutes to play. Xavier had been in worse positions before (Solon, Regina) and had gotten big turnovers or defensive stops late as well (Assumption, Waverly-Shell Rock). Could the defense step up here again?
Decorah once again had the answer. The Vikings went on a 12-play, 73-yard drive, converting on a 4th and 4 to stay alive, and finished it with a 7-yard Steffen run. The extra point was blocked, but it was still a two-possession game at 30-21 with under 4 minutes left.
Xavier started with a reverse, then Schulte went to the air, moving the ball downfield, picking up four first downs and driving to the 21. A short pass to Wilson got 5, then two iincompletions (including a near-catch by Nick Stark, who had to turn around and leap for what might have been a touchdown if the pass was just a touch closer). Klein came out to try the 33-yard field goal to cut the lead to 6 - but Marshall Johnson came in hard from the left side and blocked the kick.
Xavier still had a couple of time outs with a chance to force a punt, but that Decorah offense just kept pushing. Wise's 5-yard carry on 3rd and 4 sealed the game.
An entertaining, competitive game, to be sure - but hardly anybody expected this outcome. Decorah had been outscored and outgained on the year, giving up over 300 yards per game. The Vikings had lost their first three (including to a couple of 2A programs), then won four in a row, then lost their final two regular-season matchups, including a 28-7 loss to a, frankly, bad Charles City team. They had no business winning their first round matchup against an Independence squad that had already beat them once, and had only lost a close game to powerhouse West Delaware. They certainly had no business, on paper, coming down to Saints Field and controlling the line of scrimmage and handing Xavier their first loss with a nine-point win.
But here we are. Decorah moves on, facing a rematch with that strong West Delaware team. Xavier's season ends, at Saints Field for the first time since 2010 (they dropped a first-round game to Kennedy that year, in what is still one of the oddest, most dumbfounding games I've seen Xavier play, losing a fumble late that allowed Kennedy to drive for the winning score). Since then their seasons have ended at Pleasant Valley in 2011, and then in the Dome the past three years. Alas, there will be no Dome trip for the Saints in 2015.
A lot to look forward to, though. Schulte will be back, with 20 TD passes this year and 34 for his career, to go with nearly 2700 passing yards. Wilson will also return after amassing 1200+ rushing yards and 14 total touchdowns. Three-fifths of the offensive line is back, and while they will need to replace most of the defense, that's been the case for the past three seasons. Dallas Klein will no longer be the kicker (a perfect 42 for 42 on extra points this year, and 14 field goals for his career) but Ryan Jasper did a nice job as punter as a junior. There's plenty to be excited about for 2016.
Thursday, October 29, 2015
Survive And Advance
It certainly wasn't easy. In fact, it was darned difficult. But the Xavier Saints managed to stay undefeated and advance to the second round of the state 3A football playoffs with a hard-fought 14-7 win over Waverly-Shell Rock at cold, wet, windy Saints Field.
And so the playoff grind rolls on. Iowa has a rigorous or insane football playoff schedule, depending on who you ask. Winning teams end up playing four games in two weeks - the final regular season game on a Friday, the first round on the following Wednesday, the second round on the next Monday, and finally, just four days later, the quarterfinal round on that Friday. Four games, 15 days. For a violent, physical sport like football, the injuries really start to mount up under this regimen.
As far as the first round, Waverly-Shell Rock was going to be a tough first round opponent for some district champion somewhere - it just ended up being Xavier. I thought the GoHawks would probably get send to Webster City, with Xavier getting Fairfield, but the district finish situation in southwestern Iowa didn't go the way I thought and the state travel limitations kind of forced this matchup. Waverly-Shell Rock beat two 4A teams to start the season, then lost only to the three teams that finished above them in District 3. So for a fourth-place team, they were pretty good.
They showed that to the Saints, for sure. A bitter wind from the northwest swept across the field during the entire game, turning the football into a wet, hard rock that became almost impossible to catch with cold, stiff hands. The number of dropped passes had to be close to double digits. The usually reliable Xavier passing attack was limited to 24 yards on the night; not only by the weather, mind you, but by a top-notch Waverly-Shell Rock secondary that played tight coverage on the Saints receivers.
Xavier's defense was no slouch, either, holding the GoHawks to only one first down in the entire first half (that coming on the third play of the game). The Saints struggled as well, finally moving the ball some as the second quarter arrived. Bryce Schulte ran an option play - the same play that worked so well against Regina - and kept it over the right side. Then he kept running. And running. And shifting his hips, and cutting to the far side, and cutting back to the middle of the field. Schulte ended up carrying the ball 65 yards downfield (and probably 85 yards total zig-zag distance) for the game's opening touchdown.
Xavier held Waverly-Shell Rock, who then punted and pinned the Saints back at the 3 yard line. Going into the stiff wind, Xavier answered the challenge. Erik Rodriguez had a couple of big runs during an 11-play drive that covered the entire 97 yards. Sean Murphy finished it off with a 14-yard TD run, and the Saints led 14-0 at the half.
Things continued to go Xavier's way to start the third quarter. After being forced to punt, the GoHawk receiver muffed the ball at the 15 and the Saints recovered. Penalties (again, penalties! Thirteen of them on the night) kept Xavier from advancing much ... and then the GoHawks blocked Dallas Klein's field goal attempt.
That seemed to wake up Waverly-Shell Rock. Two possessions later, starting at their own 17, the GoHawks put together one of the most clutch drives you'll ever see. They converted on 4th and short. They converted on 4th and 15 with a 16-yard pass play. They drove inside the 10, then had a touchdown play called back by a penalty. They faced a 4th and goal from the 21 - and converted when Tanner Krueger lofted a fade pass to Cole Havlovic along the right side of the end zone. The drive took 17 plays and used up the end of the third quarter and about half of the fourth, and the GoHawks were back in it at 14-7.
With the help of (yet another) penalty, the energized Waverly-Shell Rock defense held Xavier to three and out. Back came the offense, moving back down the field, picking up four first downs on the way. Inside the 15 yard line, down by 7, threatening to tie or take the lead, looking to be the rare fourth seed that can knock off a district champion in the first round.
The Xavier defense stood up when they had to. First down, Jamiir Moore was taken down for a loss of 3. Second down, Krueger's pass was incomplete. Third down, another incompletion. Fourth down and 13, ball at the Xavier 14, about a minute and half left. Waverly-Shell Rock called their final timeout. Xavier's defensive coordinator Jim O'Connell dialed up a blitz. Krueger dropped back to throw, and linebacker Bryce Charipar came racing in untouched to sack the GoHawk quarterback back at the 23. That finally sealed the game for Xavier, keeping their record perfect at 9-0 while Waverly-Shell Rock ended at 6-4.
Xavier had to fight every inch to pull this one out, but in a weird night in Iowa, it wasn't the strangest first-round outcome. Sioux City Heelan, for example, last year's state runner-up, dropped their game to Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley. Ballard held on over a weak Algona team, winning by just a point. Harlan, winner of District 8, ended up losing to Creston, the fourth-place team in District 8, by 23 points. The 7-2 Washington Demons dropped a 17-14 decision to 5-5 Solon in overtime. When first round matchups usually aren't that competitive (twelve of the 16 winners in 4A scored over 40 points, and five were over 50), a lot of close games highlighted 3A. Xavier was fortunate to escape the upset.
And the quick rounds continue. It's just Monday for the next game, again vs a District 3 opponent, this time the Decorah Vikings. Decorah has a proud program, with some 15 appearances in the playoffs, five times in the title game and a state championship in 2012. The Vikings actually missed the playoffs last year, for the first time in a while, but returned this year and upset an 8-1 Independence team 14-0 to move on. Decorah has a tremendous rushing attack (over 2000 yards), but are frustrating inconsistent to categorize. They've rolled over some teams, and been rolled over by others. They've passed for 144 yards in a game, and they've averaged 47 yards passing in six others. They've given up rushing totals of 389 and 337 yards, and they've held teams to 57 and 90 yards on the ground. They beat this same tough Waverly-Shell Rock team by 3, and they lost to a rather woeful Charles City squad by three touchdowns. They're just weird.
And so the playoff grind rolls on. Iowa has a rigorous or insane football playoff schedule, depending on who you ask. Winning teams end up playing four games in two weeks - the final regular season game on a Friday, the first round on the following Wednesday, the second round on the next Monday, and finally, just four days later, the quarterfinal round on that Friday. Four games, 15 days. For a violent, physical sport like football, the injuries really start to mount up under this regimen.
As far as the first round, Waverly-Shell Rock was going to be a tough first round opponent for some district champion somewhere - it just ended up being Xavier. I thought the GoHawks would probably get send to Webster City, with Xavier getting Fairfield, but the district finish situation in southwestern Iowa didn't go the way I thought and the state travel limitations kind of forced this matchup. Waverly-Shell Rock beat two 4A teams to start the season, then lost only to the three teams that finished above them in District 3. So for a fourth-place team, they were pretty good.
They showed that to the Saints, for sure. A bitter wind from the northwest swept across the field during the entire game, turning the football into a wet, hard rock that became almost impossible to catch with cold, stiff hands. The number of dropped passes had to be close to double digits. The usually reliable Xavier passing attack was limited to 24 yards on the night; not only by the weather, mind you, but by a top-notch Waverly-Shell Rock secondary that played tight coverage on the Saints receivers.
Xavier's defense was no slouch, either, holding the GoHawks to only one first down in the entire first half (that coming on the third play of the game). The Saints struggled as well, finally moving the ball some as the second quarter arrived. Bryce Schulte ran an option play - the same play that worked so well against Regina - and kept it over the right side. Then he kept running. And running. And shifting his hips, and cutting to the far side, and cutting back to the middle of the field. Schulte ended up carrying the ball 65 yards downfield (and probably 85 yards total zig-zag distance) for the game's opening touchdown.
Xavier held Waverly-Shell Rock, who then punted and pinned the Saints back at the 3 yard line. Going into the stiff wind, Xavier answered the challenge. Erik Rodriguez had a couple of big runs during an 11-play drive that covered the entire 97 yards. Sean Murphy finished it off with a 14-yard TD run, and the Saints led 14-0 at the half.
Things continued to go Xavier's way to start the third quarter. After being forced to punt, the GoHawk receiver muffed the ball at the 15 and the Saints recovered. Penalties (again, penalties! Thirteen of them on the night) kept Xavier from advancing much ... and then the GoHawks blocked Dallas Klein's field goal attempt.
That seemed to wake up Waverly-Shell Rock. Two possessions later, starting at their own 17, the GoHawks put together one of the most clutch drives you'll ever see. They converted on 4th and short. They converted on 4th and 15 with a 16-yard pass play. They drove inside the 10, then had a touchdown play called back by a penalty. They faced a 4th and goal from the 21 - and converted when Tanner Krueger lofted a fade pass to Cole Havlovic along the right side of the end zone. The drive took 17 plays and used up the end of the third quarter and about half of the fourth, and the GoHawks were back in it at 14-7.
With the help of (yet another) penalty, the energized Waverly-Shell Rock defense held Xavier to three and out. Back came the offense, moving back down the field, picking up four first downs on the way. Inside the 15 yard line, down by 7, threatening to tie or take the lead, looking to be the rare fourth seed that can knock off a district champion in the first round.
The Xavier defense stood up when they had to. First down, Jamiir Moore was taken down for a loss of 3. Second down, Krueger's pass was incomplete. Third down, another incompletion. Fourth down and 13, ball at the Xavier 14, about a minute and half left. Waverly-Shell Rock called their final timeout. Xavier's defensive coordinator Jim O'Connell dialed up a blitz. Krueger dropped back to throw, and linebacker Bryce Charipar came racing in untouched to sack the GoHawk quarterback back at the 23. That finally sealed the game for Xavier, keeping their record perfect at 9-0 while Waverly-Shell Rock ended at 6-4.
Xavier had to fight every inch to pull this one out, but in a weird night in Iowa, it wasn't the strangest first-round outcome. Sioux City Heelan, for example, last year's state runner-up, dropped their game to Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley. Ballard held on over a weak Algona team, winning by just a point. Harlan, winner of District 8, ended up losing to Creston, the fourth-place team in District 8, by 23 points. The 7-2 Washington Demons dropped a 17-14 decision to 5-5 Solon in overtime. When first round matchups usually aren't that competitive (twelve of the 16 winners in 4A scored over 40 points, and five were over 50), a lot of close games highlighted 3A. Xavier was fortunate to escape the upset.
And the quick rounds continue. It's just Monday for the next game, again vs a District 3 opponent, this time the Decorah Vikings. Decorah has a proud program, with some 15 appearances in the playoffs, five times in the title game and a state championship in 2012. The Vikings actually missed the playoffs last year, for the first time in a while, but returned this year and upset an 8-1 Independence team 14-0 to move on. Decorah has a tremendous rushing attack (over 2000 yards), but are frustrating inconsistent to categorize. They've rolled over some teams, and been rolled over by others. They've passed for 144 yards in a game, and they've averaged 47 yards passing in six others. They've given up rushing totals of 389 and 337 yards, and they've held teams to 57 and 90 yards on the ground. They beat this same tough Waverly-Shell Rock team by 3, and they lost to a rather woeful Charles City squad by three touchdowns. They're just weird.
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