For the third consecutive year, the Xavier Saints made their way into the state playoff semifinals, meaning their season got to end at the UNI Dome. In fact, 7 of the previous 9 seasons had ended in the Dome (4A champions in 2006, losses to Cedar Falls in 2007 first round and 2008 quarterfinals, a loss in the 2009 semis to Iowa City High). Only first-round playoff losses in 2010 and 2011 did not finish the year on the north end of Interstate 380. The last two years, in fact, Xavier advanced past the semis into the 4A championship game. This year, though, as a new member of Class 3A, the Saints weren't so fortunate.
Instead, Xavier faced an unbeaten Pella squad that had been ranked number 1 in the state pretty much all season. The Dutch had started the year shutting out last year's runner-up team Washington 35-0, and it just went on from there. Pella had scored over 70 points in one game, and over 50 in five. They had won every game by double digits (the closest was a 17-6 win over Carlisle), led Class 3A in scoring, and had not allowed more than 14 points in any game all year. Their three top rushers (Noah Clayberg, Quinton Murphy and Nathan Henry) each had 800 yards or more coming into the semifinal, and both Clayberg and Murphy averaged over 11 yards a carry. The Dutch also featured a Division 1 talent on the line, with University of Cincinnati recruit Garret Jansen playing offensive and defensive tackle.
Meanwhile, Xavier was coming in beat up. Leading rusher Jay Kortemeyer was still out with an injury. Starting fullback and defensive team leader Nic Ekland suited up (and even got in a few plays), but with a broken leg he'd suffered 10 days earlier he wasn't able to contribute much.
While there were some parallels to earlier Xavier opponents here (Iowa City Regina, perhaps), including some wins (such as the victory over Bettendorf in last year's semis), everybody knew this was going to be a tough match. Could Xavier's defense stop this high-powered Pella attack? Could the Saints get out fast again, as they had in all three previous playoff games with 14-0 first quarter leads? Would Xavier's special teams prove to be dominant?
The answer would be no on all three counts. It was Pella that came out of the box fast, with a 27-yard Clayberg run on the first play setting the tone. Although the Dutch didn't score on that first drive, they did reach the end zone on their next two possessions, making it 14-0 Pella by the time Xavier had run six offensive plays for a total of minus 6 yards. Xavier's special teams didn't get much room to do anything, with Pella kicker Seth Johnson routinely reaching the end zone on kickoffs, and while Connor Foley continued to punt well, the Xavier punt teams gave up plenty of yards on returns.
Xavier did hold Pella to a field goal midway through the third quarter (again, total yards for Xavier at this point: minus 8), then coupled a good return on the kickoff and the Saints' first 1st down of the game to actually move into Pella territory. Bryce Schulte got sacked immediately after that, though, and Xavier would not cross the 50 again until the 4th quarter. The Saints did intercept Clayberg in the end zone on the ensuing possession, but being unable to pick up a first down, gave Pella another short field and another field goal before the half.
The third quarter wasn't much better for Xavier. They did get a sack of Clayberg on Pella's first possession, but again were unable to get a single first down in the entire quarter. Meanwhile, the Dutch responded with a grinding 13-play drive, converting three 3rd downs on the way, to pick up another touchdown to make it 27-0 late in the third.
After being pinned at the 1 midway through the fourth quarter on a great pooch punt, Xavier's best play of the entire game was a 40-yard pass from Schulte to Nick Stark. The Saints actually got two more first downs on this drive, reaching the Pella 31 before Schulte was sacked on both 3rd and 4th downs. I believe Pella sacked Schulte 7 times in the game, and forced an intentional grounding call as well, which is pretty much another sack.
Pella is a fast, talented, athletic team with a quick defense and an offense that does a lot of things out of the shotgun. It will be very interesting to see how they match up against Bishop Heelan of Sioux City in the championship ... Heelan is defending their 3A title, with their only loss this season in the first game to 4A Sioux City East. The Crusaders absolutely demolished Creston in the other semifinal, forcing turnovers galore and showing an explosive offense. It should be a fun game.
Of course, I thought Xavier might give Pella a competitive game, and see how that turned out.
So, Xavier's season ends at 9-4, the most losses since a 5-5 season in 2011. Looking forward to next year, Bryce Schulte, Nick Stark and Sean Murphy will return with a year's experience under their belts. Joe Constant, Caleb Billick and Bryce Charipar saw considerable time on the field this year, with big contributions. Add on athletes from this year's 8-1 sophomore squad (with a couple of dandy running backs), and the Saints will be looking for another successful season in 2015.
Sunday, November 16, 2014
Saturday, November 8, 2014
A Gritty, Gutsy Win
Well, the Iowa State game is a disgrace, and the Arizona State-Notre Dame game is a blowout, so ... guess I will update my blog on a great Xavier quarterfinal win last night.
First off, Xavier came into this game severely hurt. Starting fullback and linebacker Nic Ekland broke his leg in the Waverly-Shell Rock game last Monday. Starting tailback Jay Kortemeyer also was hurt, and out for the rest of the year. Kortemeyer was the team's leading rusher, with over 1000 yards on the season. Ekland was a fearsome tackler, a ferocious blocker, and had scored four times in the two playoff games (including a school-record 97-yard run against Charles City). These were huge losses.
And, Coach Schulte and his staff had only three days to get the team prepared and get a game plan in, to get ready for a West Delaware squad that averaged well over 400 yards per game on offense. The Hawks featured the duo of Coy Roussell and Brent Lammers, who had accounted for 2300-some yards and 31 touchdowns on the ground, while Lammers had also thrown for 1100 yards and 11 more TDs. West Delaware had lost once all season - a 10-0 decision to Independence in a game where neither Lammers nor Roussell were able to play, a game where Independence barely mounted 100 yards of total offense, a game where the only touchdown came on a turnover.
In all seriousness, I would not have been surprised if this game turned out to be the end of the road for Xavier. Those key injuries, this truly tough opponent in West Delaware ... it could easily have been a Saints loss, and nobody would have felt cheated for the way the season ended.
Instead, Xavier gutted out a tremendous tough, gritty, hard-hittingly physical win, taking the quarterfinal 27-17 and moving on to the semifinals in the UNI Dome next week. Xavier took command early, which is so important in these closely matched games. After holding the Hawks to a three and out to start the game, the Saints took over in great field position at the West Delaware 46. Coach Schulte said go for it on first down, and Bryce Schulte found Matt Downey wheeling out of the backfield for the lightning-strike touchdown on Xavier's first play. After again forcing a West Delaware punt, Schulte went deep again on the very first play and just barely overthrew his receiver, on what likely would have been another score. Schulte later found Joe Welch for a 42-yard gain on that drive, then added a nice 22-yard run on his own. Xavier tallied another touchdown on that drive, taking a 14-0 first quarter lead.
Xavier forced a fumble on the next WD possession (the 10th turnover for Xavier in the past four games), but couldn't do anything with it. Things settled down some after that, as West Delaware started to click better on offense and slow the Saints down more on defense. The Hawks rolled on an 11-play drive to reach inside the Xavier 20, but the Saints stopped Lammers for a loss on 4th down. West Delaware then got an iffy kick catch-interference penalty to start inside the Xavier 40, but again were stopped on 4th down at the 8. Then came the first of two true gut-check drives by the Saints. Starting at the 8, Xavier drove all the way to the West Delaware 15 in 8 plays. The Saints tried three straight passes into the end zone, one of them off-target, the other two just barely knocked away by Hawk defenders. Dallas Klein then booted a 32-yard field goal, tying his longest of the season, to give Xavier a 17-0 lead. West Delaware quickly got back to the Xavier 21 with seconds left, but Lammers was sacked twice to end the half.
The third quarter saw momentum shift in about as dramatic a fashion as you'll ever see. Xavier punted after a three-and-out, forcing West Delaware to start at their 8. The Hawks quickly got out of the hole, but saw themselves with a 4th and 9 at the 35. On the punt, the Saints were flagged for running into the punter, which gave West Delaware a 4th and 4 at the 39. Then Lammers used a hard count and pulled the Saints defensive line offside for a free first down. Roussell rambled for 45 yards on the next play, and Lammers finished with a 10-yard TD run to get WD on the board.
Two plays later, Schulte fumbled on the option fake-handoff (just the third turnover by Xavier in the past nine games), and West Delaware jumped on the ball at the Xavier 10. Three plays later Lammers threw to Trent Curley for the score, and suddenly it was just 17-14 Xavier. The huge West Delaware crowd was roaring, while the Xavier fans were getting quietly nervous. The teams exchanged three-and-outs, but the field position was creeping ever closer to the West Delaware end zone. The Hawks had to punt from their own three, and a good return coupled with a personal foul penalty on West Delaware set Xavier up at the 21. Three plays later Schulte carried in from the four and the Saints had breathing room again, up 24-14.
The Hawks responded with a 58-yard pass play from Lammers to Curley, and on the second play of the fourth quarter West Delaware tried their first field goal of the entire season. Alex Reetz booted it through from 34 yards out, and it was back to a 7-point game. Xavier was stopped on another three and out, and West Delaware put together another decent drive with Roussell carrying the load. The fourth down try was stopped at the Xavier 36.
Now came gut-check drive number two. With about 7 minutes to play, and protecting a 7-point lead, Xavier moved the ball steadily down the field. Sean Murphy, replacing Kortemeyer, bore almost all the load on the drive, converting twice on third downs and picking up four first downs total as the Saints moved the ball down to the 9. Klein finally finished off the 12-play drive with a 25-yard field goal, giving Xavier a 27-27 lead with under 2 minutes to play.
West Delaware tried to respond. The Hawks converted on a 4th-down throw thanks to another iffy pass-interference call, then converted another 4th-down play on a 29-yard pass from Lammers to Curley. Lammers was sacked on the next play, though, and that's when the clock ran out.
What a great performance by the Saints, stepping up to respond to season-ending injuries to two of their captains. What a tough performance by the Hawks, with a defensive line raising havoc throughout the contest, and Lammers getting knocked out of the game not once, but twice, and coming back both times on a hobbled ankle, trying to will his team to the end zone.
So the Saints move on. Their next opponent will be Pella, the number one team in Class 3A all season long. The Little Dutch are the only undefeated team left in 3A, and have rolled over pretty much all their opponents all season long. They have outscored their competition by an average 47-8 score, topped 50 points five times, and have yet to allow over 14 points to any team. Pella will be a stern test for the Saints, and sets up what looks like a dandy semifinal matchup on Thursday.
First off, Xavier came into this game severely hurt. Starting fullback and linebacker Nic Ekland broke his leg in the Waverly-Shell Rock game last Monday. Starting tailback Jay Kortemeyer also was hurt, and out for the rest of the year. Kortemeyer was the team's leading rusher, with over 1000 yards on the season. Ekland was a fearsome tackler, a ferocious blocker, and had scored four times in the two playoff games (including a school-record 97-yard run against Charles City). These were huge losses.
And, Coach Schulte and his staff had only three days to get the team prepared and get a game plan in, to get ready for a West Delaware squad that averaged well over 400 yards per game on offense. The Hawks featured the duo of Coy Roussell and Brent Lammers, who had accounted for 2300-some yards and 31 touchdowns on the ground, while Lammers had also thrown for 1100 yards and 11 more TDs. West Delaware had lost once all season - a 10-0 decision to Independence in a game where neither Lammers nor Roussell were able to play, a game where Independence barely mounted 100 yards of total offense, a game where the only touchdown came on a turnover.
In all seriousness, I would not have been surprised if this game turned out to be the end of the road for Xavier. Those key injuries, this truly tough opponent in West Delaware ... it could easily have been a Saints loss, and nobody would have felt cheated for the way the season ended.
Instead, Xavier gutted out a tremendous tough, gritty, hard-hittingly physical win, taking the quarterfinal 27-17 and moving on to the semifinals in the UNI Dome next week. Xavier took command early, which is so important in these closely matched games. After holding the Hawks to a three and out to start the game, the Saints took over in great field position at the West Delaware 46. Coach Schulte said go for it on first down, and Bryce Schulte found Matt Downey wheeling out of the backfield for the lightning-strike touchdown on Xavier's first play. After again forcing a West Delaware punt, Schulte went deep again on the very first play and just barely overthrew his receiver, on what likely would have been another score. Schulte later found Joe Welch for a 42-yard gain on that drive, then added a nice 22-yard run on his own. Xavier tallied another touchdown on that drive, taking a 14-0 first quarter lead.
Xavier forced a fumble on the next WD possession (the 10th turnover for Xavier in the past four games), but couldn't do anything with it. Things settled down some after that, as West Delaware started to click better on offense and slow the Saints down more on defense. The Hawks rolled on an 11-play drive to reach inside the Xavier 20, but the Saints stopped Lammers for a loss on 4th down. West Delaware then got an iffy kick catch-interference penalty to start inside the Xavier 40, but again were stopped on 4th down at the 8. Then came the first of two true gut-check drives by the Saints. Starting at the 8, Xavier drove all the way to the West Delaware 15 in 8 plays. The Saints tried three straight passes into the end zone, one of them off-target, the other two just barely knocked away by Hawk defenders. Dallas Klein then booted a 32-yard field goal, tying his longest of the season, to give Xavier a 17-0 lead. West Delaware quickly got back to the Xavier 21 with seconds left, but Lammers was sacked twice to end the half.
The third quarter saw momentum shift in about as dramatic a fashion as you'll ever see. Xavier punted after a three-and-out, forcing West Delaware to start at their 8. The Hawks quickly got out of the hole, but saw themselves with a 4th and 9 at the 35. On the punt, the Saints were flagged for running into the punter, which gave West Delaware a 4th and 4 at the 39. Then Lammers used a hard count and pulled the Saints defensive line offside for a free first down. Roussell rambled for 45 yards on the next play, and Lammers finished with a 10-yard TD run to get WD on the board.
Two plays later, Schulte fumbled on the option fake-handoff (just the third turnover by Xavier in the past nine games), and West Delaware jumped on the ball at the Xavier 10. Three plays later Lammers threw to Trent Curley for the score, and suddenly it was just 17-14 Xavier. The huge West Delaware crowd was roaring, while the Xavier fans were getting quietly nervous. The teams exchanged three-and-outs, but the field position was creeping ever closer to the West Delaware end zone. The Hawks had to punt from their own three, and a good return coupled with a personal foul penalty on West Delaware set Xavier up at the 21. Three plays later Schulte carried in from the four and the Saints had breathing room again, up 24-14.
The Hawks responded with a 58-yard pass play from Lammers to Curley, and on the second play of the fourth quarter West Delaware tried their first field goal of the entire season. Alex Reetz booted it through from 34 yards out, and it was back to a 7-point game. Xavier was stopped on another three and out, and West Delaware put together another decent drive with Roussell carrying the load. The fourth down try was stopped at the Xavier 36.
Now came gut-check drive number two. With about 7 minutes to play, and protecting a 7-point lead, Xavier moved the ball steadily down the field. Sean Murphy, replacing Kortemeyer, bore almost all the load on the drive, converting twice on third downs and picking up four first downs total as the Saints moved the ball down to the 9. Klein finally finished off the 12-play drive with a 25-yard field goal, giving Xavier a 27-27 lead with under 2 minutes to play.
West Delaware tried to respond. The Hawks converted on a 4th-down throw thanks to another iffy pass-interference call, then converted another 4th-down play on a 29-yard pass from Lammers to Curley. Lammers was sacked on the next play, though, and that's when the clock ran out.
What a great performance by the Saints, stepping up to respond to season-ending injuries to two of their captains. What a tough performance by the Hawks, with a defensive line raising havoc throughout the contest, and Lammers getting knocked out of the game not once, but twice, and coming back both times on a hobbled ankle, trying to will his team to the end zone.
So the Saints move on. Their next opponent will be Pella, the number one team in Class 3A all season long. The Little Dutch are the only undefeated team left in 3A, and have rolled over pretty much all their opponents all season long. They have outscored their competition by an average 47-8 score, topped 50 points five times, and have yet to allow over 14 points to any team. Pella will be a stern test for the Saints, and sets up what looks like a dandy semifinal matchup on Thursday.
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
I Said I'd Let You Know
So, I told you once we got our new washer set up, I'd let you know how things were going.
Well, it's different. These high-efficiency washers load differently, you use soap differently, they work differently. I think we've kinda figured things out. We've run several different types of loads through it, and it seems to do okay.
I have discovered, though, that if you know you have some stains, you better pretreat those suckers. These types of washers use far less water, so you don't have your clothes necessarily covered by water through the wash cycle. And yes, that is going to mean it doesn't clean quite so effectively. I had a small tomato sauce stain on a white sock (it's a long story), and while the wash cycle improved it, it didn't come all the way clean.
So, plenty of Shout will be on hand from here on out. Just like Tears for Fears sang back in the 1980s, "Shout ... shout ... get those stains out. These are the stains I can do without ... Come on!"
Well, it's different. These high-efficiency washers load differently, you use soap differently, they work differently. I think we've kinda figured things out. We've run several different types of loads through it, and it seems to do okay.
I have discovered, though, that if you know you have some stains, you better pretreat those suckers. These types of washers use far less water, so you don't have your clothes necessarily covered by water through the wash cycle. And yes, that is going to mean it doesn't clean quite so effectively. I had a small tomato sauce stain on a white sock (it's a long story), and while the wash cycle improved it, it didn't come all the way clean.
So, plenty of Shout will be on hand from here on out. Just like Tears for Fears sang back in the 1980s, "Shout ... shout ... get those stains out. These are the stains I can do without ... Come on!"
Playoffs Come Thick and Fast
Yes, I know, I have been remiss in keeping this updated. Iowa's compressed playoff schedule is partly to blame - you go from the regular season finale on a Friday, to the first round the next Wednesday, to the second round the following Monday, then the third round the Friday after that. Teams advancing to the quarterfinals play four games in two weeks. It's borderline insane.
Anyway, Xavier is one of those quarterfinal teams. Even though the state threw out the "sister district" concept for this year, where two districts would be paired up for playoff matches through the first three rounds, it didn't make any difference to the Saints. All three of their playoff opponents so far hail from District 3.
In the first round, Xavier took on Charles City. The Comets finished fourth in D-3, but suffered their three district losses by only 10 points total (falling by 6 to West Delaware and only by 2 each to Independence and Waverly-Shell Rock). Charles City came in with a pretty good quarterback in Levi Blaine, who led the team in both passing and rushing, and quite the top receiver in Shane Feller.
Xavier picked up where they left off the season, though. Remember how they forced four turnovers against Marion in the second half? Well, they forced four more in the first half here, making it eight turnovers in the span of four quarters. Bryce Schulte threw for three touchdowns in the half as Coach Schulte decided to keep forcing the ball downfield against a defense stacking the line of scrimmage.
In the third quarter, the Saints ran it to 35-0, including a school-record 97-yard TD run by Nic Ekland, before Charles City was finally able to get on the board. The Comets got their score on a 47-yard pass where the Saint defender gambled on undercutting the play to try for the interception, but missed, allowing Dallas Nehls to run it in the rest of the way. The final tally was 35-6 Xavier.
On to the second round, this time facing Waverly-Shell Rock, the second-place team in D-3. The Go-Hawks had lost only to West Delaware and Class 2A #1 Clear Lake, and averaged over 330 yards per game coming in. Xavier didn't pile up more of the turnovers in this game, but still came firing out of the gate for a big first quarter. On the second possession, Kortmeyer carried all but one play on a 52-yard scoring drive to make it 7-0. After forcing a three and out, Schulte completed passes to Noah Clasen and Ekland for a quick 42-yard TD drive. After another three and out, Nick Stark's 41-yard end around run set up Schulte for another TD pass to Ekland. This one was a beaut, floated between two defenders right into Ekland's hands at the 4, where he took it the rest of the way. It was 21-0 early in the second quarter.
But for those noticing, there's been a little trend developing in playoffs. Charles City put together three strong drives in their loss, turning the ball over on downs at the 7 and the 4, then throwing an interception inside the 16 after a 14-play drive. Waverly-Shell Rock begins the first of four long drives of their own, this one aided by a dumb personal foul penalty on Xavier near midfield. The Saints still hold, forcing a 4th and 6 at the 7 yard line, when Jake Velky makes like Fran Tarkenton. The Go-Hawk QB escapes the Saints rush, retreating all the way back to the 40, then crosses the field from right to left. He finally buys enough time to find Jay McNally in the end zone for the score to make it 21-7. That caps an 11-play, 79-yard drive.
A couple of possessions later Schulte's 52-yard pass to Stark sets up Dallas Klein for a 29-yard field goal, which makes the halftime score 24-7. Some key things happen in the second half. It becomes apparent Ekland - starting fullback and linebacker - is out of the game, unlikely to return. About five plays into the third quarter, Kortemeyer - starting tailback - also hobbles out of the game. It's time for next man in, as Sean Murphy takes over at tailback and rips off a 48-yard run on the way to a 76-yard scoring drive.
Waverly-Shell Rock answers, in nearly a carbon copy of their first scoring drive. This time it's an offsides penalty on Xavier on 4th and 4 that helps the Go-Hawks, then Velky has another scrambling, running, twisting play before finding McNally at the 1. Andrew Ragsdale pounds it in (just the second rushing TD Xavier has allowed against 3A teams all year), and suddenly it's a two-possession game at 30-14. Waverly-Shell Rock's onside kick try goes out of bounds, Xavier capitializes with another field goal to make it 33-14, the Saints intercept Velky on the next drive, and the Go-Hawks are pretty much out of chances.
Waverly-Shell Rock does add two more looooong drives in the fourth quarter - a 12-play drive ends when Velky slips on the rainy grass on 4th down, and an 11-play drive goes 77 yards for the score (on a tipped pass reception by Ryan Sprain) with only 4 seconds left. Xavier takes it 33-20.
A couple of fun notes: Xavier is plus-15 in turnover differential.That's after being minus-1 after three games, so the Saints have dominated in takeaways 18-2 in their last eight games and 9-1 in their last three. Also, Waverly-Shell Rock went for two on their last touchdown and failed, which means the Saints have faced five two-point tries this season and stopped them all.
The quarterfinal opponent is a tough, tough West Delaware team that won the D-3 title. The Hawks' only loss was a 10-0 game to Independence, on a night when West Delaware's quarterback and running back were unable to play. The running back, Coy Roussell, actually missed three games, I think, with mono - and has still run for over 1300 yards. The Hawks average close to 440 yards a game - 440!- which leads the state in Class 3A. The tandem of Roussell and QB Brent Lammers have scored 31 touchdowns on the ground, and Lammers has passed for 11 more. This is a fearsome offensive team, and the Xavier defense, as good as they are, are going to have their hands full.
Not to mention the injury side of things. There's no telling if Ekland or Kortemeyer will be able to play for Xavier. Ekland is a huge loss, both as a blocker and receiver on offense and a hard hitter at the linebacker position. Both guys have contributed tremendously in Xavier's playoff wins. Ryan Williams and Murphy stepped up in the second half Monday night, but they will have to step up even more to give Xavier a chance to move on to the semifinal round in the UNI Dome.
Time will tell, but this is a really tough challenge for Xavier.
Anyway, Xavier is one of those quarterfinal teams. Even though the state threw out the "sister district" concept for this year, where two districts would be paired up for playoff matches through the first three rounds, it didn't make any difference to the Saints. All three of their playoff opponents so far hail from District 3.
In the first round, Xavier took on Charles City. The Comets finished fourth in D-3, but suffered their three district losses by only 10 points total (falling by 6 to West Delaware and only by 2 each to Independence and Waverly-Shell Rock). Charles City came in with a pretty good quarterback in Levi Blaine, who led the team in both passing and rushing, and quite the top receiver in Shane Feller.
Xavier picked up where they left off the season, though. Remember how they forced four turnovers against Marion in the second half? Well, they forced four more in the first half here, making it eight turnovers in the span of four quarters. Bryce Schulte threw for three touchdowns in the half as Coach Schulte decided to keep forcing the ball downfield against a defense stacking the line of scrimmage.
In the third quarter, the Saints ran it to 35-0, including a school-record 97-yard TD run by Nic Ekland, before Charles City was finally able to get on the board. The Comets got their score on a 47-yard pass where the Saint defender gambled on undercutting the play to try for the interception, but missed, allowing Dallas Nehls to run it in the rest of the way. The final tally was 35-6 Xavier.
On to the second round, this time facing Waverly-Shell Rock, the second-place team in D-3. The Go-Hawks had lost only to West Delaware and Class 2A #1 Clear Lake, and averaged over 330 yards per game coming in. Xavier didn't pile up more of the turnovers in this game, but still came firing out of the gate for a big first quarter. On the second possession, Kortmeyer carried all but one play on a 52-yard scoring drive to make it 7-0. After forcing a three and out, Schulte completed passes to Noah Clasen and Ekland for a quick 42-yard TD drive. After another three and out, Nick Stark's 41-yard end around run set up Schulte for another TD pass to Ekland. This one was a beaut, floated between two defenders right into Ekland's hands at the 4, where he took it the rest of the way. It was 21-0 early in the second quarter.
But for those noticing, there's been a little trend developing in playoffs. Charles City put together three strong drives in their loss, turning the ball over on downs at the 7 and the 4, then throwing an interception inside the 16 after a 14-play drive. Waverly-Shell Rock begins the first of four long drives of their own, this one aided by a dumb personal foul penalty on Xavier near midfield. The Saints still hold, forcing a 4th and 6 at the 7 yard line, when Jake Velky makes like Fran Tarkenton. The Go-Hawk QB escapes the Saints rush, retreating all the way back to the 40, then crosses the field from right to left. He finally buys enough time to find Jay McNally in the end zone for the score to make it 21-7. That caps an 11-play, 79-yard drive.
A couple of possessions later Schulte's 52-yard pass to Stark sets up Dallas Klein for a 29-yard field goal, which makes the halftime score 24-7. Some key things happen in the second half. It becomes apparent Ekland - starting fullback and linebacker - is out of the game, unlikely to return. About five plays into the third quarter, Kortemeyer - starting tailback - also hobbles out of the game. It's time for next man in, as Sean Murphy takes over at tailback and rips off a 48-yard run on the way to a 76-yard scoring drive.
Waverly-Shell Rock answers, in nearly a carbon copy of their first scoring drive. This time it's an offsides penalty on Xavier on 4th and 4 that helps the Go-Hawks, then Velky has another scrambling, running, twisting play before finding McNally at the 1. Andrew Ragsdale pounds it in (just the second rushing TD Xavier has allowed against 3A teams all year), and suddenly it's a two-possession game at 30-14. Waverly-Shell Rock's onside kick try goes out of bounds, Xavier capitializes with another field goal to make it 33-14, the Saints intercept Velky on the next drive, and the Go-Hawks are pretty much out of chances.
Waverly-Shell Rock does add two more looooong drives in the fourth quarter - a 12-play drive ends when Velky slips on the rainy grass on 4th down, and an 11-play drive goes 77 yards for the score (on a tipped pass reception by Ryan Sprain) with only 4 seconds left. Xavier takes it 33-20.
A couple of fun notes: Xavier is plus-15 in turnover differential.That's after being minus-1 after three games, so the Saints have dominated in takeaways 18-2 in their last eight games and 9-1 in their last three. Also, Waverly-Shell Rock went for two on their last touchdown and failed, which means the Saints have faced five two-point tries this season and stopped them all.
The quarterfinal opponent is a tough, tough West Delaware team that won the D-3 title. The Hawks' only loss was a 10-0 game to Independence, on a night when West Delaware's quarterback and running back were unable to play. The running back, Coy Roussell, actually missed three games, I think, with mono - and has still run for over 1300 yards. The Hawks average close to 440 yards a game - 440!- which leads the state in Class 3A. The tandem of Roussell and QB Brent Lammers have scored 31 touchdowns on the ground, and Lammers has passed for 11 more. This is a fearsome offensive team, and the Xavier defense, as good as they are, are going to have their hands full.
Not to mention the injury side of things. There's no telling if Ekland or Kortemeyer will be able to play for Xavier. Ekland is a huge loss, both as a blocker and receiver on offense and a hard hitter at the linebacker position. Both guys have contributed tremendously in Xavier's playoff wins. Ryan Williams and Murphy stepped up in the second half Monday night, but they will have to step up even more to give Xavier a chance to move on to the semifinal round in the UNI Dome.
Time will tell, but this is a really tough challenge for Xavier.
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