Hey, there! Long time no see, folks ... if there are indeed any folks out there taking a peek at my little ol' blog. Anyway, it's time to fire up Third and a Mile yet again.
A lot has happened since I last wrote in November, after Pella handed Xavier their first shutout loss since 2008. In addition to the new washer I told you about last fall, we have a new dishwasher and a new garage door spring (interestingly enough, the spring broke on a Friday afternoon just before we were about to leave on a weekend getaway ... kudos to the Overhead Door Company of Cedar Rapids, who were able to get it fixed by 5:00 that day). I am now eligible to retire from my job as an air traffic controller (eligible doesn't mean I can afford to). And we just got back from a vacation trip to the Black Hills, which was quite enjoyable (and also resulted in a brand new air conditioning system in our vehicle, to go along with our washer/dishwasher/garage door spring).
But we've entered July, which means football isn't that far away - actually eight weeks from tonight, now that you mention it. Heck, the CFL is playing now. I just saw the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Winnipeg Blue Bombers playing last night. Three downs, twelve players, huge end zones ... weird stuff.
So, the 2015 high school football season approaches. What do we have to look forward to, as far as Xavier's second year in 3A? They finished 9-4 last year, losing in the state semifinals. The Saints have lost more games in a season only once since 2004, with a 5-5 finish in 2011. After that year, Xavier rebounded to a 13-1 mark in 2012 with one of the most exciting and enjoyable teams to watch ever. Similarly, after finishing 8-4 in 2008, the Saints rolled to the state 4A semifinal in 2009 and finished with a 10-3 mark. Will 2015 show another bounceback? I mean, if you consider 9 wins a season as something you bounce back from ... Also, just saying, but 3 of those 4 losses? They just happened to come against state champions (4A Dowling, 1A Regina, 3A Pella).
Iowa sets up their high school football schedules two years at a time, just swapping home and away. 2015 is year two of this cycle, so Xavier plays the same teams they saw last year: Defending 4A champion West Des Moines Dowling August 28, Davenport Assumption September 4, at Solon September 11, Central Clinton-DeWitt September 18, at Maquoketa September 25, at Western Dubuque October 2, Dubuque Wahlert October 9, at defending 1A champion Iowa City Regina October 16, and at Marion October 23. The difference this year is, three of the first four games are at home, which means after September 18 Xavier has only one other home game left for the entire year. While the Saints get to start with two home games, including state champion Dowling, they will have to play at state champion Regina, as well as perennial power Solon and the only district team to beat them last year, Western Dubuque. It will make for a weird schedule.
Another change this year is that the state is cutting playoff qualifiers in half. Only 16 teams from each class will advance to the playoffs, rather than the 32 we've had since 2008. That means only the top two teams from each district will move on, and one round of the playoffs will be eliminated. That also means the end of the grueling Wednesday-Monday-Friday playoff road for the first three rounds. Instead of round one on Wednesday October 28 and round two on Monday November 2, we'll see round one on Friday October 30. Then we'll move right to the quarterfinal round on Friday November 6.
That's the biggest change we're going to see this year. Putting that rule in effect with last year's results would have meant Western Dubuque - the only 3A team to beat Xavier in the regular season - would have missed the playoffs. Also, 7-2 Gilbert and 6-3 teams Newton, Fairfield and Independence would have found themselves turning in their gear instead of playing in the first round. In 4A, four 6-3 teams would have missed the playoffs. In 2A, five 6-3 teams. In 1A, three 7-2 squads and four 6-3 teams would have missed out. In A, one 7-2 team and seven 6-3 teams would have stayed home (it's a bigger class, for one thing). And in eight player, even one 8-1 team would have missed the playoffs along with five 7-2 teams (but eight player is a weird class anyway - is that even football?) It's a good change overall, I think - teams making the quarterfinals were playing four games in two weeks, which is nuts for players, coaches and fans - but there's no denying some deserving teams are going to miss out.
Okay, anyway, I'm back everyone. Next up I'll have a better in-depth look at Xavier and their opponents for this season.
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