Xavier closed out their third perfect regular season last Friday with a damp, foggy 55-0 victory over an outmanned Marion squad. The Saints ended at 8-0 on the year, with the canceled opener vs. Dowling still remaining as an open spot on that record.
Marion fought hard, but with 6 or 8 injured starters on the sidelines looking on in street clothes, it was hardly a fair contest. The Saints were forced to punt on their first series, but recovered a fumble a couple of plays later and were off to the races. Bryce Schulte found Ryan Stulken and Nick Stark for touchdown passes, both of them ridiculously wide open. Maliki Wilson ran for two scores, giving him 12 rushing TDs on the year. Special teams got in on the fun, too, as Iman Juenger forced a fumble on the second-half-opening kickoff and Connor Vogl scooped up the ball and returned it for a touchdown. And then the scout team players added two second half scores, with a 4th-down pass from Spencer Dempewolf to Mike Fettkether and a TD run from Shane Scott.
Dallas Klein continued his late-season roll, with two field goals (one a 40-yarder) giving him three successful FG tries in a row (starting with his clutch 35-yarder to win the game at Regina), and seven more extra points. He's 38 for 38 on extra point kicks for the year.
This game could have been considered the ultimate trap game for Xavier. The Saints were coming off an exhausting, emotional come-from-behind win over previously undefeated Iowa City Regina a week prior, and knew they were heading for a home playoff game just five days later. The team didn't fall into that trap, however, with a solid performance all around.
And now the playoffs begin. Speculation about a possible opponent, at least in my view, was focused on the loser of the Fairfield-Clear Creek Amana game. Xavier, as a district champion, would be matched against a fourth-place team from another district. The loser of that game would finish fourth in District 5, while the way the other districts looked to finish it seemed to make sense for that first round game. Waverly-Shell Rock, the fourth-place team in District 3, was looking to be sent to D-2 champ Webster City; Creston, the fourth-place finisher in District 8, would probably go to D-7 winner Pella. Benton Community from D-6 would go to D-3 champ West Delaware, and the other central Iowa teams would be sorted amongst themselves.
Until ... the other results from Friday. Dallas Center-Grimes, which appeared to be heading for a 6-0 district championship in D-8, lost to Glenwood. This resulted in a three-way tie for the district at 5-1, and when it was all sorted out, Harlan got the crown. This meant the only possible matchup to fit the state's travel restrictions was Creston vs. Harlan, in a district rematch. That took Creston off the table for Pella, and the dominoes resulted in Fairfield being sent to Pella ... and now the only logical opponent for Xavier was Waverly-Shell Rock.
The Go Hawks finished fourth, true - but they still were 6-3 on the year. Their only three losses were to the teams that finished above them in District 3; in addition to a 22-point loss to unbeaten West Delaware, W-SR lost to Independence by just 7 points and Decorah by only 3. The Go Hawks also beat two 4A teams this year in Mason City and Waterloo West. They rode their defense mostly, giving up only 13 points and about 70 yards passing per game - take out the West Delaware loss and those numbers drop to 9 points and 58 yards passing. They have three backs with over 200 yards rushing, and quarterback Tanner Krueger has thrown for over 1100 yards.
Not to mention, field conditions are going to be a big factor tonight. Cedar Rapids has received over an inch and a half of rain over the past 36 hours - luckily, Saints Field hasn't been used for at least a week, so it's not torn up. While it drains well (it does have that crown, you know) that much rain is going to mean muddy, slippery conditions. Then add the wind - winds of around 30 miles an hour are expected this evening. Couple a wet, slick ball with high winds, and the kicking/passing games are going to be affected.
Just looking at the numbers and the overall performance this year, you have to expect Xavier should win and move on to the second round. You can't forget the possibility of an upset, though - Kennedy managed to knock off favored Xavier at Saints Field in the first round in 2010, I believe it was, when field conditions played a similar role. The Saints have to hope their size and confidence will add to the talent they display to overcome any drawbacks during the evening.
Up next; Playoff results and musings about the upcoming rounds.
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