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.
