A Couple of Rounds

Falling behind, yes, I'm falling behind again ... I blame the musical theatre (since I'm rehearsing for "Annie" currently. Between that, my regular job, and this football-on-the-radio thing, I've been doing little but chasing my tail for a month).

First off, I'm usually better at keeping up on new Xavier records each year, but I actually missed a couple this season. While it did not pass unnoticed that Xavier's 62 points against South Tama was a new school record, Ben Conrad kicked eight extra points in that game. That tied a school record from 2014, when Dallas Klein kicked eight extra points in a game against Central DeWitt (the previous record for points scored). Conrad actually missed one in that South Tama game, too, so he had a chance to take the record all by himself.

Conrad also tied a school record for field goals in a game, when he kicked three against Independence. That record has stood since 2006, when Joe Bedard kicked three against Iowa City West. So congratulations to Ben Conrad, whose season isn't done yet (and should be back next year kicking for the Saints again).

On to the playoffs: Xavier faced Oskaloosa in the first round, one of the two wild-card selections in Class 3A (Decorah was the other). The Indians had been led by Seth Howard, who racked up some serious yardage numbers both on the ground and through the air as the Osky quarterback. But as the game started, Howard lined up at the slot receiver position and 6-foot-8 junior Cole Henry stepped in at the QB position. I can only speculate that Howard suffered some sort of injury, maybe to his throwing arm or hand - I can't come up with any other explanation for your leader on offense all season to be moved out to receiver for a playoff game (talk online was that Oskaloosa played both Henry and Howard at the same positions for their last regular season game against West Burlington/Notre Dame, giving the injury speculation a little more substance).

Oskaloosa and Henry came out throwing on a miserable, wet, windy, cold night, often with an empty backfield. Henry then was intercepted by McClain Burger on Osky's second possession, leading to a Quinn Schulte TD run and a 7-0 Xavier lead. The Indians responded with a nice drive, capping it with a 31-yard field goal by Aaron Blom to make it 7-3.

Then the Xavier offense got going, with the big-play lightning strikes we've seen quite a bit of this season. Braden Stovie (going all the way at running back in place of an injured Jax Junge) ripped off a 58-yard touchdown run. One possession later it was Schulte's turn, dashing for a 72-yard score. Stovie came up with another 30-yard run on the next possession, setting up a possible TD pass from Schulte to Jared Brown, but Brown couldn't hang on to the wet ball. Conrad kicked the field goal from 35 yards out and it was 23-3 Xavier at the half. Oskaloosa had run just ten plays since their field goal, with only one first down.

Things didn't go much better for the Indians in the second half. Xavier scored on their first drive of the third quarter; Stovie had another long run, a 49-yarder, for a TD on the next drive; then Burger got his second interception of the night on a deflected pass and ran it all the way back for a 43-3 lead with still better than 3 minutes to play in the third.

And then we got to see Howard at quarterback for Oskaloosa. He still wasn't able to do much - the Indians did score a touchdown with 6 minutes to play after a blocked punt - and Xavier rolled to a 43-10 victory.

That took the Saints to the second round and a date with Davenport Assumption, the second-place finisher in District 4. Assumption had lost a non-district game to Class 4A Bettendorf (Bettendorf's only loss was to West Des Moines Valley) and lost in overtime to D-4 champion West Delaware; meanwhile the Knights had defeated 4A North Scott for the Lancers' only loss of the year. Once again the Saints faced an athletic dual-threat quarterback in Jayce Levy, who had an impressive year for Assumption.

The teams looked pretty even in the early possessions, and it was an obvious hard-hitting, physical game. But sometimes the big plays and the breaks can make a difference, and this first half was no exception. Stovie returned a punt about 75 yards for score late in the first quarter to put Xavier ahead. Assumption responded, as Levy broke loose over the right side and just outran everyone for a 66-yard score to tie the game. Xavier answers back, with a four-play drive (Stovie for 18, Schulte for 24, Schulte for 2, Schulte for 19) to get in the end zone again and go up 14-7.

Levy was having none of this. He fielded the ensuing kickoff at about his 5, got through the first line, evaded the kicker Conrad, then raced down the far sideline with only Justin Schneider in pursuit. Schneider couldn't quite catch up, and Levy's kickoff return TD tied things up at 14. Xavier took the punch and hit back, again. Facing a 4th and 1 at Assumption's 35, Schulte faked a handoff and tossed a pass to a wide-open Jacob Hines, going right down the middle from his tight end position. Hines took it into the end zone for the 21-14 lead, and Xavier would never trail again.

Stovie popped up for yet another punt return TD, this time for 62 yards, to make it 28-14 late in the half. Assumption kept fighting, putting together a drive into Saints territory - then Coach Wade King opened up the playbook. At the 40, wide receiver Nick Gotilla went in motion. Levy handed off to him on the jet sweep, but Gotilla then dropped back and heaved up a left-handed pass deep downfield to Ryan Wohlers. Wohlers outjumped the Xavier defender and fell across the goal line for a touchdown, making it 28-21 Xavier at the half. This turned out to be one of the very few times (if not the only time) this year that Xavier had been outgained at the half.

That didn't extend past halftime, though. Assumption received the third-quarter kickoff and went three and out. The Knights' second possession started at the 8 and ended in a punt. The next possession was three and out, followed by a solid 70-yard scoring drive by Xavier to make it 35-21. Assumption would end up with only about 30 yards of offense in the second half, and Xavier added fourth-quarter scores by Stovie and a safety when Levy was sacked in the end zone to make the final score 44-21.

So, another postseason win, and Xavier rolls on to the semifinal round in the UNI Dome for the fifth time in the past six years. Xavier made it all the way to the Class 4A championship game in 2012 and 2013, then reached the 3A semifinals in 2014 and 2016 (losing to Pella both times). This time around, Solon awaits. The Spartans and the Saints are the only two undefeated teams remaining in 3A, and Solon has been absolutely ridiculous on defense: In their first ten games, they allowed only 23 points, total - single touchdowns to Oskaloosa (and Keokuk and West Burlington/ND in garbage time), plus a safety to Decorah in the first round playoff game. West Delaware managed to score two touchdowns on the Spartans, but Solon was already ahead 35-0 by that time. This is going to be the toughest test for both of these teams for the entire season, and it'll happen on the big stage of the UNI Dome in the semifinal round.

Finishing With A Bang

Xavier closed out their 2017 regular season with the South Tama Trojans, a team that had won just two games on the year and had the distinction of being the only team to lose to Vinton-Shellsburg (and got shut out, no less). Xavier, meanwhile, was looking to finish undefeated for the third regular season in a row, so it wasn't shaping up to be a classic contest.

And it wasn't. Xavier put up six touchdowns in the first quarter and rolled to a 62-7 win, setting a school record for points in a game. Justin Schneider returned the opening kickoff all the way to the South Tama 34, and Quinn Schulte ran it in for a score on the next play. Three plays later, South Tama's Colton Vest had the ball knocked loose. It bounced directly into Schneider's hands, and he returned the fumble for a 30-yard TD. The Saints had their one sustained drive of the quarter on the next possession, rolling 80 yards in six plays, with Braden Stovie scoring from 3 yards out (he'd end up with 3 TDs on the night). Gabe Lux returned the next South Tama punt 72 yards for a score; it took two plays on the next possession for McClain Burger to run for a 51-yard TD; and then Lux returned another punt 61 yards to the end zone with 17 seconds left in the quarter. Xavier 41, South Tama 0 after 11:43 of play (yeah, Ben Conrad missed his first extra point of the year during all that, but you have to excuse him; his leg was probably pretty tired, kicking six extra point attempts in that quarter).

Xavier also scored on their next two possessions in the second quarter, on passes of 28 and 66 yards to Stovie (who saw a lot of action, as Jax Junge was out with an injury), to go up 55-0. Patrick Chambers fumbled late in the half, giving the Trojans a chance to mount a drive starting at Xavier's 44. Lane Koch threw a TD pass to Nick Ryan from 15 yards out with 4 seconds left, but frankly - that was the highlight of the evening for South Tama.

Chambers carried the ball throughout the continuous-clock second half for Xavier, rolling up 108 yards and scoring a 4th-quarter touchdown for the final 62-7 result. Xavier surpassed their previous record of 59 points (set against Central DeWitt in 2014), and did it with scores by the offense, defense, and special teams.

So now it's off to the playoffs. Xavier drew Oskaloosa, a wild-card playoff entry from District 5. The Indians lost a non-district game to Pella, then finished third in the district with losses to D-5 champion Solon and runner-up Washington. Oskaloosa is one of just three teams to get a score on Solon, so they do have that going for them. Seth Howard, the quarterback, leads a really balanced offense that racked up over 1500 yards both rushing and passing. Howard and Casey Hill combined for over 1200 yards and 23 TDs on the ground, while Tanner DeKock and Cole Henry caught 50 passes between them. The top five Indian receivers have a total of 95 receptions; Xavier's Quinn Schulte has attempted 95 passes total. It's an offensive juggernaut coming to Saints Field, but one that was certainly held in check by both Pella and Solon (only one TD against each).

Not to look ahead, but the brackets are favorable for Xavier; with a win Friday, they're assured to be home again for the second round, as the opposite bracket features a match between two district runners-up (Washington and Davenport Assumption). Then, a potential semifinal matchup between Xavier and fellow unbeaten Solon looms November 9 in the UNI Dome. But the Saints have to win on the field first - and with a team that's scored 100 points in the last two weeks (and put up 20 on a strong Waverly-Shell Rock defense the week before), perhaps Xavier is putting things all together at just the right time.

The Classes, They Are A-Changing

A sort of bombshell came out of the Iowa High School Athletic Association's meeting of the Board of Control this week. It wasn't really a huge surprise - talk has been swirling about changes to football classifications for some time - but it came as something of a shock to see things actually in black and white about a different setup for high school football in 2018.

Some background: For many years, the cutoff for schools put in the class for the biggest schools, 4A, had been a BEDS enrollment number of 700 or more. At about the same time the MVC and MAC went away and the state went to district football statewide in all classes, that resulted in just 46 Class 4A schools. Meanwhile, the other classes (from 3A to 1A) were established at 56 schools, with the rest of the 11-player teams going into Class A (which had 55 members for 2017). There's been a pretty wide disparity among all the classes, but it's quite pronounced in Class 4A - schools like West Des Moines Valley or Waukee have BEDS numbers around 2000, while the smallest 4A schools (such as Western Dubuque or Newton) were at 700 or even less. Add to that the falling number of students going out for football statewide, and the IHSAA realized they might need to adjust classes or give the option of 8-player football to more schools.

So here's what's happening for the 2018-2019 two-year rotation for Iowa high school football:

• Class 4A is capped at the top 42 teams by BEDS enrollment. This likely means 7 districts of 6 teams, although that's not yet established.
• Classes 3A through 1A will number 54 teams, rather than the current 56. Again, this very likely means 9 districts of 6 teams each.
• Class A will be the remaining 11-player schools.
• Eight-player football will now be available for schools with an enrollment of 120, up from the current limit of 115.

Now, while the guess of districts being 6 teams each is only a guess, some of the reasons put out by the Board of Control for the changes are better competitive balance (specifically more non-district games), revitalization of rivalry games across districts and classes (again, only possible with more non-district games), and a reduction in travel (because of the availability of more nearby non-district games). With those justifications in place, I don't see any other result besides cutting districts down to 6 members. That means just 5 district games, half the season, will decide the playoff qualifiers.

While the idea of 4 non-district games is nice (if more teams are willing to play a lower-classification school; I'm looking at you, metro Cedar Rapids schools), I'm not thrilled with only having 5 district games to decide playoff qualifiers. 4A has been doing this for a while, and it doesn't seem like it's quite enough games to really sort things out - for instance, this year there's a 5-4 team in Cedar Rapids Washington playing a first-round game this Friday while a 7-2 Newton squad is sitting at home.

What might help, however, is the system devised to select playoff qualifiers. With 9 districts of 6, you can't go with the top two finishers in each district (that's 18; not a number you can use to bracket a playoff system. You need either 16, as we currently have, or 32 if you're adding another round, which isn't likely unless they're going to start the season a week earlier). So perhaps you go with the district champions as automatic qualifiers, then use some sort of system (like the current 17-point tiebreaker) to determine the other 7 teams in the field. Class 4A, with 7 districts, could go with the top two in each district plus 2 wild cards.

Anyway, that still is up in the air. But we know for certain that six schools will be moving out of Class 4A into 3A for next year, and eight current 3A teams will be dropping to 2A (causing ripple effects down the classes, of course). The BEDS numbers will change, and the official classifications won't be out until early next year, but going by the most recent numbers here's what we're looking at:

MOVING FROM 4A TO 3A

• Lewis Central
• Clinton
• Waterloo East
• North Scott
• Western Dubuque
• Newton

MOVING FROM 3A TO 2A

• Algona
• Vinton-Shellsburg
• North Polk
• Iowa Falls-Alden
• Atlantic
• Davenport Assumption
• Spirit Lake
• Greene County
• West Burlington/Notre Dame

(Algona and Gilbert have the same BEDS number for 2016-17; I'm making the assumption Gilbert's number will be higher than Algona for next year. If they stay tied, the state uses the alphabet, meaning Gilbert goes to 2A and Algona stays 3A.)

It's going to be an interesting winter, once the districts and the playoff qualifying system comes out. Districts of six will be kind of handy for travel purposes (I think it's going to really help in the northeast, with a district of Charles City/WSR/Decorah/Waterloo East/Independence/West Delaware, maybe), but poor Keokuk - only Washington, Fairfield, Mt. Pleasant and Fort Madison are anywhere nearby. Who's going to be that sixth member? Oskaloosa? Liberty?

Pondering Playoff Possibilities

One game left in the 2017 high school football season, and while a lot of playoff teams are already known, there's still a little bit up in the air. And that up in the air part makes a lot of uncertainty about who will play who in the first round that kicks off next Friday, October 27.

Let's look at what we know. Here are the set district champions, all decided in six of the seven districts - they know they will be at home for the first round:

SERGEANT BLUFF-LUTON (D-1)

DALLAS CENTER-GRIMES (D-2)

XAVIER (D-3)

SOLON (D-5)

PELLA (D-6)

HARLAN (D-7)

And here are the guaranteed runners-up, who know they'll play a 10th game in the first round for certain:

WAVERLY-SHELL ROCK (D-3)

WASHINGTON (D-5)

GLENWOOD (D-7)

Also assured a playoff spot (either as runner-up, if West Delaware wins, or district champion, if West Delaware loses):

DAVENPORT ASSUMPTION (D-4)

So that accounts for 10 of the 16 playoff spots. What else is likely tonight?

• The winner of CARLISLE-NORWALK will be runner-up in D-6.
• If SPENCER defeats Algona, they'll be runner-up in D-1.
• If WEBSTER CITY beats Boone, they're the runner-up in D-2.
• A WEST DELAWARE win over Maquoketa gives them the D-4 title. A loss plus a Dubuque Wahlert win forces a three-way tie for second, which West Delaware takes by the points tiebreaker.

That takes us to 14 out of 16, with just the two wild cards to figure out. This is where the point differential comes into play. The state uses point margins for district games, up to +/- 17 points, then divides that total by the number of district games to get a point differential. This is used as a tiebreaker when overall record, head-to-head, or other methods can't sort out a tie. Now, for our purposes, I'm just going to use point totals - all these teams will have played 7 district games, so whether you're using the total points or the differential, it's all the same.

Who's got the best shot at the two wild card positions?

• If WEST DELAWARE loses and Wahlert loses, MARION actually takes second in D-4 (with a head-to-head win over West Delaware). That puts West Delaware in the wild card pool; they'd finish with between a point margin between 50-66. This result (losses by WD and Wahlert) is extremely unlikely; but I include it for comprehensive purposes.
• DECORAH will have a margin between 51 and 67 with a win over Independence. If they win by at least 12, they'll be ahead of all other possible wild card teams except Carlisle and West Delaware.
• A CARLISLE win gives them second in D-6. Should they lose (giving Norwalk second), they'd still finish with a margin between 51 and 67 (the same as Decorah).
• A loss by NORWALK puts them in the wild card pool. Their margin would be between 45 and 61.
• A HEELAN win over Spirit Lake would give them a margin between 45 and 61 (the same as Norwalk).
• OSKALOOSA would be in the wild card pool with a win over West Burlington/Notre Dame. Their margin would end up between 43 and 59.
• A BALLARD win over Greene County, and their margin is between 42 and 58. If Carlisle loses to Norwalk, Ballard is eliminated from wild card consideration due to their non-district loss to Carlisle.

• WINTERSET could join the wild card pool, but their point margin would max out at 52. If Norwalk is also in the pool, Winterset gets eliminated anyway due to their non-district loss to Norwalk.
• WAHLERT and BOONE could make the wild card pool, but neither could get above 51 in points (and Boone would be eliminated in any case if Ballard wins their game tonight). If Boone can defeat Webster City, forcing a tie for the D-2 runner up spot, they'd take that spot should Ballard lose. A Ballard win plus a Boone win forces a three-way tie and the points tiebreaker - should Boone win by 14 or more they'd pass Webster City, but they'd need to win by at least 7 points more than Ballard wins by in order to stay ahead of them.
• MARION has the record to be in the wild card pool; but their season finished with a point margin of 36, which isn't going to get them in. They get knocked out in any case if Wahlert ends up in the pool, since they lost to Wahlert.

As far as what's likely for Week 9:

• As mentioned above, WEST DELAWARE should easily defeat Maquoketa. This takes West Delaware out of the wild card discussion.
• DECORAH should win fairly easily against Independence. Let's say 13 points - that gives them a total of 63.
• The CARLISLE-NORWALK game should be competitive, and could go either way. But it should be close. If Carlisle wins by, say, 7 points, Norwalk would finish with 55. A 3-point Carlisle win leaves Norwalk with 59.
• A Norwalk win, though, puts Carlisle in excellent position for the wild card. A 7-point win by Norwalk and Carlisle still has a margin of 61.
• HEELAN should defeat Spirit Lake handily, but they need to roll up those points. A 17-point win puts their margin at 61.
• OSKALOOSA should run up a big win against West Burlington/ND, so give them a margin of 59.
• BALLARD can only get to 58 points, max, and has to have Carlisle win over Norwalk to even get into the points discussion.

Given a West Delaware win; big wins by Decorah (13 points), Heelan, and Oskaloosa; and a 3-point win by Carlisle, the wild card looks like this:

1. Decorah - 63
2. Heelan - 61
3. Oskaloosa - 59
4. Norwalk - 59

A less-than-17-point win by Heelan gives Oskaloosa and Norwalk the chance to get into that second wild card (a tie in points goes to reverse alphabetical order starting with "D," so Oskaloosa wins that tie with Norwalk).

Given the same assumptions, except a 7-point win by Norwalk over Carlisle:

1. Decorah - 63
2. Carlisle - 61
3. Heelan - 61
4. Oskaloosa - 59

A points tie between Carlisle and (Bishop) Heelan goes to Carlisle via reverse alphabet. If Carlisle loses by more than 7, Heelan can sneak above them. Likewise, a closer win by Decorah could allow either or both of Carlisle and Heelan (or even Osky) to pass the Vikings.

I'm fairly certain the two wild cards will come from these four possibilities. Barring some bizarre upsets, of course ... if Independence beats Decorah and Spirit Lake knocks off Heelan and Carlisle blows out Norwalk, then you're looking at Oskaloosa and Ballard having good shots. A loss by one of them and Winterset, Wahlert and Boone are still there. But you're talking a lot of upsets for that to happen. Best to stick with the four teams that are in pretty solid position for those wild cards.

So then, who plays where? Here's a thought:

• Glenwood at Sergeant Bluff-Luton
• Webster City at Spencer
• Carlisle at Dallas Center-Grimes
• Decorah at West Delaware
• Waverly-Shell Rock at Solon
• Assumption at Xavier
• Washington at Pella
• Heelan at Harlan

If the wild cards are Decorah and Carlisle, then:

• Glenwood at Sergeant Bluff-Luton
• Spencer at Harlan
• Webster City at Waverly-Shell Rock
• Decorah at West Delaware
• Assumption at Solon
• Washington at Xavier
• Norwalk at Dallas Center-Grimes
• Carlisle at Pella (a district rematch, but those are allowed for wild card teams; another option would be sending Carlisle to Xavier and Washington to Pella)

Grinding Out

Xavier went to Vinton-Shellsburg last Friday with a playoff spot all locked up, and just needing a win over the Vikings to ensure their fourth district title in four years. Vinton-Shellsburg had struggled their way through the season so far, with only a win over South Tama to their credit, and had the absolute worst offensive numbers and worst rushing defense in the district.

So it wasn't expected to be a challenge for the Saints, and in the end it wasn't, really, as Xavier picked up a 38-0 win. But it wasn't exactly what was expected, either - much like last season, when the Vikings scored on their first possession and led Xavier for almost the entire first half.

This season, Vinton-Shellsburg took the ball and then wouldn't give it up, eating up clock on a long opening drive that got as far as the Xavier 37. The Saints did push back from there, forcing a punt. On the second play after the punt, Quinn Schulte ran to the left on a designed quarterback run. He found some daylight, broke past the linebackers, and then proceeded to outrun everybody to the end zone for an 85-yard touchdown run. The extra point try was missed, but Xavier was up 6-0 after two offensive plays.

The Vikings had less success on their next possession, picking up a first down before having to punt - but then disaster. The snap went over punter Coleson Phelps' head, and after a mad scramble, Xavier took over the ball at the Vinton-Shellsburg 3. Jax Junge ran it in easily from there, the Saints added a two-point conversion, and after just three plays on offense they held a 14-0 lead. Xavier added a Ben Conrad field goal on their next possession, early in the second quarter, and it was 17-0.

Then the Vikings put together another nice drive, with Xavier's usually stifling defense unable to get off the field. Blake Bohnsack did a nice job passing, including picking up a key first down on 4th and 7, and Vinton-Shellsburg drove all the way to the Saint 24. A field goal try there (the first of the year for Vinton-Shellsburg) was short.

The teams traded possessions as halftime neared, then (much like the previous week's game against Waverly-Shell Rock) Xavier was able to mount a great, quick, clock-saving drive at the end of the half. A shanked punt set the Saints up at their 43; Schulte threw to Kyle Moeder for 26 yards, then Braden Stovie ran for 16. Schulte then zipped a 15-yard TD pass to Gabe Lux, and the Saints went up 24-0 with just seconds left in the half.

The possessions did not work so well for Vinton-Shellsburg in the second half. Xavier took the opening kickoff and rolled right down the field in five plays, with another Junge touchdown making it 31-0. After stopping the Vikings in three plays, Stovie ran the punt all the way back to the 16-yard-line, and Schulte ran in for his second TD on the next play. The score went to 38-0, the continuous clock began to run, and there was still 9 minutes to go in the third quarter.

The rest of the game went fast (as continuous clock games tend to do) and was relatively uneventful (Xavier put in their second team right away; Vinton-Shellsburg had one more decent drive in the fourth quarter). It ended up 38-0, Xavier's fourth shutout of the year, and secured another district title for the Saints.

So once again, Xavier will host the first-round playoff game at Saints Field on October 27. This is a year where the state uses alphabetical order for second-round home field if the teams are equal district champions, which will work against Xavier (being last alphabetically in the entire state) - BUT, in past years of alphabetical order, things have worked Xavier's way unusually often. This year, if Xavier wins the first round to advance to the quarterfinals, the other area district champions are Solon and either West Delaware or Davenport Assumption (Pella may be another option). If Xavier is bracketed with Solon, that game is at Solon. If it's against West Delaware or Assumption, both of those teams lost district games, so as long as Xavier goes 7-0 in D-3 by beating South Tama, Xavier would host against either of those. If it's Pella in the bracket, Xavier travels to Pella. (And of course if there are any upsets, with a district runner-up or wild card advancing to face Xavier, the Saints get to be home field for that.)

Not-So-Instant Classic

You like the title? It works in so many ways ... the actual Waverly-Shell Rock vs Xavier game on October 3 was delayed by over an hour due to lightning in the third quarter, so, not-so-instant. Also, today is October 20, two weeks after that game, and I'm just getting around to blogging about it. Clever, ain't it?

Sorry about the delay, particularly since this game meant a lot in District 3, and it was quite an entertaining and competitive matchup. I could give you excuses (I'm in rehearsals, I have to work, I've been out of town, I have a cold ... all of those are true, by the way), but I still should have kept up better.

Okay ... Week 7 of the high school football season, and both Xavier and Waverly-Shell Rock are unbeaten. The Go-Hawks have the best overall defense in District 3; the Saints have the best rush defense. Waverly-Shell Rock has one of the top overall offenses in D-3, and a strong ground game boasting the district's top two rushers (Luke Velky and Gabe Santioemma); Xavier brings a good balance on offense that's not flashy but spreads the ball around and gets results. Waverly-Shell Rock boasts a couple of the district's best punt returners; Xavier's special teams have always been outstanding.

The winner takes sole possession of the lead in D-3, with a strong hold on the championship. The loser probably will remain in the runner up spot, so both teams still look good for the playoffs.Not to mention, this is the fifth game between these two teams in four seasons; they met in the playoffs in both 2014 and 2015, then played both a district game and a playoff game last year. Xavier has won all four meetings.

It was a wet, breezy first half at Saints Field, with predictions for possible thunderstorms developing through the evening. Throughout the first quarter, the Go-Hawks have a better go of it, getting into Xavier territory with a punt return (then missing a field goal) and starting on the Xavier side on their second possession (with a sack setting them back). Something to note, however - running back Gabe Santioemma leaves the game sometime during those first two drives and never gets back on teh field. Meanwhile the Saints can't even get a first down on the Waverly-Shell Rock defense. Near the end of the quarter, a rare Xavier turnover - a punt return is fumbled away and the Go-Hawks recover at the 15. Ben Hemer runs it in five plays later and Waverly-Shell Rock takes a 7-0 lead early in the second quarter.

The Saints respond, putting together an impressive 11-play drive. Xavier converts on a 4th and 1, and later on a crucial 3rd down play Quinn Schulte scrambles to field an errant shotgun snap, rolls away from pressure, and throws a dart to Kyle Moeder for 23 yards and the first down. The drive ends with a toss from Schulte to Jax Junge in the left flat, who makes a terrific cut upfield past a tackler and runs into the end zone to tie the game at 7 midway through the second.

Penalties on Waverly-Shell Rock and another bad snap that gets past Schulte stymie both teams as the quarter continues. With about a minute left, though, Xavier fields a punt and starts at their 37. Braden Stovie rips off a key 16-yard run, and Coach Schulte guides the Saints through a quick drive to get into field goal position. Ben Conrad nails the 36-yard kick just inside the right upright with 4 seconds left, and Xavier takes a 10-7 lead into the locker room.

This could prove to be huge. After both teams trade a couple of possessions moving into the third quarter, lightning is spotted to the west and the officials stop play. With a 30-minute delay added each time lightning is seen, the potential for a long delay (or even suspension or ending of the game) becomes a factor. Once a full half of football has been played, a game can be called as final - chances are Waverly-Shell Rock would not be too pleased with taking a 10-7 loss after only 30-some minutes of game time, but the procedure for getting the teams back together to finish the contest adds a lot of complications. (Actually, in southwestern Iowa another game with huge implications in D-7 was halted with just a few minutes left to play in the game - and the teams agreed to get back together on Saturday to finish the last bit, instead of taking the result as it stood. Seems like a lot of trouble, and you have to take into account the physical aches and pains players have on Saturdays anyway, but ... you do what you have to do. That game ended the same way it was when it was halted, by the way.) It was a great topic of discussion in the press box during the delay.

And it all turned out to be moot, as the storm moved off and the teams were able to pick back up just over an hour after the game was stopped. The rest actually seemed to do both offenses some good. Xavier came back out and continued another nice drive against the sturdy Go-Hawk defense, but an off-target snap on a field goal try led to a miss by Conrad.

On to the fourth quarter, Xavier still up 10-7. After a sack of Schulte, the Saints are forced to punt fairly deep back in their territory. Mitch Willey's kick takes a tremendous roll, finally being downed all the way at the Waverly-Shell Rock 31, a punt of some 57 yards. The Go-Hawks turn that around quickly, though - on the second play Velky avoids the rush and throws a pass to Jordan Downing near midfield. Downing eludes the first tackler, breaks across the field, gets past another defender, and ends up going all the way for a 68-yard touchdown. The Waverly-Shell Rock fans and players explode with happiness, as the Go-Hawks take a 14-10 lead with only six and a half minutes left.

Xavier is not shaken. Starting at the 28, Schulte drops back on first down. He looks the safety off to the right, then turns left and hurls a deep pass down the left sideline to Junge, who is covered by a linebacker downfield. Junge makes the catch and takes the ball to the Go-Hawk 29. On the next play, a well-designed pass play gets Moeder wide open about the 5-yard-line on the right side. Schulte loops the ball to him, and Moeder backs his way into the end zone over a Waverly-Shell Rock tackler. Boom. Two plays go 72 yards and Xavier gets back on top, 17-14.

And then - Jack Seward fumbles the ensuing kickoff return, and Xavier recovers at the 18 with a chance to go up by two scores with about five minutes to play. Waverly-Shell Rock's defense comes up big, though, and Xavier has to settle for another Conrad field goal, making it 20-14. The Go-Hawks have to chance, if they can get the ball into the end zone. They give it a try, with Velky throwing the ball and picking up first downs, getting Waverly-Shell Rock near midfield. There he is chased out of the pocket, and throws to the left to a momentarily open receiver. A Xavier defender leaps high in front of the receiver and tips the ball up into the air. McClain Burger dives for it, getting his hands around the ball as he rolls to the ground and securing the interception.

But even that doesn't ice the game - if the Go-Hawks can force a three-and-out, they'll get their offense back on the field. Once again, Xavier responds. On second and 12, Schulte runs on a keeper, and is grabbed by a couple of linebackers. He keeps driving his feet, more Xavier blockers push into the pile, more Waverly-Shell Rock defenders jump in ... but Schulte will not go down until he finishes a 14-yard run for the first down. That pretty much ices it, and the Saints are about to run down the clock from there.

Xavier takes the 20-14 decision, remaining unbeaten and taking sole possession of first place in D-3 while ensuring their entry into the playoffs for the 12th straight year. Waverly-Shell Rock goes to 6-1 (4-1 in the district), and having already defeated Decorah and Independence (the only other two playoff contenders) are in pretty solid position for second place and a playoff spot.

It was a tremendous battle between two determined foes, and a very entertaining game to watch. Will they end up meeting in the playoffs for the fourth year in a row? It's possible ...

The Playoff Race Coagulates

Yeah, things are kind of a mess in the Class 3A playoff situation. There's just so many contenders yet to play in many of the districts, it leaves a lot of things up in the air and makes it pretty complicated, even with just 2 games left. Never let it be said I waver in the face of confusion, though! I may not be right, just moving ever forward ...


DISTRICT 1

1. Sergeant Bluff-Luton......7-0
2. Heelan, Sioux City..........5-2 (head-to-head over Storm Lake)
3. Storm Lake.....................5-2
4. Spencer...........................4-3
5. Spirit Lake......................3-4
6. Humboldt........................2-5
7. Algona............................2-5
8. LeMars............................0-7

SERGEANT BLUFF-LUTON is in the playoffs with a win, and wins the district if they defeat Storm Lake. With 2 losses, it's possible they'd be thrown into a points tiebreaker at 5-2.

STORM LAKE can win the district by winning out, and are in a tiebreaker at worst with a win.

HEELAN can get in a tiebreaker by winning out plus a Storm Lake loss.

SPIRIT LAKE needs to win out (which would knock out Heelan, by the way) and have Storm Lake lose to have a shot at the playoffs.

SPENCER needs to win out; they would then hold head-to-head tiebreakers over Heelan, Storm Lake, and Spirit Lake.

There's the odd chance of a points tiebreaker for second place at 4-3, if all the games play out that way. It's nearly impossible to predict points with 2 games left, but SBL and Storm Lake have the upper hand points-wise, with Spencer needing to get head-to-head tiebreakers instead.

OUT: Humboldt, Algona, LeMars.

DISTRICT 2

1. Dallas Center-Grimes......7-0
2. Boone..............................5-2 (expected points tiebreaker)
3. Webster City....................5-2
4. Ballard.............................5-2
5. Gilbert.............................2-5
6. Greene County................2-5
7. Perry................................2-5
8. Iowa Falls-Alden.............0-7

DALLAS CENTER-GRIMES is in the playoffs with a win, and win the district with a win over Boone. It's still possible they could miss a playoff spot by losing out, along with Webster City winning out and Ballard losing again - otherwise the worst would be a tiebreaker.

BOONE can win the district by winning out. With one win plus a Webster City loss, they'll at least be in a tiebreaker.

WEBSTER CITY is in the playoffs if they win out; if Dallas Center-Grimes also loses two games, Webster City can win the district. With one win plus a Boone loss, they're at least in a tiebreaker.

BALLARD needs to win out and get losses from both Boone and Webster City to get into a tiebreaker.

With the points in this district, Dallas Center-Grimes is in the best shape. Boone and Webster City are fairly close, with Ballard running behind (although they do hold a head-to-head tiebreaker over Boone).

OUT: Gilbert, Greene County, Perry, Iowa Falls-Alden.

DISTRICT 3

1. Xavier, Cedar Rapids......7-0
2. Waverly-Shell Rock .......6-1 
3. Decorah...........................5-2
4. Benton.............................4-3
5. Independence..................3-4
6. Charles City.....................2-5
7. South Tama......................2-5
8. Vinton-Shellsburg............0-7

This one's a little bit easier.

XAVIER has clinched a playoff spot, and will secure the district title with a win.

WAVERLY-SHELL ROCK is in the playoffs with a win. They can win the district by winning out if Xavier loses two games.

DECORAH is in if they win out and Waverly-Shell Rock loses both games.

INDEPENDENCE can still sneak in by winning out (beating Decorah) and having Waverly-Shell Rock lose twice.

OUT: Benton, Charles City, South Tama, Vinton-Shellsburg.

DISTRICT 4

1. West Delaware................7-0
2. Assumption, Davenport..6-1 
3. Wahlert, Dubuque...........5-2
4. Marion............................4-3
5. Clear Creek-Amana........3-4
6. Center Point-Urbana.......2-5
7. Central DeWitt................1-6
8. Maquoketa......................0-7

Marion still could mix up this district plenty, with games remaining against West Delaware and Assumption. I have them losing both, but a win in either (or both) would really juggle the predicted order.

WEST DELAWARE is in the playoffs with a win. Two losses plus Assumption winning out and a Wahlert loss would keep them out altogether.

ASSUMPTION is in the playoffs if they win out, and they'd win the district if West Delaware lost twice. One win plus a Marion loss assures the Knights a tiebreaker.

WAHLERT needs to win out along with losses by Marion and Assumption to get involved in a tiebreaker.

MARION can actually win the district if they win out. If they win one and Assumption loses one, they're at least in a tiebreaker.

The points situation here has West Delaware and Assumption in the best position, with Marion not far behind. Wahlert needs some help.

OUT: Clear Creek-Amana, Center Point-Urbana, Central DeWitt, Maquoketa.

DISTRICT 5

1. Solon..............................7-0
2. Washington....................6-1 
3. Oskaloosa......................5-2
4. Mt. Pleasant...................3-4
5. West Burlington/ND......2-5
6. Fairfield.........................2-5
7. Ft. Madison....................2-5
8. Keokuk..........................0-7

This is another pretty simple district.

SOLON has a playoff spot locked up. They take the district title with another win.

WASHINGTON and OSKALOOSA are in the exact same position; the winner of their game Friday is guaranteed a playoff spot. If either team wins out while Solon loses twice, they'll win the district. The loser of Friday's game will have to hope for a wild-card. (You'll note I switched my prediction to Washington this week, mainly so whoever wins, I can still say I called it.)

OUT: Mt. Pleasant, West Burlington-Notre Dame, Fairfield, Ft. Madison, Keokuk.

DISTRICT 6

1. Pella................................7-0
2. Carlisle...........................6-1 
3. Norwalk..........................5-2
4. Nevada...........................3-4
5. Bondurant-Farrar............3-4
6. Grinnell...........................2-5
7. North Polk......................1-6
8. Knoxville........................1-6

PELLA wins the district and a playoff spot with a win. They could still miss the playoffs if they lose twice, Norwalk loses twice, and both Carlisle and Nevada win out. Any other combination, and even with 2 losses Pella would be in a points tiebreaker.

CARLISLE is in the playoffs if they beat Norwalk (unless Pella loses out and Nevada wins out). They win the district by winning out, should Pella lose twice.

NORWALK is in the playoffs with two wins (and win the district if Pella loses twice). If they lose to Nevada and beat Carlisle, they'll be in a tiebreaker at worst.

NEVADA needs to win out (giving both Carlisle and Norwalk losses) and have Pella lose out to sneak into a tiebreaker.

Pella has a good points lead. Carlisle and Norwalk are pretty close, and Nevada is far behind (but by winning out they hold lots of head-to-head tiebreakers).

OUT: Bondurant-Farrar, Grinnell, North Polk, Knoxville.

DISTRICT 7

1. Harlan.............................7-0
2. Glenwood.......................6-1 
3. Winterset........................5-2
4. Carroll............................4-3
5. Denison-Schleswig........3-4
6. Atlantic...........................2-5
7. Creston-OM....................1-6
8. ADM...............................0-7

HARLAN wins the district with a win. If they lose out while both Glenwood and Denison-Schleswig win out, they miss the playoffs.

WINTERSET is in the playoffs if they win out, and win the district if Harlan loses twice and Glenwood loses once. With one win and a Glenwood loss, they'll get in a tiebreaker.

GLENWOOD is in the playoffs if they win out, and win the district if Harlan loses twice and Winterset loses once. With a win plus a Winterset loss, they make a tiebreaker happen.

DENISON-SCHLESWIG needs to win out to get in a tiebreaker; they'd have a spot locked up if Glenwood also wins out and Harlan loses twice.

In this district, Harlan, Glenwood, and Winterset are all quite close points-wise. Denison-Schleswig can't catch Harlan or Winterset in points unless they lose twice, badly, and they are only slightly closer to Glenwood.

OUT: Carroll, Atlantic, Creston-OM, ADM.

PREDICTED DISTRICT CHAMPIONS: SBL, DC-G, Xavier, West Delaware, Solon, Pella, Harlan.

PREDICTED SECOND PLACE FINISHERS: Heelan, Boone, Waverly-Shell Rock, Assumption, Washington, Carlisle, Glenwood.

WILD CARD POOL: Of course things aren't going to finish up like I'm predicting, but once again every district has 5-2 teams to put in the pool: Storm Lake, Webster City, Ballard, Decorah, Wahlert, Oskaloosa, Norwalk, and Winterset. Ballard is eliminated due to their loss to Webster City, while Winterset drops off because of their loss to Norwalk. Going by the current point differential, the two wild cards would be Storm Lake and Oskaloosa.

POSSIBLE FIRST ROUND MATCHUPS:

• Glenwood at SBL
• Carlisle at Dallas Center-Grimes
• Washington at Xavier
• Waverly-Shell Rock at West Delaware
• Assumption at Solon
• Oskaloosa at Pella
• Heelan at Harlan
• Storm Lake at Boone

And The Yellow Flags Fell Like Rain

It can be tough for a football team to get a rhythm going, to stick with a game plan and operate smoothly and efficiently, when the game keeps getting stopped by penalties. That's what happened at Independence last Friday night, where the Xavier Saints rolled to a 37-0 shutout of the Independence Mustangs, but the game didn't really feel like a continuous-clock blowout. Mainly that was due to the 11 accepted penalties on the Saints (along with at least 3 more that were not accepted) that kept the game in a herky-jerky, unrhythmic mess.

Xavier's defense rode to the fore, again, picking up their third shutout of the year. The Mustangs could only muster 39 yards on the ground and 40 through the air - disappointing numbers for an offense that came in as one of the most prolific in District 3. Sophomore QB Logan Schmitt was hounded all night, sacked perhaps 4 times, and unable to run for much positive yardage on his planned runs. Schmitt did find his favorite target, Zach Snyder, 5 times for 31 yards, but that was pretty much the entire offensive output for Independence.

Meanwhile, Xavier turned to an old standby play - the quick pass out to a flanker with two blockers split out wide in front of him. Essentially a long handoff to the outside, Quinn Schulte threw that pass to Gabe Lux 5 or 6 times, generally picking up good yardage (including a 20-yard TD pass to open the scoring in the 1st quarter). Schulte also had a couple of key long passes to Jack Scott and Jacob Hines at important points during the game, which was helpful considering the middle of the Independence defense actually played the run pretty well. The Saints were able to amass 142 rushing yards, but half of that came from just two long runs by Braden Stovie. Without those runs, Xavier averaged only 2.8 yards per carry.

Points are what really matter, though. Xavier got on the board with the pass to Lux, then recovered a fumble and used the long pass to Scott to set up a short Schulte run. On the next possession, the Saints used another long pass to get in the red zone, and Jax Junge ran the ball in from 19 yards out. It was 21-0 Saints, still in the first quarter.

The second quarter found Xavier in much worse field position, plus a fumble of their own, until the final drive. Starting at their 35, the Saints put together an impressive 43-yard drive (overcoming 35 yards of penalties as well), and finished with a 39-yard field goal from Ben Conrad to make it 24-0 at the half.

In the second half, Independence had only one drive that included a first down before the final minutes (Xavier stopped the Mustangs for a 3-and-out seven times on the night). The Saints used Stovie's two long runs to get close, and Schulte appeared to run it in from the 5 - but yep, another yellow flag on the field negated the score. Conrad booted his second field goal, this one from 31 yards out, to make it 27-0. The next Xavier possession got down to the red zone, but a muffed snap and incompletion brought up a 4th down at the 24. Conrad came in again, and had exactly enough leg, as his 41-yard field goal try hit the crossbar and bounced over for a 30-0 lead.

Xavier got to the continuous clock after a huge Lux punt return all the way to the 9, after which Schulte tossed a swing pass to Joey Drahozal out of the backfield and Drahozal spun past a tackler and dove into the end zone. That made it 37-0 and started the continuous clock.

The win took Xavier to 6-0 on the season and 4-0 in District 3. Which brings them to this week - a homecoming matchup against similarly 6-0/4-0 Waverly-Shell Rock. The Go-Hawks have the top offense in the district (348.7 yards per game), and both of the top two rushers (Luke Velky and Gabe Santioemma); they also boast the top overall defense in the district (169.5 yards per game, just 34 points allowed). Xavier is no slouch, with the district's best rush defense (65.8 ypg) and a servicable balanced offense averaging almost 190 yard rushing and 115 yards passing per week.

The winner is guaranteed a playoff spot, and gets in the driver's seat for the district title. The loser can't clinch anything yet, but is in pretty solid position for at least second place and a playoff spot as well. Should be a dandy (which is what I thought last year, too, before Xavier rolled to a 42-0 win; i honestly don't expect that this time).

Crunching Some Numbers, v 1.0

With three football games left in the regular season, somebody with too much time on their hands (me, I guess, although I don't feel like I have much time) can run through the possibilities left and start to figure out how the high school playoffs might align. I'm not sure why I think it's more apt to do it with three games left instead of four; four just seems like way too many variables, while three is just a bit too many.

Anyway, here's a look at how I think things might shake out in Class 3A. All predictions are tentative. Many of the teams I list as "out" of the playoffs already might technically still have an outside shot, should they get in a multiple-team tie that has to go to the points tiebreaker. I might also still win the Powerball someday. Please, no wagering!

DISTRICT 1

1. Sergeant Bluff-Luton       7-0
2. Heelan, Sioux City           5-2  (head-to-head over Storm Lake)
3. Storm Lake                        5-2
4. Spencer                              4-3
5. Spirit Lake                         3-4
6. Algona                               2-5 (head-to-head over Humboldt)
7. Humboldt                          2-5
8. Le Mars                             0-7

Le Mars has been eliminated from the playoffs. Several teams can be counted out based on this coming Friday's results: A Heelan win over Algona eliminates Algona; a win by SB-L over Humboldt eliminates Humboldt; the loser of Spirit Lake at Storm Lake is also out. 

BIG GAMES LEFT: Spirit Lake at Storm Lake this week; Spencer at Storm Lake Oct. 13; Storm Lake at SB-L Oct. 20.

DISTRICT 2

1. Dallas Center-Grimes        7-0
2. Boone                                  6-1
3. Webster City                        5-2
4. Ballard                                 4-3
5. Perry                                    2-5  (head-to-head over Gilbert)
6. Gilbert                                 2-5
7. Greene County                    1-6
8. Iowa Falls-Alden                 0-7

Perry, Greene County, and Iowa Falls-Alden have already been eliminated (Gilbert still has a slight chance, as they still play DC-G, but they are eliminated this week if DC-G defeats IF-A). A Boone win over Ballard this week eliminates Ballard.

BIG GAMES LEFT: Boone at DC-G Oct. 13; Webster City at Boone Oct. 20.

DISTRICT 3

1. Xavier, Cedar Rapids            7-0
2. Waverly-Shell Rock               6-1
3. Decorah                                   5-2
4. Benton                                     4-3
5. Independence                          3-4
6. Charles City                            1-6
7. South Tama                             1-6
8. Vinton-Shellsburg                   1-6

Bentonis already out of playoff contention (they'd lose every possible tiebreaker). Any loss by Independence takes the Mustangs out. A Waverly-Shell Rock win over Xavier Friday knocks out Charles City, while a Xavier win eliminates Vinton-Shellsburg and a Decorah win over South Tama knocks out South Tama.

BIG GAMES LEFT: Waverly-Shell Rock at Xavier this Friday could decide the district champion.

DISTRICT 4

1. West Delaware                       7-0
2. Assumption, Davenport        6-1
3. Wahlert, Dubuque                   5-2
4. Marion                                     4-3
5. Clear Creek-Amana                 3-4
6. Center Point-Urbana               2-5
7. Central DeWitt                        1-6
8. Maquoketa                               0-7

Central DeWitt and Maquoketa are out of the playoffs. An Assumption victory over CPU this Friday will end CPU's playoff hopes.

BIG GAMES LEFT: Wahlert at West Delaware this Friday; West Delaware at Marion Oct. 13, Marion at Assumption Oct. 20.

DISTRICT 5

1. Solon                                    7-0
2. Oskaloosa                            6-1
3. Washington                          5-2
4. Mt. Pleasant                         4-3
5. Ft. Madison                          3-4
6. West Burlington/ND            2-5
7. Fairfield                               1-6
8. Keokuk                                0-7

Everybody here is still technically alive for the playoffs, but who's a technician when it comes to football (plus Ft. Madison, Fairfield, and Keokuk are all so far behind with point differentials that they pretty much have no hope at this time)? The loser of the Fairfield at Ft. Madison game Friday is done; Ft. Madison is done even if they win out, should Oskaloosa defeat Washington Oct. 13. A Solon victory over Mt. Pleasant Friday mathematically eliminates Mt. Pleasant, while an Oskaloosa win over Keokuk eliminates Keokuk.

BIG GAMES LEFT: Oskaloosa at Washington Oct. 13 will probably decide second place. They are very evenly matched, it appears; I give a very slight edge to Oskaloosa.

DISTRICT 6

1. Pella                                7-0
2. Norwalk                          6-1
3. Carlisle                            5-2
4. Nevada                            3-4  (head-to-head over Bondurant-Farrar)
5. Bondurant-Farrar            3-4
6. Grinnell                           2-5  (head-to-head over North Polk)
7. North Polk                       2-5
8. Knoxville                        0-7

Knoxville, Grinnell, and Bondurant-Farrar are out of the playoffs. Either a Pella win or a North Polk loss eliminates North Polk.

BIG GAMES LEFT: Norwalk at Pella this Friday probably decides the district title; Norwalk at Carlisle Oct. 20 could be a game for second place.

DISTRICT 7

1. Harlan                            7-0
2. Glenwood                      6-1
3. Winterset                        5-2
4. Denison-Schleswig        4-3
5. Carroll                            3-4
6. Atlantic                          2-5
7. Creston OM                   1-6
8. ADM                              0-7

ADM, Carroll, and Creston are all out of playoff contention. A Harlan win or Atlantic loss eliminates Atlantic.

BIG GAMES LEFT: Harlan at Winterset this Friday; Winterset at Glenwood Oct. 13; Denison-Schleswig at Winterset Oct. 20 (yep, Winterset really has control of their destiny).

PLAYOFF QUALIFIERS: District champions SB-L, DC-G, Xavier, West Delaware, Solon, Pella, Harlan; Second place finishers Heelan, Boone, Waverly-Shell Rock, Assumption, Oskaloosa, Norwalk, Glenwood.

WILD CARD POOL: The 5-2 teams - Storm Lake, Webster City, Decorah, Wahlert, Washington, Carlisle, Winterset. Using the 17-point differential as it currently stands, that would put Winterset and Carlisle in as wild-card teams (Carlisle and Wahlert have the same differential, but Carlisle would get the alphabetical order).

FIRST ROUND POSSIBLE MATCHUPS:

• Glenwood at Sergeant Bluff-Luton
• Waverly-Shell Rock at West Delaware
• Carlisle at Xavier
• Assumption at Solon
• Oskaloosa at Pella
• Winterset at Dallas Center-Grimes
• Norwalk vs. Boone

Passing The First Test

Last Friday was a truly big game in Class 3A in the state of Iowa, with undefeated Xavier taking on undefeated Decorah in a District 3 battle. Xavier was ranked generally at the top of the various state high school football rankings, with Decorah generally around number 8. Of course, the polls don't really mean anything. They're just the opinions of various sportswriters and people who pay a little attention to high school football - and since it's impossible to have an in-depth knowledge of all the teams in the state, most pollsters go by records, last year's record, and what they hear from other sportswriters.

The real tale of the tape is on the field, and you don't often get a matchup between two highly rated undefeated teams in the third week of district football. Xavier had gotten to 5-0 mainly with their defense; while they had given up a good number of yards in a couple of early games, they had closed down the ground game of pretty much everyone they'd played. The Saints gave up a score in the closing seconds of their game at Regina, with the backups on the field; shut out Linn-Mar; held Benton scoreless through the first half before the Bobcats threw the ball around the field to pick up 3 TDs; and shut out Charles City. Quinn Schulte was pretty effective at quarterback (6 for 6 at Charles City, only one interception in the first five games) and Jax Junge and Braden Stovie picked up good yardage out of the backfield.

Decorah was also strong defensively, although not quite as stout as Xavier. The Vikings' success rode on the backs of the line and the ground game, with Jake Muhlbauer and Kailer McCabe rolling for big yards on the ground. Decorah had a lot of tradition coming in, as well - the Vikings were consistent 3A playoff qualifiers, had captured a state championship in 2012, and gave Xavier their last loss at Saints Field in a second-round playoff game in 2015 (ending the Saints' season at 9-1).

The teams pushed back and forth in the early going, although Decorah was able to pick up just one first down in the opening quarter. Xavier got some yardage on a couple of drives, but ended up having to punt. Finally, near the end of the first period, Gabe Lux got a terrific punt return down to the Decorah 40. A couple of plays later, Schulte threw to Nate Skala, who took the ball down inside the 20 - but then fumbled. The Vikings recovered, but still couldn't get the ball moving.

The game remained scoreless well into the second quarter. The Saints got a drive going from their 37, mostly on the ground, and two big running plays finished it off - Stovie ran for 20 yards to the Decorah 24, and Schulte outraced everyone to the far corner of the end zone for the TD and the 7-0 lead with less than 4 minutes left in the half.

Decorah quickly responded. Starting their drive at the 37 as well, the Vikings picked up yards piecemeal across midfield. On 4th and 1, McCabe pounded out a 2-yard gain to the Xavier 41. On the next play, Brannan Hogan threw to Dawson Holkesvik on the left side. Justin Schneider went for the ball and mistimed his move. Holkesvik had no one else to stop in and ran the ball in. Lucas Sweet, however, banged the extra point try off the left upright, so Xavier held on to the 7-6 lead with just a minute to play.

After the kickoff and a Junge run went nowhere, it appeared Xavier was going to just run out the clock. But then - Stovie found room to run and dashed for 40 yards to the Decorah 48. Coach Duane Schulte quickly sent in a deep pass play, and as Quinn Schulte threw towards his receiver, he got tangled up with a Decorah defender. The call was against Decorah, and the Saints had the ball at the 33 with one untimed down to play.

Xavier called time out, then sent in Ben Conrad to try a 50-yard field goal. Decorah called time out to ice Conrad. Then - wait a minute - Xavier called time out again. What are they doing? Suddenly the offense came back onto the field, although lining up at quarterback wasn't Schulte, but linebacker Jack Lemke. Apparently he had a bigger arm, as he took the snap and hurled the ball into a crowd in the end zone for the stereotypical Hail Mary play. Jack Scott got leverage in front of a couple of Viking defenders, went up, and caught the ball. Touchdown with no time remaining, and the crowd went nuts. Xavier led 14-6.

The third quarter was more of the early game sameness. Decorah fumbled; Xavier missed a field goal; Decorah couldn't get a first down in the third period; Xavier couldn't get the ball moving either. Finally the Saints put together a drive at the end of the third period and beginning of the fourth, helped by good field position after a shanked Decorah punt, and Schulte ran in from 5 yards out to make it 21-6.

After another three-and-out forced by the Saints defense, Xavier put together another nice drive, moving the ball 53 yards in 9 plays. On fourth and 8 at the 23, Schulte was harrassed and hit when he threw, making it incomplete and giving the ball to Decorah on downs. The Vikings finally got something going - 10 plays, all passes by Hogan, moving steadily downfield. Hogan converted a fourth and 1 with a 15-yard completion to Tye Anderson, then connected with Holkesvik for 21 yards on third and 13. But the clock kept running down. Hogan next passed to Holkesvik again from the 24, with the receiver finding open space in the middle of the field and taking it into the end zone - but the time expired on the play. Xavier took this huge battle of unbeatens, 21-13, in a game not quite as close as the final margin.

So the Saints go to 5-0, and travel to Independence. The Mustangs got an extra game this season (a game added to help another team that lost a game when a couple of school districts ended their athletic sharing agreement and dropped out of 3A football before the season started), and that seemed to kick-start their year. While just 3-3 so far, Independence is rolling up some high-powered offensive numbers, scoring 47 points a game in the 3 victories. Unfortunately, the Mustangs can't really stop anybody, either, giving up close to 380 yards per game as the worst defense in District 3.

Decorah, meanwhile, gets another undefeated district foe in Waverly-Shell Rock, who will then come to Saints Field in a week. By the first week of October, the District 3 race could be clear as day, or (should Waverly-Shell Rock lose to Decorah and then beat Xavier) muddied into incomprehension.

Cashing In

Charles City wasn't expected to be one of the District 3 contenders for this season. With only about 12 seniors on the roster and 8 players going both ways, the Comets were going to struggle against the stronger teams. But when Xavier traveled up US 218 last Friday night, not even the Saints expected quite as many gifts as they received, helping them roll up a 50-0 win.

Charles City fumbled on their third play of the game. They fumbled again on the first play of their third possession. They fumbled twice more in the second quarter, and Xavier turned all four of those turnovers into touchdowns on their way to a 43-0 halftime lead. Most of the Comets' troubles came on the center-quarterback snap exchange, which was terribly unfortunate, and the rash of fumbles meant Xavier's average starting field position in the first half was the Charles City 35. Take away the time the Saints took over at their 20 after a missed field goal, and the average moves to the Comet 28. Four times Xavier started at the 30 or closer, and twice inside the 15.

But turnovers and field position don't mean anything if you don't turn them into points, and Xavier did that almost flawlessly. After the first fumble, Jax Junge carried the ball five straight plays, finishing with an 11-yard TD run. After forcing a punt deep in Comet territory, Quinn Schulte ran for a 31-yard TD. Following the Comets' next turnover, Schulte threw a TD pass to Junge from 8 yards out on the next play. The two second-quarter turnovers resulted in drives of 30 and 12 yards, then throw in a seven-play, 80-yard scoring drive after Charles City missed a field goal (just to prove the Saints still knew how to sustain a long drive) and it was Katy-bar-the-door. Xavier almost added another score before halftime when Nate Skala ripped off a 52-yard punt return, all the way to the 10, but the clock ran out after the next play.

Xavier's scout team added a TD in the third quarter - a 42-yard pass from Bryson Bastian to Michael Gundacker was the big play, then Skala ran in the jet sweep from 10 yards out - but that turned out to be the last time the Saints got the ball. With the continuous clock running swiftly, Charles City's offense moved down the field, running 16 plays and covering 77 yards, only to have time run out with the Comets at the Xavier 5.

Schulte had a great night, running for two scores and throwing for three more while going 6-for-6 through the air. Xavier didn't run up a lot of yardage, what with the short fields and the continuous clock, but the defense held firm in putting up their second shutout of the year. If it hadn't been for a muffed punt extending a Charles City drive in the second quarter, the Comets never moved the ball past their 37 yard line in the first half. Xavier now has a ridiculous 13-2 edge in turnover margin (if you don't count two muffed punt returns, which aren't technically turnovers but might as well be) with 7 interceptions and 6 fumble recoveries already.

Coming up this Friday is another tough test from a strong district contender. The Decorah Vikings come to Saints Field, in what's going to be a battle between two undefeated squads. Decorah has rolled up the points, averaging over 37 points a game, and has a terrific rushing attack led by Jake Muhlbauer. And don't forget, the last time Decorah visited Xavier, the Saints were undefeated then as well - in fact, they were 9-0 and rolling into the second round of the 2015 playoffs. Decorah was just 5-5, but they completely outplayed Xavier on their way to a 30-21 win. This year's seniors were sophomores for that game, and many of them were on the sidelines. I can't help but think there'll be some memories of that for some of these guys.

These next three weeks should decide how the top of District 3 will go. You've got undefeated Xavier against undefeated Decorah this week, along with undefeated Waverly-Shell Rock against Benton in what's become a must-win for the Bobcats (if they fall to 0-3 in the district, their playoff hopes are shot). Next week Decorah and Waverly-Shell Rock face off, and in two weeks the Go-Hawks come to Xavier. So the playoff contenders will sort themselves out a lot by September 29, and probably even more clearly by the first week of October. 

A Tale of Two Halves

District play kicked off Friday night, and Xavier got a good one to start in District 3, taking on a Benton Bobcats team that hadn't lost a regular season game since falling to Xavier one year previously. The Bobcats had put up some flashy passing numbers and impressive defensive numbers in their first two games (leading all D-3 teams in rushing yards and total yards allowed). Xavier wasn't about to let go of their stranglehold on the District title, though, especially not at home.

The first half appeared to bear that out. After intercepting Spencer Touro (the Saints' 5th interception of the year already), Xavier used a dandy 48-yard run by Quinn Schulte on their second possession to set up a TD and go up 7-0. After muffing a punt near midfield and giving the ball back to Benton, Xavier picked off Touro again (at this point, Benton turnovers - 2; Benton first downs - 0). That led to a 12-play, 90-yard drive finished with a 20-yard TD pass from Schulte to Joey Drahozal (on 4th and 1). The Saints made it 21-0 with 5:14 to go in the half after another 12-play drive, with Schulte running for his second score of the game. Benton's best play of the half, a 26-yard scramble by Touro, ended with Touro's fumble recovered by Xavier.

The Saints came out roaring in the second half, with Justin Schneider making a terrific kickoff return all the way to the Bobcat 17. Xavier couldn't get a first down, though, and Ben Conrad made it 24-0 with a field goal. Both teams exchanged possessions the rest of the third quarter, as Benton's defense started to toughen.

Late in the third, the tide began to shift. The Bobcats took over at their 17 after a Xavier punt, and Touro starting flinging the ball around Saints Field. A 14-play drive covered the distance downfield, with a 30-yard connection to Koal Marshall the key play, and Matt Davis scored from 1 yard out - the first points allowed by Xavier's starting defense. Touro completed his throw on the two-point attempt, and it was 24-8 Xavier with 9:55 to play.

Xavier fielded the kickoff, but a holding penalty forced a punt, and the Bobcat offense went back to work. A roughing the passer penalty on Xavier moved the ball near midfield, and even after Touro was sacked on 4th down to give the ball back to the Saints, the Bobcat defense held and then blocked Casey O'Connell's punt, setting up Benton at the Xavier 34. Now a pass interference penalty got the ball inside the red zone, and a couple of plays later Touro found Marshall again, with the receiver slipping a Xavier tackle and diving into the end zone for a 30-yard score. Xavier stopped the two-point try this time (which would have made it a one-score game), holding the lead at 24-14.

Obviously all the momentum had turned to Benton, but with only 3:27 left, the clock was in Xavier's favor. Still, the Saints needed to burn some clock to hold on in what had become an interesting battle. Once again, Xavier faced a 4th and 1, this time at Benton's 44. Once again, Coach Duane Schulte decided to go for it. This time it was the quick fullback dive, with Drahozal hitting the line hard up the middle. Benton was selling out to stop the run, but a crease opened up, and then there were no defenders left beyond the line of scrimmage. Drahozal took it all the way for the clinching TD, making it 31-14 with 2:48 left.

The Bobcats didn't give up, but they continued to get some help via penalty. Touro hit Marshall on a 31-yard pass, but a roughing penalty was tacked on to move the ball into Xavier territory. A couple of plays later, another pass interference penalty goes against the Saints - Xavier had been penalized once for 10 yards in the first three quarters; in the fourth they are whistled six times for an additional 75 yards. As a personal note, I can't argue the pass interference calls; there was definite contact, and I think the calls were justified. The roughing penalties, I never saw what happened, so I can't quibble with those, either.

But then ... Touro, from the 16, looked to Nathan Michels in the right corner of the end zone. Michels grabbed the defender, Gabe Lux, by the jersey and threw him towards the back of the end zone as the ball headed his way - he quite literally took hold of the jersey and used Lux' momentum to toss him away. Michels catches the ball, the officials signal touchdown, and there's no call at all. Okay, it didn't have a bearing on the game, but come on, man ... you can't let that go!

That final score came with 1:44 left, making it 31-21 Xavier, and since Benton had used all their time outs, once the Saints recovered the kickoff they could just run out the clock. In a game that Xavier dominated throughout the first half, and completely shut down Benton for three quarters, it somehow oddly felt like the Saints had just held on for dear life to pull out a win, in a half they never led by fewer than 10 points.

Benton did not give up, not even after going down 24-0 with only a couple of first downs. Their defense played outstandingly tough in the second half, and the offense kept going all the way to the end. Xavier's offense was tremendous in the first half, spotty in the second; the defense was again lights out early, but got put back on their heels with the aerial onslaught in the fourth quarter (not to mention those four 15-yard penalties really helped the Bobcats out).

Xavier goes to 3-0, 1-0 in the district, while Benton's record is now 2-1, 0-1 in the district. Xavier travels to Charles City next week (the Comets dropped a 29-20 decision to South Tama, a game they led in the second half) while Benton hosts 3-0 Decorah in what's going to be another key District 3 game - another loss by Benton there could very well be a mortal blow to their playoff hopes.

So Long, Non-District Games! On To What Counts

The non-district part of the season (or, what my son refers to as "exhibition") is over. All the non-4A teams in Iowa have completed their out-of-district games, playing schools of higher or lower or same class, keeping old rivalries or filling schedule spots with somebody not that far away. This week it gets serious. District play gets started.

This is what determines who goes to the postseason. The top two teams in each district make the playoffs, then a point system is applied to the remainder of the teams from all seven districts, with two additional at-large schools selected. Last season, Xavier won District 3 with a 7-0 district record. Benton finished second at 6-1, and Waverly-Shell Rock made it in as one of the at-large selections. The Go-Hawks then won their first playoff game before losing to Xavier in the second round. So what I'm trying to say is, District 3 is a pretty tough district.

Now that everyone has a couple of games under their belt, let's take a look at District 3 as the nitty-gritty gets going this coming week.

XAVIER (2-0, wins over Iowa City Regina and Linn-Mar)

The defending district champions look to be the team to beat again, even after replacing pretty much the entire starting offense from last year. Quinn Schulte, the third Schulte brother to take over as Saints quarterback, has been smooth and efficient in wins over Iowa City Regina and Linn-Mar. Braden Stovie has shown speed and power out of the backfield, and Jax Junge picks up hard yardage when it's needed. It's the defense that's really shining, forcing six turnovers in the first two games. The only points scored on the Saints came in the final seconds of the Regina game against the scout team players.

BENTON (2-0, wins over Oelwein and Marion)

The Bobcats won six straight games after losing to Xavier last September, gaining a second-place district finish and playoff spot, and they've picked up this season where they left off. Spencer Touro has completed almost 80 percent of his passes for 323 yards and 4 touchdowns, and Matt Davis has rushed for 215 yards and 3 more scores. In addition to a rather prolific offense (over 327 yards per game), the Bobcats have been terrific on the other side of the ball, with the top rush defense and overall defense in District 3. Benton is going to be a playoff contender again this season.

WAVERLY-SHELL ROCK (2-0, wins over Crestwood and North Fayette Valley)

The Go-Hawks have a great football tradition, and it's easy to see why. In 2016, with their only district losses coming to Xavier and Benton, Waverly-Shell Rock made it into the 3A playoffs as one of just two at-large teams in the state. They showed they belonged by beating West Delaware in the first round before losing to Xavier again in the second round. The Go-Hawks are tough again this year, pounding out almost 240 yards per game on the ground and once again boasting the district's best pass defense. Luke Velky and Gabe Santioemma have teamed up for 312 yards rushing and 5 TDs. Mosai Newsom already has a couple of sacks in the first two games.

DECORAH (2-0, wins over North Fayette Valley and Crestwood)

There's plenty of tradition at Decorah as well, with longtime coach Bill Post still leading a program that's got a 2012 state championship trophy in the case. The Vikings, as you might expect, have started out strong on the ground (273 yards per game) with Jake Muhlbauer averaging 10.2 yards per carry. Decorah's defense is solid, as expected, giving up just two scores in the first two games.

CHARLES CITY (1-1, lost to New Hampton, win over Osage)

The Comets had a rough year last year, struggling on defense in particular and only accounting for 123 yards per game rushing, but their offense has certainly perked up in 2017. Dylan Koresh is averaging almost 8 yards a carry, and Charles City sports a tidy 262 yards per game rushing average. The Comets haven't looked great on defense again, but the offense threatens to score on just about anybody.

SOUTH TAMA (1-1, win over Grinnell, lost to Williamsburg)

The Trojans had a strong run in Class 2A, especially in 2014-15, but the return to 3A coupled with a new coach made it a rebuilding season last year. South Tama does have the potential to make some noise this year, particularly with a defense that's pretty salty against the pass. Colton Vest averages over 7 yards a carry with a couple of scores, and Lane Koch has thrown for 180 yards and two scores.

INDEPENDENCE (1-2, losses to Dike-New Hartford and West Delaware, win over Clear Creek-Amana)

2016 was a disaster for the Mustangs, who finished 0-9 with less than 30 points scored for the entire season. This was quite a fall after back-to-back playoff appearances. This year already looks like a move in the right direction - Independence gets an extra game (one got added to help opponents of Collins-Maxwell-Baxter, who ended their athletic sharing agreement and therefore dropped out of 3A this season), and they've scored 62 points in two games (sandwiched around a shutout loss to West Delaware). Sophomore quarterback Logan Schmitt has thrown for 330 yards and 3 TDs while rushing for 310 more yards. Noah Gall (4 TDs) and Seth House have teamed for 297 yards rushing.

VINTON-SHELLSBURG (0-2, losses to Center Point-Urbana and Union-La Porte City)

I just have the feeling this is going to be a long season for the Vikings. Will Dudley is averaging almost 9 yards a carry, but Blake Bohnsack has completed only 9 of 22 passes and the team has the worst offense and third-worst defense (yardage wise) in the district.

Workmanlike and Efficient

The Xavier Saints finished off their 2017 non-district schedule with a 16-0 victory over the Linn-Mar Lions Friday night, a game that didn't have a lot of fireworks or excitement, but wasn't ever really in doubt, either. Xavier continued to show a pretty solid defense capable of shutting down - or at least slowing down - any type of offense thrown at them so far. The offense once again took advantage of the opportunities the defense (and special teams) gave them.

The Linn-Mar offense only got past the Xavier 47-yard line once, and that in the waning moments of the 4th quarter (with a drive that ended with Xavier's third interception of Trot Carey). The Saints, meanwhile, took advantage of a deflected punt in the 1st quarter, with Quinn Schulte firing a 39-yard TD pass to a wide-open Gabe Lux on the first play after the punt. Field position proved key in the 3rd quarter as well, as the Saints forced a Lion punt attempt out of their end zone that resulted in safety after a bad snap, and then used the short field after the free kick for a 55-yard scoring drive and their second touchdown.

As I said, nothing very explosive or flashy about the Saints offense so far this year. Braden Stovie continues to look good at running back. Jax Junge got a lot of key yards on the last drive to help run out the clock. Schulte has been pretty efficient at quarterback - he did have two long passes on the night (in addition to the scoring pass, another beautiful 39-yard throw to McClain Burger really crossed up the defense and set up the last touchdown).

The defense, though, really looks to be coming together. They held Linn-Mar to negative rushing yards going into the 4th quarter, mostly due to a relentless series of sacks of quarterback Carey. After forcing three turnovers in the opener against Regina, they got three more this week, all interceptions and all nice plays (Schulte cut in front of a receiver on the sideline for the first pick, Lux got the second on a high throw after Carey hesitated on the slant pattern, and Burger finished off the Lions with a tremendous 4th quarter pick, jumping the out route, tipping the ball into the air, and snagging it as he fell to the turf).

So Xavier moves to 2-0 on the young season, continuing their regular season winning streak (now at 20 games, I believe, with the last loss coming to Regina back in 2014). The district opener this coming week will be a good one, as Benton Community comes to Saints Field. The Bobcats had an outstanding season last year (after back-to-back losses to Marion and Xavier, Benton didn't lose another game until the playoffs), finishing second in District 3. They bring back a lot of talent - Spencer Touro at quarterback, Maurice Williams was a beast last season both running and tackling - and are definitely going to be district contenders again. The Bobcats avenged their loss to Marion with a 17-14 comeback win over the Indians on Friday, and you know they've got the Xavier game marked on their calendars as well.

It's Sort Of A Dynasty ...

Once upon a time there was a successful high school football coach (one state championship under his belt) who had three sons. The first one grew up with a keen football intellect, a precision eye, and a strong throwing arm. The second collected plenty of his older brother's intellect, and added smart decision-making, a powerful build, and a rifle for an arm. The third might turn out to be the best athlete of them all, with a shifty running style and nice passing touch.

Of course this is the Schulte family of Xavier. Duane Schulte has been coach of the Saints ever since the school opened in 1998, and has led the football team to a 140-65 record over 19 seasons. He's taken Xavier to the playoffs every year since 2006, when the Saints won the Iowa Class 4A championship over Southeast Polk (although the semifinal against Bettendorf was perhaps the de facto championship that season). And a Schulte has started at quarterback for Xavier in 60 of the school's last 74 games, every year since 2011 (excepting the 2013 season, where the only Schulte student at Xavier was a freshman).

Reggie Schulte is the oldest, and took over the starting job in 2011 with a team that was, well, mostly learning on the job throughout a tough MVC schedule. The Saints sneaked into the playoffs with a 5-4 record, and even though they dropped their first-round game against Pleasant Valley, those who were on hand saw the start of something special. The 2012 Saints rolled undefeated through their season until the 4A state championship game, a classic against Ankeny where the Saints held their own (leading in the fourth quarter) before falling short in a wild finish. Reggie passed for over 2500 yards that season, with a remarkable 37 TD passes, while adding 123 yards rushing and 3 scores on the ground.

After Reggie's graduation to the UNI squad, the next Schulte son, Bryce, was just a freshman in 2013. He did see action in a couple of games, completing 5 of 6 in his limited appearances (as a freshman, remember). As a sophomore, he stepped into the starting lineup and stayed there for three seasons. Bryce wasn't as prolific through the air as his older brother, but was still terrifically effective (throwing only 10 interceptions over 282 attempts in those three years) and was also a load to stop when he chose to run the ball. Bryce ran for 668 yards and 31 TDs as a starter, which went along with his 4265 yards passing and 56 TDs in those three years. He took the Saints to the 3A state semifinal in 2014 and 2016, with a 6-3 playoff record during his starting tenure.

And now, it's Quinn's turn. He's been able to soak up the knowledge and experiences of not only his head coaching dad, but his two quarterback brothers as well. As a sophomore last season, with Bryce firmly in place at quarterback, Quinn found the field as a wide receiver and led the team in receptions (while also starting both ways, incredibly rare and perhaps unprecedented for a sophomore at Xavier). With Bryce off to join the Iowa Hawkeyes this fall, Quinn started his first varsity game last Friday at Regina, passing effectively (7 of 9 for 64 yards, no interceptions) and running with flash and speed (75 yards and a score).

Now, there's no telling how far the Saints might go in the next two years. One would expect the playoff streak to continue - the maximum number of games left for Quinn would be 25, should the Saints reach the 3A title game this year and next. So the possibility exists of a Schulte starting at quarterback for 85 out of 99 consecutive games, which is quite remarkable regardless of the success of the program. When you consider that during the 60-game Schulte-starting stretch the Saints have a 48-12 record, well ... that's a bit more than remarkable.

Here are the total numbers for the five seasons led by Reggie and Bryce:

547 completions in 870 attempts, 62.9% completion rate

8267 passing yards, over 140 yards per game and 9.5 yards per attempt (that's incredibly good)

105 passing TDs versus only 27 interceptions

766 rushing yards, 2.3 yards per carry (take away Reggie's sack-filled year in 2011, and you have 788 yards and 2.9 yards per carry)

36 rushing TDs, for a total of 141 TDs accounted for over five years (over 14 points per game)

It's a neat bit of family history. Perhaps, the first thoughts of some hearing about the stretch of Schulte QBs playing for Coach Schulte would turn to nepotism and favoritism. I think the numbers speak for themselves. This is a coach who knows what he's doing, and a group of brothers who have learned from their father, their friends, and each other.