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.
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