WEST DELAWARE HAWKS
Friday, September 14
at West Delaware, Manchester
Broadcast on KMRY AM/FM (LIVE)
You should mark your calendars for this one, folks. Xavier's last non-district game of the season means a trip to Manchester to meet the Hawks of West Delaware, one of the most consistent 3A programs you'll find. The Hawks have a 10-year playoff streak going, winning 13 playoff games in that span. After going 6-3 in 2008, West Delaware hasn't had a year with more than 2 regular season losses since - that's a record of 75-15 (.833) over that period.
Doug Winkowitsch has been head coach for the Hawks since 2003, with a career record of 124-39 at West Delaware. And for this season, Winkowitsch gets a truckload of returning experience from last year's 7-2 squad. Nick Casey returns at quarterback, throwing for 1914 yards and 15 TDs last year. Caleb Kehrli was a monster at running back, with 1209 yards rushing and 18 TDs; Jordan Bries added 686 yards, and Mitch Mangold and Kale Rempe teamed for 163 more. They're all back this season. Mangold also caught 43 passes, along with 10 receptions from Logan Winn.
On the defensive side, Bries led the team in tackles last year along with 8 sacks; Winn and Ben Ridenour had 76 more tackles between them. Winn had 5 interceptions and Mangold 4. Casey is also the returning punter for the Hawks.
On paper, this looks like it could be the season's strongest challenge for Xavier; on the road, against a quality opponent, with a ton of returning talent. It's almost weird that these top 3A programs in the same general area of the state haven't met more than once before (a 27-17 Xavier victory in the first round of the 2016 playoffs); while there were several situations in the playoffs since 2014 when it looked like the Saints and the Hawks might get paired up, it ended up only happening once. Anyway, you should tune in on September 14 - I fully expect this to be a battle of 3-0 teams for the last week of non-district play.
MAQUOKETA CARDINALS
Friday, September 21
at Goodenow Field, Maquoketa
Broadcast on KMRY AM/FM (LIVE)
District play finally gets started with a trip through Grant Wood country to one of the most picturesque small-town football stadiums you'll ever see. The Cardinals have suffered some indignities in recent years. In 2015, Maquoketa went 6-3, taking second place behind Xavier in their district, and then won their first-round playoff game. That was pretty much the highlight of the recent past, as Maquoketa won just two other games since 2014 for a mark of 8-28 (.222) over those four years.
One thing the Cardinals do have going for them is a lot of returning experience, including quite a few juniors who got playing time as sophomores last year. Nicholas Ehrlinger threw for 619 yards to lead the team last season, rushing for another 120. Ryne Gruenwald was everywhere as a sophomore: he passed for 69 yards, led the team with 259 yards rushing, was the third-leading receiver with 6 catches, and had 2 interceptions. Another sophomore, Isaac Crist, ran for 159 yards, caught 5 passes, and was the third-leading tackler, with 27.5 tackles and two sacks. Liam Aunan and Aaron Bramer had 11 more pass receptions.
On defense, the top eleven tacklers from last year are all back, led by Abe Michael's 52.5 tackles. Zac Gavin and Taven Rich are also among the top four (with Crist).
Xavier has only played Maquoketa twice, as district foes in 2014-15, scoring over 40 points in both games to win them easily.
WAHLERT, DUBUQUE GOLDEN EAGLES
Friday, September 28
at Saints Field, Xavier High School, Cedar Rapids
Broadcast on KMRY AM/FM (LIVE)
Here's a familiar opponent for the Saints, a former MVC foe that dropped down to 3A in 2014 as well. Although Xavier didn't play Wahlert the past two seasons, they shared a district in 2014-15 in addition to their long association in the MVC. Xavier has an overall record of 9-3 against the Golden Eagles, and they've gone 6-0 since 2006. The Saints have outscored Wahlert 204-32 in their last five contests.
While Wahlert started seeing some real difficulties competing as a small parochial school in 4A prior to 2014, the move to 3A didn't change things much, with consecutive 3-6 seasons those first two years (although they did reach the playoffs both seasons, with quick first-round exits). In 2016-17, though, the Golden Eagles seem to have gotten their feet under them with back-to-back 5-4 seasons, making their regular-season mark 16-20 (.444) over the past four years.
Wahlert will be challenged a bit this year coming up with replacements for graduates, however. There are hardly any returning defenders coming back - last year's juniors had a grand total of 48 tackles last season. They'll also be missing over 1800 yards rushing, with Isaac Ripley the top returnee in the backfield with 118 yards (Isaac Walsh and Coby Adams had another 150 yards between them).
Their quarterback is returning, however, with Bryce Osterburger's 885 yards passing and 7 TDs bringing some experience. Danny McDermott was last year's leading receiver with 27 catches, but basically every other pass receiver from last season has moved on. Cameron Haugen shared kicking duties last year, but was 15 for 15 on extra point tries and made his only field goal attempt, a 31-yarder.
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