The matchup between two top-ten programs in Class 3A, with undefeated Xavier taking on 5-1 Western Dubuque, looked like a royal struggle for the lead in District 4. The Saints and the Bobcats had pretty much the top two offenses and defenses in the district, Xavier with an edge on the defensive side and Western Dubuque with a bit more explosive offense - in fact, the Bobcats averaged over 400 yards per game and had the second-best offense in all of Class 3A.
It all didn't live up to the hype, as Xavier scored on all four of their first-half possessions and shut out Western Dubuque 35-0, in a game delayed over three hours by lightning. The kickoff was moved up two hours, to 5 pm, in an effort to beat the oncoming weather - but the Saints provided all the lightning necessary. A ten-play drive on the first possession resulted in a touchdown pass from Quinn Schulte to a wide-open Matt Jordebrek; on Xavier's next possession it took just five plays (some big runs by Braden Stovie) until Schulte ran it in from 14 yards out; in the second quarter another long 11-play drive was capped by a 2-yard Stovie run; and that was followed by another five-play drive, including a 38-yard pass to an again wide-open Jordebrek, that was finished by Jordebrek's second TD catch of the night. It was 28-0 at halftime, and the powerful Bobcat offense had only about 50 yards of total offense.
Then came the lightning, which tormented football games across eastern Iowa on this night. The homecoming halftime festivities all went off fine, the teams came out and loosened up, Xavier received the kickoff and ran one play - and there was the lightning. The crowd and the teams were sent off to safety as the required 30-minute delay after each lightning strike was counted down. Two or three times it looked like the weather had moved through - the teams actually even came out to warm up at one point until lightning chased them back inside almost immediately - but it took over three hours before the situation was finally deemed safe enough.
Things didn't change a whole lot. Western Dubuque was able to get a little bit of offense going in the second half, and their defense had a little more success in stopping the Saints, but the Bobcats never really threatened to score while Xavier was content grinding out as much of the clock as they could. The Saints tacked on another touchdown in the fourth quarter - a 24-yard rocket from Schulte to Bryson Bastian, who spun like a top past one defender and dove into the end zone - and that fired up the continuous clock for the seventh time in seven games.
So now Xavier goes to 7-0 and 3-0 in District 4, and definitely has the advantage for the district crown. Regardless of what happens at Center Point-Urbana next week, if the Saints defeat Marion in Week 9, they'll win their fifth consecutive district title and secure a playoff spot. Western Dubuque still has a chance, should Xavier lose twice and the Bobcats win out, and there is a scenario involving a three-way tie between Xavier, Western Dubuque, and Marion that would put all three into the playoffs. But Xavier holds their own destiny in their hands, and as defending state 3A champions, I doubt they'd want it any other way.
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