Into the Second Round

Yes, I'm a tad behind. Let me catch you up ...

In the final game of the regular season, Xavier rolled over Marion 51-0 to complete their fourth straight undefeated regular season, their 22nd consecutive win, and their 36th consecutive regular season win. The roof fell in on Marion right from the start ... Isaac Cechota and Mitch McAllister had confusion about who was going to field the opening kickoff, which they muffed at about the 1. Cechota finally picked up the ball, then stepped back into the end zone and took a knee, thinking it was a touchback. That's actually a safety, and Xavier was up 2-0 seven seconds into the game. Quinn Schulte ran for a score on the next possession following the free kick, and the Saints were off to the races.

Then it was the playoffs. The state was trying something a little different this year, attempting to seed (via their new RPI toy) right from the first round. With Xavier sitting at the number 3 RPI statewide, it seems they ought to get a break with their opponent (seed number 14 would be optimal in a true seeded bracket).

Instead they got the 12 seed - which turned out to be Pella. One-loss Pella, only a one-point loss in overtime Pella, defeater of Xavier in the playoffs two of the last three years Pella, state 3A champ three of the past four years Pella, last year's state runner-up Pella. Admittedly, there wasn't a break to be had on the east side of the state, as the teams that had to travel were Pella (8-1), Clear Creek-Amana (8-1), Waverly-Shell Rock (8-1), and Western Dubuque (7-2, but as a district mate of Xavier's the state wouldn't pair them in the first round).

Pella still had last year's championship game loss on their minds, and they came out fired up and looking for the upset. The Dutch didn't even try to establish a running game, with Ryan Gustafson throwing 52 passes on the night. Aaron Downs, a sophomore, caught 11 of those throws, many with Xavier defenders right on top of him. Meanwhile, the Pella defense (which had been burned yardage-wise by several opponents this season) matched up evenly with Xavier's offensive line, slowing down the Saints attack and forcing them to earn every yard.

It turned out to be big plays that made the difference. On Xavier's second possession in the first quarter, Quinn Schulte got good protection and found a wide-open Kyle Moeder about 20 yards downfield. Moeder angled for the sideline and outran the Pella defenders to complete a 51-yard score, putting Xavier up 7-0. But that was about it for the rest of the half. Xavier intercepted Gustafson twice, sacking him another time to end a drive, but the Saints couldn't move the ball very well either. After the second interception, Schulte led Xavier inside the 20, but Gustafson (playing safety) managed to return the favor by picking off Schulte's pass near the end zone (only Schulte's second interception of the entire year).

The second half was equally tough and bruising. Xavier fumbled the ball away once, but were able to hold the Dutch on downs. Back and forth the two teams struggled, until in the fourth quarter, where Xavier hit on the big play again. Schulte threw the ball (laterally) to the right flat to Bryson Bastian, who rolled a bit further and then lofted the ball down the sideline to Moeder. Moeder had just gotten behind two defenders, where he caught the ball, angled to midfield, and outran everyone for a 72-yard touchdown. The double pass was nearly identical to one Xavier used for a TD against Pella in last year's championship, except this one was to the right and last year's went to the left. Xavier was up 14-0 with just over 8 minutes left.

Two scores and you could breath easy, right? Nope. Pella responded with one of the great drives ever seen against a Xavier defense. Fifteen plays, all passing plays (including one scramble), covering 80 yards and taking nearly 4 minutes. The drive ended with a halfback option pass, with Gabe Thomas rolling to the right and tossing the ball to Logan Shetterly near the pylon in heavy traffic from 9 yards out. On the extra point try, the snap was bad, causing the holder to try to get two, but failing, leaving Xavier with a 14-6 lead and just over 4 minutes to go.

Now Xavier just needed to run the clock. Jon Bell had two good carries for 20 yards, getting the ball near midfield, but then ... the Saints fumbled again. It's their 3rd turnover of the game, after only having 5 all season long.

Pella had a chance, down by 8 with about 2 minutes left. The Dutch convert on 4th down thanks to a Xavier penalty, then convert on another 4th and 8 with a big 16-yard pass. Pella gets a 1st and goal at the 8; Gustafson throws incomplete. a draw play loses a yard, Gustafson is incomplete near the sideline. On 4th and goal, Gustafson looks for Thomas on the crossing pattern in the end zone, but his throw is off target and Thomas is well covered. The Saints take over at the 8 with 33 seconds left and Pella out of time outs.

It was a thriller of a game between two well-matched, tough, physical opponents. Xavier finally showed they could play a full four-quarter game, and showed they had the guts to hold on when they had to. Pella showed they were far better than a 12 seed in this playoff field, and made Xavier pay for every yard and every point.

So Xavier moves on to the quarterfinals, facing another familiar opponent in Decorah. The Vikings defeated Clear Creek-Amana 17-6 to move on, their 7th straight win. While Xavier rolled over Decorah 45-3 back in August, amassing over 400 yards of offense and nearly 200 yards rushing by Braden Stovie, Decorah's defense has been much better over the past three games. Xavier, though, should have a bit of an edge as the Vikings' main offensive threat comes on the ground, an area where Xavier has been tough as nails (fewer than 50 yards allowed per game).

A couple of things to remember, though. Only three 3A teams have ever defeated Xavier; Western Dubuque in 2014, Pella in the semifinals in 2014 and 2016, and ... Decorah in the quarterfinals in 2015. There have also been just three teams to knock off an undefeated Xavier team in the playoffs; Ankeny in the 2012 championship, Pella in the 2016 semifinal, and ... Decorah, in that 2015 game at Saints Field, where a 4-5 Viking team that barely slipped into the playoffs and won their first-round game came all the way to Cedar Rapids and just flat-out outplayed a 9-0 Saints squad.