There's 30 ... And 31 ... And

The Xavier Saints football train just keeps rolling, with two more wins in the past two weeks taking their unbeaten streak up to 31 and aiming towards a pretty darn significant matchup with district foe Western Dubuque on October 11.

Two weeks ago West Delaware came to town. The Hawks are one of the consistently strong Class 3A programs in eastern Iowa, with a long string of playoff appearances that was snapped with an off year last season. WD started this year with a surprising two-point loss to Dubuque Wahlert, but had won the next two handily. Stat-wise, the defensive numbers shown by the Hawks in the first three weeks were almost identical to Xavier's (although Xavier had played a stronger schedule, with their opponents having a combined record of 4-5 compared to WD's opponents at 1-8).

As expected, Xavier's defense was pretty much on lockdown against West Delaware. The Hawks gained only 12 yards passing while picking up 101 on the ground - however, 51 of those 101 yards came on one play, a breakaway run by Wyatt Voelker for the Hawks' first TD. West Delaware's second score came after a muffed punt gave them the ball at the Xavier 20, and then 23 more rushing yards came on Jared Voss' TD run (so two scoring plays accounted for 74 yards rushing ... other than that, West Delaware ran 30 times for 27 yards - take away the two TDs and the Hawks averaged one yard per play).

Xavier's offense got some big plays, too. In the first quarter Kaiden Cuevas got behind the secondary and Tyler DuPont found him for a 63-yard score. Another Saints TD came after West Delaware muffed a punt, but then Xavier also got second-quarter scoring passes of 38 and 39 yards (a lot of wide-open room in the Hawk secondary) for a 28-6 Saints lead. Not much happened but defense in the second half until that late muffed punt, and the final score was 28-12.

On to district play, and the Maquoketa Cardinals. Maquoketa started 2-0, their best start in several years, but then dropped games to a powerful Independence team and a so-so Mount Vernon squad to come in at 2-2. The Cardinals have a pretty good ground game, but their defensive numbers showed them to be pretty weak on that side of the ball.

Xavier took advantage, rolling up a school-record 619 yards of total offense and reaching the end zone seven times in a 52-20 victory. It could have been even worse, as Carter Diebold missed short field goals right before halftime and again on the first drive of the third quarter. DuPont had 333 yards passing and TD throws to Tyler Wilken (77 and 27 yards), Cuevas (35 yards) and Mac Mahurin (14 yards). Cuevas ran for two more scores, and both he and Jack Lux ended with over 100 yards rushing.

Maquoketa, like West Delaware, was able to hit some big plays to get their points. Kannon Coakley threw two long TD passes to Caiden Atienza (69 and 31 yards) and Connor Becker broke an 85-yard run for another score ... but again, take away those three long plays and the Cardinals only had 87 yards of offense (just over 2 yards per play, without those three big ones).

Xavier's defense continues to be solid, even with that propensity to give up the long touchdown (they still rank tops in the district allowing about 185 total yards per game, less than 70 yards per game rushing), and the explosion against Maquoketa vaulted the Saints to the top offense in the district as well (388 yards per game, over 200 yards rushing).

This Friday, it's a trip to the Rock Bowl at Loras College to take on Dubuque Wahlert. The Golden Eagles, with a new coach coming from NCAA Division II Lindenwood, had that solid close win over West Delaware to open the season, then blew out Clinton for their second win - but they also have losses to Davenport Assumption, Central DeWitt, and Western Dubuque. Wahlert has the district's number two rushing offense, but they don't throw the ball very well and have only an average defense.

Which means, for you onlookers, that the October 11 matchup between Xavier and Western Dubuque will most likely decide the District 4 champion, with the winner almost certainly at home for the first round playoff game while the loser would have to go on the road. Xavier hasn't been on the road for a playoff game (except for the Dome) since 2011, and never as a 3A team (the Saints have been district champions all five years in 3A).

But first - Wahlert.

Domination?

When you outgain your opponent by something close to 3 to 1, and rack up 22 first downs to their 5, you expect a blowout on the scoreboard. That isn't quite what happened at Brady Street Stadium on this third week of the high school football season, but Xavier still ran their winning streak to 29 straight with a 17-0 shutout of the previously undefeated Davenport Assumption Knights.

On a steamy, sultry night with the threat of thunderstorms looming, Xavier came out of the box looking to run all over the Knights. On the Saints' first possession they used 11 plays to move 73 yards, mostly on the ground, and scored on a 3-yard run from Jack Lux. It was 7-0, and it looked like more would be coming shortly.

Xavier's defense did its thing - holding Assumption to just 11 yards on the ground and 24 total in the first quarter - but the offense couldn't quite regain that opening swagger. Their next drive ended with a punt near midfield, and the drive after that saw a missed field goal from 39 yards out. The Knights, though, only crossed midfield once in the first half, and that was by a single yard.

After the missed field goal, Xavier held Assumption to a three-and-out, and then went back to what worked in the first quarter. Another 11-play drive, this one covering 55 yards and using the clock to near perfection, ended with one tick left in the half when Carter Diebold drilled another field goal try right through from 22 yards out. It was 10-0 at the half, but felt like it should have been plenty more.

The Saints would receive the second-half kickoff, and surely they'd pound it right in for more points, right? Well, no. On the third play, Tyler DuPont's off-target throw on the rollout was intercepted by Assumption. The Knights did get one first down on a pass interference penalty, but only got to the Xavier 36 before punting. Three plays after that - DuPont was intercepted again, on a deep throw near the Assumption 30. The Knights could do nothing against the Xavier defense that time, but on the Saints' next possession, Tyler Wilken fumbled the ball after a catch. Three straight turnovers on three possessions is enough to stifle any kind of momentum.

But then - turnabout can be fair play. After Assumption's best play of the night - a pass from Tyler Kulhanek to Simon Weitz on the far sideline, where Weitz evaded the first defender and spun downfield to the Xavier 40 - Kulhanek went to the well one time too often. His long pass down the middle of the field was overthrown and intercepted by Jaxon Rexroth, who saw the Saints defenders turn into blockers and clear the way for nice return all the way to the Assumption 38. On 3rd and 8, a quick give to fullback Nick Lemke up the middle burst into a 21-yard gain, and on the first play of the fourth quarter, DuPont kept the ball on the option to the left, cut upfield behind a block and dove into the end zone. That made it 17-0, Assumption would gain a total of 17 yards in the final quarter, and the Saints stayed unbeaten.

Plus the storms didn't arrive until just after the stadium cleared out, so that made it a win-win for everybody (well, except the Knights). Now Xavier gets an extra day to recover, with West Delaware coming to Saints Field next Friday for the final non-district game of the season. West Delaware surprisingly lost to Dubuque Wahlert the first week, but convincingly rolled over Marion last week. What kind of Hawks team do we have - the consistent 3A power with multiple district championships and playoff appearances, or the middling-record squad we saw last year? Who knows. We'll get a good idea next week.

Getting Under Way

The first two games of the 2019 high school football season are in the books, and Xavier continues their winning streak (now up to 28 straight) - although not without some drama.

The Saints rolled over Iowa City Regina 35-0 in their opener. Hosting the Regals on brand-new Field Turf at Saints Field, Tyler DuPont stepped in at quarterback in place of the graduated Quinn Schulte and looked very much at home, throwing for 126 yards and a score while running for 61 yards and two more TDs. While seniors Kaiden Cuevas and Nick Banowetz were listed at starting tailback, Cuevas did not play (I think he might have hurt himself during pregame warmups) and Banowetz never got a carry. Instead, junior Jack Lux came in during the Saints' second series, and on his first carry ran for 57 yards to make his presence felt. Lux would finish with 111 yards, a fine entrance to varsity play.

The Regals, meanwhile, were able to move the ball through the air (Ashton Cook threw for 168 yards) but had almost no rushing attack against the Xavier defense. On Regina's one drive deep inside Saint territory, a bad snap over Cook's head resulted in a turnover - one which Xavier converted into a touchdown. Then on the next possession a Cook pass was intercepted on the right side by Jakob Forslund, and the Xavier linebacker returned it 38 yards for a pick-six.

The following week was, well, not exactly the same. Xavier made the trip up to Decorah, taking on a Vikings team that had been blown out by Class 2A power Waukon the week before. Xavier was unable to move the ball on their first possession, but after a punt, Decorah put together a long, pounding drive that used most of the first quarter. Briggs Duwe was able to find Logan Halverson, mostly, through the air, and the Vikings could get just enough on the ground to keep the drive going. Decorah finished off the drive when Duwe faked a handoff up the middle and strolled almost unnoticed around the left side into the end zone.

Neither team could get much going for a while in the first half, but Xavier finally made something happen late in the second quarter. Aided by a couple of big penalties against Decorah, the Saints moved to the 13 yard line. DuPont passed to Mac Mahurin for 10 yards, then after one more play the pair connected again, this time for a 3-yard TD to tie the game with 38 seconds left.

Decorah wasn't done. Cael Luzum returned the kickoff to midfield, then Xavier was called for two pass interference penalties in three plays that put Decorah at the Saints 16. Duwe had two receivers run out patterns to the right, and found the deeper one, Dawson Palmer, for the score with seven seconds on the clock. Xavier, which had never trailed at halftime in the entire 2018 regular season, was now down 14-7 at the half of their second game of the year.

The third quarter was far, far different. On Decorah's second play, a hard Xavier tackle stripped the ball from Andrew Magner, and the Saints recovered at the 20. It took just three plays to score, with DuPont pushing in from the 1. A high snap on the extra point try caused DuPont to scramble for time, and he was able to find Ethan Hurkett in the end zone for the 2-point conversion and a 15-14 lead. After forcing a three and out, Xavier's offense went back to work. This drive took only five plays, the last one a great 34-yard run from Cuevas, who followed a Nick Lemke block off-tackle and fought off Vikings defenders downfield for the score. Another stop of Decorah led to another punt, and another TD drive, this one 61 yards in eight plays, to finish the quarter with DuPont's second TD and a 29-14 lead. Xavier would tack on another fourth quarter score on a Jack Lux drive (he carried the ball four times in a five-play drive, accounting for all 64 yards and a TD).

So a shaky start in game two for Xavier, but a solid finish and another good overall performance. Game three will be a short turnaround, with a Thursday night game at Brady Street Stadium in Davenport against Assumption - a team that looks like they've figured things out as well after a rough 2018. The Knights have outscored their opponents 84-7, and are rolling up some big rushing yard numbers. It will be up the Saints defense to see if they can slow them down.

The Clock Is Ticking

It's just over two weeks before high school football gets underway in Iowa for 2019. Well, technically, just over a week, for those schools with Week 0 games (including my old alma mater, the Cardinal Comets!) - ten Class A and 1A teams have games August 23, along with 22 eight-man teams (and then New London has a game in Wisconsin on the 24th).

But for most Iowa high school teams, including Xavier, the action begins the last week of August. What are some things to look forward to in 2019?

Xavier will be defending their back-to-back Class 3A state titles and their 26-game winning streak. The Saints are facing a strong challenge this season, with only three starters back from last year. And, after having a Schulte take at least a few snaps at quarterback every season since 2010, there aren't any Schultes left on the roster. Pretty much the entire starting lineup will need to be rebuilt, but Coach Duane Schulte has been here before. Last year's juniors got playing time throughout the season (with an average victory margin of 30 points over the past two seasons, everybody gets to see the field), and the tradition of success is a long-standing one at Xavier. The Saints haven't had a losing record since 2004 and have reached the playoffs every season since 2006, with 31 playoff wins, eight Dome playoff appearances (including five championship games) and three state titles.

Another thing to look forward to is brand new Field Turf at Saints Field. When Xavier opened in 1998 the football field wasn't ready at the start of the year (the Saints played at least one home game at Kingston Stadium), and by the end of the season it was discovered the field was a soggy mess. After being re-done for the 1999 season and beyond, Saints Field had a large crown down the center for drainage - a crown that often had visiting teams crying foul about the home-field advantage of playing on that slope (even though it was completely within the limits for a regulation field). Now, for 2019, a donor ponied up the cash to install Field Turf, which was completed over the summer, and now the Saints have a level, weather-proof surface to practice and play on.

The Saints begin their season with Iowa City Regina, a longtime Class 1A power. Regina had a down year in 2018, missing the playoffs for the first time in, well, practically forever. Coach Marv Cook has bunch of former Hawkeyes on his coaching staff, and he'll have his team ready. Regina has been facing the same problem almost every other Iowa high school team has been dealing with - low participation numbers. They typically have a few freshmen on the varsity squad just because they need the bodies (well, I mean, they're good freshmen - junior receiver Alec Wick will be making his third appearance against Xavier this year).

The other non-district games for the Saints are on the road at Decorah (a tough game this year, as the Vikings return some talented players), a Thursday night game at Davenport Assumption (another team that's had trouble getting enough kids out for football), and then back home facing West Delaware (a usual 3A power in northeast Iowa that had an unusual down season by their standards last year). The district games are home vs. Maquoketa (a struggling program that's making some strides), on the road at Dubuque Wahlert (another team that can't get bodies on the field, with a new coach this season), at last year's state champion runners-up Western Dubuque, then home for the final two games against Center Point-Urbana and Marion.

While Marion has been improving, they lose some important members of last year's team, and CPU still looks to be adjusting to the move to 3A - but that game at Western Dubuque is (at least from a preseason standpoint) the key game of 2019. Xavier handled the Bobcats easily in the regular season last year, winning 35-0 at home in a game that was first moved up two hours due to storms in the forecast, then delayed over three hours by lightning right after halftime. When they met again in the state championship, though, Western Dubuque stood toe-to-toe with Xavier, with the Saints not taking the lead for good until 10 minutes were left in the game.

The Bobcats bring back a lot of players in the so-called skill positions, with Calvin Harris at QB (if his commitment to play baseball at Ole Miss doesn't trump his senior year of football), running backs Jake Hosch and Ben Bryant, and receiver Payton Quagliano all returning. In my view, the Bobcats have to be the favorite in D-4 this season, and having the home field in their matchup against Xavier only strengthens their chances.

So, another little change this season to keep in mind - remember last year when the IHSAA brought the RPI calculation to bear, to determine at-large playoff qualifiers who did not win their district? In the first season of that system, the deal was all teams that tied for a district title automatically qualified for the playoffs, regardless of their RPIs. That could have potentially knocked some pretty strong contenders out of the playoffs entirely. With 16 slots and 7 districts, let's say two districts ended in three-way ties. Last year that would have meant 11 automatic qualifiers and only five at-large spots ... the sixth-strongest at-large RPI would have stayed home, with potentially a 5-4 team that tied in a weak district going to the playoffs instead. Well, that won't happen this year. Only district champions will be automatic qualifiers - if there's a two-way tie for a district, the team that won head-to-head gets the bid; if it's a three- or four-way tie, the highest RPI is considered the district champion. The other teams involved get thrown into the at-large pool with all the other non-winners of their districts. That guarantees only seven automatic qualifiers and the nine next-best RPIs get selected. I think that's a good move that better serves the purposes of the playoff field.

What that also means, though, is if Xavier loses to Western Dubuque this season, but the Bobcats drop another district game to, let's say, Marion. With both teams at 4-1 in the district, WD gets the automatic bid with their head-to-head win, regardless of how their RPI matches with Xavier. The Saints get put in the at-large pool, which likely gets them in (they had the third-best RPI in Class 3A last year, and no team with only one loss finished below 12th in RPI), but could very well mean road games in the playoffs. With the Saints' recent successes, the last road (non-Dome) playoff game Xavier had was their 2011 loss to Pleasant Valley - so it's been a while since the Saints had to go on the road in the playoffs.

But there's a long way to go before that first-round game November 1. In the meantime ... football is almost back! I can't wait!

A Title Game For The Ages

Instead of writing up my usual recap of the Xavier game, for this year's 3A championship I thought I'd do something a little different. And a little less time-consuming. You see, for every Xavier game I take the play sheet I keep during my broadcast and write up quick summary, drive-by-drive, just for myself and for posterity. Ha!

Since I went into a little more detail for this game than usual, I thought it would work to simply copy and paste it here. So here you go - what I call the Gametrax for the 2018 Iowa Class 3A championship game, an epic for the ages.

Western Dubuque one of only two 3A programs to ever defeat Xavier. Xavier defeated WD 35-0 in a storm-interrupted game October 5.

FIRST HALF

Western Dubuque wins the toss and receives. They start at the 24. A drive ensues, the likes of which has never been achieved on Xavier this season. Calvin Harris throws to Drake George for 24; Harris runs for 19 on 3^rd and 9; Harris goes for 8 on 4^th and 8; another pass to George converts on 3^rd and 5; finally, on 4^th and goal at the 4, a reverse ends up with the ball in George’s hands and he sweeps in. A bad snap on the extra point and the try fails. Sixteen (!) plays, 76 yards. 6-0 Western Dubuque, 6:05, 1^st quarter.

Western Dubuque kicks off, and Xavier starts at the 17. On 3^rd and 2 Quinn Schulte finds a crease over the left side and bursts free, finally forced out of bounds after a 36-yard run. Two plays later, Schulte throws deep to a wide-open Derrick Skala inside the 5. He appears to get the ball across the goal line as he comes to the ground, but the officials indicate down at the 1, a 38-yard play. Schulte carries it in from there. The extra point is good. Six plays, 83 yards. 7-6 Xavier, 3:45, 1^st quarter.

Xavier kicks off, touchback. Western Dubuque at the 20. Another drive, but a quicker one – on the third play Harris catches Xavier in a blitz and flips a screen pass to Jake Hosch, who outruns missed tackles and poor angles for 65 yards down to the 13. Two plays later Harris takes it in from the 1. The extra point is good. Five plays, 80 yards. 13-7 Western Dubuque, 1:46, 1^st quarter.

Western Dubuque kicks off, Xavier ball at the 20. The ground game starts pounding, with Braden Stovie carrying END 1^st QUARTER four straight times followed by two Schulte carries. With 4^th and 2 at the 39 and the punt unit in, Coach Duane Schulte calls for the fake. As Mitch Willey pretends the snap goes over his head, the ball goes to an up back, who hands to Carter Hartman coming across from the slot. Hartman gets to the 42 for the 1^st down. Three plays later, Schulte faces a Bobcat blitz and finds Matt Jordebrek down the seam. Jordebrek catches the ball as he eludes one Bobcat, then outruns everyone for a 56-yard TD. The extra point is good (66 extra points on the season for Ben Conrad ties the school record, as well as his 120 career extra points). Ten plays, 80 yards. 14-13 Xavier, 8:36, 2^nd quarter.

Xavier kicks off, touchback. Western Dubuque at the 20. Here we go again: a defensive holding penalty gives the Bobcats one first down; then Harris runs for 11 to get another; another Harris scramble on 3^rd and 5 picks up 20 yards. Harris then fires a perfect pass down the right side to Payton Quagliano, who makes a fingertip catch over Pat McGinn and takes the ball in for a 26-yard score. The extra point is good (just the fourth made extra point against Xavier all year). Eight plays, 80 yards. 20-14 Western Dubuque, 4:33, 2^nd quarter.

Western Dubuque kicks off. Xavier ball at the 31. Schulte connects with Stovie for 13 yards, then runs for 19, then Stovie runs for 18 down to the WD 19. On 3^rd and 6, Schulte throws to Nick Banowetz along the left sideline. He crosses the 10 before he’s pushed back and out of bounds – but the official inexplicably marks it at the 10, a yard short of the 1^st down. Xavier lines up to go for it (and looks like they would have made it), but is whistled for a false start. Conrad kicks the 32-yard field goal (his 13^th field goal of the season, a new Xavier record). Seven plays, 54 yards. 20-17 Western Dubuque, 2:35, 2^nd quarter.

Xavier kicks off, touchback. Western Dubuque at the 20. Xavier holds them to a three and out, using their time outs. Punt.

And Zack Butcher gets a great one, forcing Schulte to let the ball drop and watch it roll for a 55-yard kick all the way to the 17. Stovie runs the ball three times to run out the clock – and on the last carry, apparently turns his ankle. He will not return.

END HALF. 20-17 WESTERN DUBUQUE. It’s the first time Xavier has trailed at the half since the 2016 semifinal against Pella.

SECOND HALF

Western Dubuque kicks off, touchback. Xavier at the 20. No Kyle Moeder (injured in the first-round Pella game), no Josh Volk (hurt on the opening drive against Lewis Central last week), no Braden Stovie. Schulte runs for 15 yards on the first play, then three plays later fakes the option, keeps the ball and connects with Nate Skala for 50 yards, down to the 5. Two consecutive penalties result in 1^st and goal at the 24, and three plays gain only 8 yards. Conrad nails the 33-yard field goal, and we are tied (Conrad now has the exact same career numbers as Ryan Persick – 120 extra points, 23 field goals, 189 kicking points). Eight plays, 64 yards. 20-20, 8:29, 3^rd quarter.

Xavier kicks off, touchback. Western Dubuque at the 20. On the second play, Harris scrambles for 8 yards and a first down, but apparently takes a hit to the head (or bounces his head off the turf, I couldn’t tell). He’s slow to get up, and he will not return. Sam Goodman replaces him, with 4 pass attempts and 4 rushing attempts on the season. The Saints stop two running plays for losses and force a punt.

And it’s another tremendous kick by Butcher, forcing Nate Skala inside the 10 where he’s tackled immediately at the 9. Now, remember the 18-play, 90-yard drive Xavier opened the Lewis Central game with? Wouldn’t that be nice here?  The Saints think so, too. Schulte and Patrick Chambers lead the way, with Chambers twice picking up 1^st downs on pitch sweeps to the left. Chambers runs for 3 on a 3^rd and 2, then Schulte carries END 3^rd QUARTER six consecutive plays, pounding up the middle for 21 total yards and two more 1^st downs. On 2^nd and 10 at the 33, Schulte appears to start up the middle again, then pulls back and throws to an open Chambers sneaking out of the backfield. Chambers makes the catch and takes it in for the score. The extra point is good (putting Conrad in the school record books for career extra points and kicking points). Fifteen plays (!), 91 yards. 27-20 Xavier, 10:12, 4^th quarter.

Xavier kicks off. Western Dubuque starts at the 17. On the first play, Xavier comes after Goodman, and he’s sacked at the 1. George’s carry on the next play barely gets outside the end zone. On 3^rd down Goodman is in trouble again, but gets the pass away for a 9-yard gain. Punt.

Finally a short kick, fair caught by Xavier at the Western Dubuque 42. A Schulte 10-yard run on 3^rd and 5 gets one first down, but on 3^rd and 8 the double-pass trick play fails when McGinn’s throw is just short of an open Nate Skala. Conrad attempts the 45-yard field goal, but is short and to the right.

Western Dubuque takes over at the 20, trailing by 7. Goodman runs for one 1^st down, then connects with George for 21 yards. Two plays later he throws a beautiful pass to Jeff Thiesen for 31 yards, down to the 18. Four times Goodman goes to the air, once off an outstretched hand of George – then on 4^th down, the throw to George in the corner of the end zone falls incomplete, with Jakob Forslund and Bryson Bastian on tight coverage (perhaps Bastian held George early in the pattern, I don’t know).

Xavier takes over on downs at the 18 with just under 2 minutes left. On 2^nd and 9, Schulte runs the option left, keeps the ball, and breaks free into the secondary. His legs are too tired to outrun Will Burds, but Schulte rolls for 74 yards all the way to the 7. Schulte keeps the ball on the next four plays, running down the clock, and finally scoring from the 1. The extra point is good. Six plays, 82 yards. 34-20 Xavier, :30, 4^th quarter.

Xavier kicks off, squib kicking. Western Dubuque starts at the 34. On the second play, Goodman finds George again, who breaks several tackles and evades Saints all the way down to the 17 (a 49-yard play). Goodman throws one incomplete, then with 2 seconds left his pass is intercepted by Schulte at the goal line.

END GAME. 34-20 XAVIER.

 Xavier’s second straight Class 3A championship and 26^th consecutive victory.

The Saints allowed 73 points scored, a new record (previously 88 points, 2006).

The Saints allowed (unofficially) 696 yards rushing; the previous 13-game record was 909 yards (2006).

Quinn Schulte finishes his career with records of 43 rushing TDs, 48 total TDs, and 288 points scored. He also has 5183 total yards (rushing and passing), a new school record. With his receiving yards added in, he has 5765 yards.

Ben Conrad had 68 extra points this season (68 for 68) and 14 field goals, both new school records (the 68 extra points actually ties with Ryan Persick in 2012, but that was over 14 games). He extended his season kicking points record to 110. He also set career records for extra points (122) and kicking points (191), and tied the career record for field goals (23).