Battered and bruised Saints advance to Dome

CEDAR RAPIDS - Cedar Rapids Xavier will take that 57-minute drive up the aptly named Avenue of the Saints, back to the UNI-Dome again.

No. 8 Xavier overcame injuries and bruises to beat No. 7 West Delaware, 27-17, in an Class 3A quarterfinal last night at Saints Field.

The Saints (9-3) earned a third straight trip to the UNI-Dome and a well-deserved day off from practice today.

'We lost two of our best football players and these guys pulled it together and battled hard,” Xavier Coach Duane Schulte said. 'They got a big win against a great team.”

Xavier - which reached the 4A state finals the last two seasons - remained alive for a berth in the 3A title game, facing top-ranked Pella (12-0) Thursday at 8:21 p.m. This time they did it without leading rusher Jay Kortemeyer and two-way standout Nic Ekland.

'Success is something we really expect here,” Saints senior Thomas Ickes said. 'We always expect to do good things.”

The Saints answered a gut-check late in the game, taking over on their own 36 with 6:51 left and clinging to a 24-17 lead. Xavier melted 5:14 off the clock, going 55 yards on 12 plays. Dallas Klein made his second field goal of the night, a 25-yard kick, to make it a two-score game with 1:37 left.

'We knew what we had to do,” said Sean Murphy, who took over as the starting running back and led Xavier with 99 rushing yards. 'Our line especially picked it up on that last drive. We started driving the ball behind that line. They got great pushes all night.”

The Saints seemed in control, building a 17-0 lead at halftime. Xavier struck immediately with Bryce Schulte's 46-yard touchdown pass to Matt Downey on its first offensive play of the game.

Schulte added a 1-yard sneak on the next drive. That march down the field included a 43-yard pass to Joe Welch, showing the Saints ability to open up and throw.

'We initially thought we could pass on them,” said Bryce Schulte, who threw for 112 yards. 'They're a great run defense. We just thought we could throw the ball.”

West Delaware belted Xavier to start the third quarter, scoring 14 straight points and cutting the deficit to three.

The Hawks (10-2) drove 92 yards on eight plays, converting a key first down on two straight Xavier penalties, before Coy Roussell's 45-yard jaunt set up Brent Lammers 10-yard touchdown run with 7:32 left in the third. Roussell finished with 138 yards on the ground.

Schulte fumbled on the next possession and the Hawks recovered at the Xavier 10. Three plays later Lammers hit Trent Curley for an 11-yard scoring strike.

'It was a great second half,” West Delaware Coach Doug Winkowitsch said. 'I was proud of our kids to come out and battle.”

He said they dealt with adversity in the first half, including a fumble, turning the ball over on downs three times - twice after driving inside Xavier's 20 - and a key injury to Lammers.

Lammers limped off the field several times, starting in the second quarter, and was assisted off the field after the game. He battled to throw for 159 yards and rush for 38.

'He's been battling that ankle for a couple weeks,” Winkowitsch said. 'We're proud of him for hanging in there. He just kept fighting.”

The Saints have been known for physical toughness, but mental toughness helped them take control of the game and secure the victory late. The final blow came on Bryce Schulte's 4-yadr run, taking advantage of a short field that started on the Hawks 21.

'Momentum shifted a little bit there,” Duane Schulte said. 'We were able to regain it and get it back.”

l Comments: (319) 368-8679; kj.pilcher@thegazette.com