Third-ranked Xavier passes by DeWitt, 42-6

CEDAR RAPIDS - Rains transformed Cedar Rapids Xavier's natural grass into a muddy mess, seeming to call for a run-oriented game plan to succeed,

Then again, sometimes you just have to wing it and rely on what works.

The third-ranked Saints were unfazed by the wet conditions, getting five touchdown throws from quarterback Bryce Schulte en route to a 42-6 win over DeWitt Central Friday night in Class 3A District 4 football competition. Schulte tied the school record for TD passes in a game set by his older brother, Reggie Schulte, against Iowa City High in 2012.

Xavier still had four times more rushes than passes (40-10), but the passing game was a pleasant surprise when the Sabers committed to stop the ground game early.

'Coming into the game it was pretty rainy and I was worried we wouldn't throw the ball that much,” said Xavier wide receiver Nick Stark said. 'Bryce threw it pretty well (Friday night). Opened up the playbook a little more.”

Schulte helped break things open for Xavier, which held a 7-6 lead inside of four minutes left in the opening half. He threw four touchdowns in a 14:19 stretch, spanning the second and third quarters, that put the Saints up 35-6.

'I felt great,” Schulte said. 'Our line did a great job. Our receivers made great plays.”

The Sabers' only score came after blocking a punt and taking over at the Saints' 2. Quarterback T.J. Sikkema plunged in from the 1 two plays later, but the point-after attempt failed.

Stark was on the scoring end of two strikes before halftime, hauling in a 27-yard TD with 3:24 to go in the second. The Saints defense got the ball back with 2:11 and Stark capped the drive with a 33-yard score with 18 seconds left for a 21-6 halftime edge.

Schulte finished 8-of-10 passing for 231 yards. He averaged almost 40 yards per completion.

'He's putting it right where it needs to be,” Stark said. 'No one can make a play on it but us.”

Don't expect much for any smack talk between brothers. It seems they will gladly share that single-game TD mark.

'It's an honor,” Schulte said. 'He'll come first on the list, but it's an honor being on the list with him.

'We don't talk about records and stuff. We just go out and play, work as hard as we can and if it happens it happens.”

Xavier receivers struck quickly, needing a total of three plays on consecutive possessions after the break for a pair of TDs. Sean Murphy had a highlight reel play, taking a short out pass, spinning to make a tackler miss, juking twice and going 60 yards for a score.

Blake Whitten, who had 111 yards on two catches, scored on an 87-yard reception, adjusting to Schulte's pass and cutting diagonally across the field and outrunning the Saber defense. Whitten had the game's opening score with a 24-yard TD, putting the Saints up, 7-0.

'A lot of those yards were yards after the catch,” said Xavier Coach Duane Schulte, who praised the offensive line's protection. 'Got to give the receivers credit.

”Most of them did a great job on that. That was almost a one-man show on his catch.”

The junior signal caller knows he has weapons at his disposal. He said they are capable of doing that anytime.

'They're great skill players,” Schulte said. 'They know how to make plays. They know when to cut (and) what to do. Get the ball in their hands and they will find a way to score.”

Xavier's Maliki Wilson amassed 95 of the Saints 179 rushing yards. The Saints' defense held the Sabers (0-4, 0-2) under 100 total yards of offense.

Points had been hard to come by early this season, but the Saints have put things together, heading into next week's game at Maquoketa.

'We try to tell our guys to keep pounding away and keep after it,” Duane Schulte said. 'They kind of found a little rhythm.”

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