Lions get first-ever win at Xavier, improve to 2-0

CEDAR RAPIDS - Kyle Hollister was asked who his team plays next week.

“Umm, Dubuque,” the Linn-Mar junior defensive back replied after a pause.

He was asked which Dubuque school. Was it Senior?

“Yeah, I think so,” he said.

Got to love the tunnel vision. Focus only on the opponent directly in front of you.

It's a philosophy that has served Linn-Mar well so far. The Lions picked up their second surprising victory of the young prep football season Friday night, holding on for a 14-7 win over Cedar Rapids Xavier before a packed house of over 5,000 at Saints Field.

It's the first time Linn-Mar has beaten Xavier in football in 10 tries and follows a win over Cedar Rapids Kennedy last week that was the Lions' first over the Cougars in 13 years. Are these Lions “for real?” It sure looks like it.

“Whatever ‘for real' means,” said Linn-Mar Coach Bob Forsyth. “I don't know. You can judge that.”

“I think so,” said running back Jer Garman, who finished with 123 yards rushing, including a 71-yarder for touchdown on the second play of the game. ”We've showed that the last two weeks.”

Last week, it was a late Garman touchdown that gave Linn-Mar a victory. Friday night, it was a late defensive stand.

Xavier running back Pat Chizek was stripped of the football by Hollister after a great effort on a screen pass, with sophomore linebacker Mark Atwater falling on the fumble at the Lions 25 with 1:13 left. Chizek caught a screen pass to the right near midfield, shook off a tackle and sprinted down the left sideline before being gang tackled.

As he fought for extra yardage, a heads-up Hollister reached in and spun the ball away. Game over.

“I actually was on the other side of the field,” Hollister said. “I saw the screen, so I ran over there. Noah Evans was holding him up, so I just yanked the ball out. Atwater gets on it.”

“We really work hard at that,” Forsyth said.  ”We really work hard at trying to get turnovers, work hard at trying to strip.”

Linn-Mar dominated the first half, leading at the break, 14-0, on Garman's run and a 16-yard second-quarter touchdown pass from quarterback Will Roth to wide receiver Josh Montague. But Xavier was just as dominant in the second half, with the Saints' biggest problem being unable to convert their dominance into points.

Xavier had two TDs taken away by holding penalties, one on a second-quarter punt return and the other on a fourth-quarter run by quarterback Joe Sayre. The Saints ended up turning the ball over on downs at the Linn-Mar 17 after the latter penalty.

On their first drive of the second half, they drove to the Linn-Mar 25 but turned the ball over on downs. Later on in the quarter, fullback Dylan Martin fumbled inside the Lions 5.

Xavier finally scored midway through the fourth quarter when Kyle Glynn blocked a Bryce Peterson punt in the end zone, with teammate Ike Hasley falling on it for the score. Linn-Mar took four minutes off the clock on the ensuing possession, picking up its only two second-half first downs, but eventually punted.

Xavier took over at its 23 with 2:59 left and moved the ball to the Linn-Mar 48, when the play of the game occurred.

“Defensively we shut them out,” Forsyth said. ”Our kids played well enough on defense to win, and that's what we're always hoping. To play well enough on defense to win.”

Xavier finished with a yardage advantage of 234-194, with Sayre passing for 179 yards. But Linn-Mar, which does indeed play Senior next week, finished with the victory.

“We're here,” Hollister said. “And we're bringing it.”