Air Xavier? Believe it, as passing game lifts Cedar Rapids Xavier past Williamsburg, 29-27

WILLIAMSBURG — A Duane Schulte-coached team that throws the football all the time offensively? Air Xavier?

Believe it.

Cash Parks completed 27 of 42 passes Friday night for 342 yards and three touchdowns as Cedar Rapids Xavier outscored Williamsburg, 29-27, in a beauty of a game Friday night.

Williamsburg was last year’s Class 3A state champion and The Gazette’s top-ranked team in the class. Xavier is No. 7 in 4A.

Man, you hope these traditionally strong programs can find a way to agree to play each other again next season as the two-year scheduling cycle for prep football is recycled. Williamsburg won last year’s game at Xavier, 21-20, and now this one.

“It feels really good,” said Xavier wide receiver Ryan Kelly. “Gives us some confidence going into the rest of the season.”

“Boy, I’m just trying to digest this game. Seriously,” said Xavier Coach Schulte, whose teams have been fairly run heavy over the years, even with his three sons (Reggie, Bryce and Quinn) at QB. Not here.

“First of all, give credit to Williamsburg. That’s a good football team,” Schulte said. “Then without giving them a big head, I’ve got to give credit to our guys. They just gutted out that win. They just gutted it out. Every kid on that team helped us get that ‘W.’”

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In just his second varsity game, sophomore quarterback Parks was brilliant. So were his receivers.

Little junior Kelly may or may not be the 5-foot-9 and 155 pounds he is listed on the Xavier roster, but the kid’s a mad-big player. He caught nine passes for 150 yards and a touchdown, including a 68-yard beautifully thrown bomb from Parks late in the third quarter that turned a 21-16 deficit into a 22-21 lead.

Senior receiver Aiden Miller had eight catches for 83 yards and a TD for the Saints (2-0). Parks hit a wide-open Will Forman for a 26-yard TD pass in the fourth that stretched Xavier’s edge to 29-21.

Williamsburg (1-1) came right back on the ensuing possession to give itself a chance to tie. Quarterback Grant Hocker connected with John Eichhorn on a 14-yard touchdown fade pass to the left corner of the end zone.

Hocker’s two-point pass, however, was incomplete with just under five minutes left. The Raiders never got the ball back until there were 12 seconds left, as Xavier picked up a pair of first downs on huge third-down completions by Parks.

The last of those was a 21-yarder to Kelly on a third-and-11 play with under two minutes to go. That essentially sealed the game.

“Sometimes we couldn’t get the run going because they were stacking the box,” Parks said. “So we dropped back and were able to hit them downfield. Ryan Kelly has amazing speed to break away from people. I got plenty of time to throw back there, too, so thanks to the linemen.”

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Photos: Cedar Rapids Xavier at Williamsburg high school football

Hocker was tremendous for Williamsburg as well, completing 15 of 26 passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns. Eichhorn had nine catches for 133 yards and blocked a punt in the third quarter that led to the first of two Nile Sinn TD runs.

Owen Vasquez made three field goals in the first half for Xavier: two from 31 yards and another from 35. The second 31-yarder just before halftime hit the left upright and ricocheted just over the crossbar.

“From the beginning of the game to the end, it was just back and forth,” Eichhorn said. “Two great teams battling. They kind of got an edge on us, then we got the edge. But I think no matter the score, both teams got better tonight.

“Coach (Curt) Ritchie always says he hates losing more than he likes to win. It’ll really turn our vision on the rest of the season. This really humbles us and keeps us in check. We’re not invincible. This keeps us honest.”

Cedar Rapids Xavier 29, Williamsburg 27

(At Williamsburg)

Cedar Rapids Xavier 13 3 6 7-29

Williamsburg 7 0 14 6-27

Team Statistics

First Downs - Xavier 19, Williamsburg 16. Rushes-Yards - Xavier 24-74, Williamsburg 34-96. Completions-Attempts-Interceptions-Yards - Xavier 27-42-0-342. Williamsburg 15-26-0-200. Total Yards - Xavier 416, Williamsburg 296. Punts-Average - Xavier 3-38.3, Williamsburg 5-40.6. Penalties-Yards - Xavier 10-70, Williamsburg 7-50. Fumbles-Lost - Xavier 1-0, Williamsburg 0-0.

Individual Statistics

Xavier: Rushing - Carter Hoffman 17-79, Dustin Cook 2-0, Cash Parks 5-(minus) 5. Passing - Cash Parks 27-42-0-342. Receiving - Ryan Kelly 9-150, Aiden Miller 8-83, Dustin Cook 4-50, Carter Hoffman 4-19, Will Forman 1-26, Jack Downey 1-14.

Williamsburg: Rushing - Nile Sinn 21-72, Grady Wetjen 2-23, Grant Hocker 10-8, Dylan Weisskopf 1-(minus) 7. Passing - Grant Hocker 15-26-0-200. Receiving - John Eichhorn 9-133, Rayce Heitman 5-66, Connor Westcott 1-10.

Comments: (319)-398-8258, jeff.johnson@thegazette.com