Cash Parks returns from injury to help Cedar Rapids Xavier get past North Scott in 4A top-10 clash

ELDRIDGE — Cash Parks admitted he was nervous.

“Honestly, it felt like the opener again against Waverly Shell-Rock,” said the Cedar Rapids Xavier sophomore quarterback. “It felt like I was starting the season all over again.”

Parks was starting over after missing the last three Saints games after being involved in an auto accident. All he was facing in his return was a rugged North Scott team.

It took Parks and his teammates a while to get started, but when it mattered most in the fourth quarter the Saints came through.

Carter Hoffmann’s 8-yard TD run midway through the fourth quarter broke a 21-21 tie, giving No. 8 Xavier (4-2, 2-0 Class 4A District 3) a hard-fought, 28-21, win over No. 7 North Scott (4-2, 1-1) at Lancer Stadium.

“These guys were around me and rallied with me the whole time,” Parks said. “I felt great out there tonight. My teammates really helped me to keep my head up if I made any mistakes. I got a little tired out there, but these guys kept lifting me up all the way.”

Xavier Coach Duane Schulte, who jumped in his car and was driving through the night to Columbus, Ohio, to watch his son Quinn play for Iowa on Saturday against Ohio State, was pleased with the way Parks handled himself in his return.

“You have to give him credit for coming in and being prepared,” Schulte said. “I think he'd be the first to tell you that it boiled down to his blockers blocking, his receivers doing their job and Carter running hard, especially in the second half.”

Hoffmann, a senior tailback, gained 98 of his 122 rushing yards in the second half. After he scored the go-ahead touchdown, Hoffmann was the main man on Xavier's final possession, picking up two key first downs that allowed the Saints to run out the clock.

“He was just amazing,” Parks said of Hoffman. “Our offensive line was amazing, pushing guys back. Carter was just running hard, hitting the holes and making good yards.”

The game was close throughout. The Lancers took the opening kickoff and drove 85 yards to score with Chase Smith hitting Carson Lage with a 6-yard scoring pass.

Xavier drew even in the second quarter when Parks connected with Hoffmann on a beautiful pass on a wheel route from 29 yards out. However, on the ensuing kickoff, North Scott's Cole Johnson scooped the ball up at the 12, broke through an initial tackle attempt and went on to complete an 88-yard scoring return.

The Saints used a little trickery to get even just before the half. On a fourth-and-2 play from the Lancer 9, Hoffmann took a pitch from Parks and headed right. Parks drifted off to the left and took a pass from Hoffmann, walking into the end zone with 35 seconds remaining, leaving the game tied 14-14 at intermission.

In the third quarter, Parks gave the Saints their first lead on a 40-yard run that saw him run over a couple of defenders, then outrace the Lancer secondary to the end zone.

“I was able to push through a couple of guys,” Parks said of the run. “Then I got a great block from Aiden (Miller) down the field which let me beat the rest of their guys to the end zone.”

Smith hit Cash Bowe on a 26-yard scoring strike late in the third quarter. North Scott then stopped the Saints, but turned it over on a fourth down at the Xavier 31 on the first play of the fourth quarter.

That allowed the Saints to feed the ball to Hoffmann, who capped the drive with 5:59 to go. The Saints defense, which held North Scott to 8 yards rushing, took care of the rest.

Parks completed 15 of 22 passes for 185 yards. Ryan Kelly had nine catches for 101 yards.

“Our coaches and players really put in the time this week,” Schulte said. “It was great to see all that hard work pay off tonight. This was an important one. North Scott is always a very good team but we've still got three games left and we have plenty of things to improve on.”

Xavier remains on the road next week, playing at Oskaloosa. North Scott travels to Clear Creek Amana.

Cedar Rapids Xavier 28, North Scott 21

CRX NS

First downs 21 9

Rushes-yards 40-206 13-8

Passing yards 194 224

Comp-Att-Int 14-23-1 17-26-0

Punts-Avg. 3-35.0 3-40.9

Fumbles-lost 1-1 2-0

Penalties-Yards 5-65 10-81

CR Xavier 0 7 14 7 — 28

North Scott 7 14 7 0 — 21

NS — Carson Lage 6 pass from Chase Smith (Smith kick)

CRX — Carter Hoffmann 29 pass from Cash Parks (Owen Vasquez kick)

NS — Cole Johnson 88 kickoff return (Smith kick)

CRX — Parks 9 pass from Hoffmann (Vasquez kick)

CRX — Parks 40 run (Vasquez kick)

NS — Cash Bowe 26 pass from Smith (Smith kick)

CRX — Hoffmann 8 run (Vasquez kick)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING - CR Xavier: Carter Hoffmann 24-122, Cash Parks 4-42, Dustin Cook 10-42, Team 2-0. North Scott: Evan Kruse 8-8, Chase Smith 5-0.

PASSING - CR Xavier: Cash Parks 14-22-1-185, Carter Hoffmann 1-1-0-9. North Scott: Chase Smith 17-26-0-224.

RECEIVING - CR Xavier: Ryan Kelly 9-101, Aiden Miller 1-7, Carter Hoffmann 1-29, Dustin Cook 3-48, Cash Parks 1-9. North Scott: Cash Bowe 8-98, Carson Lage 6-79, Kye Smith 1-37, Jacob Neymeyer 1-10, Zachary Powell 1-0.