Cedar Rapids Xavier bounces back against Western Dubuque with 2nd-half mentality shift

CEDAR RAPIDS — Cedar Rapids Xavier Coach Duane Schulte said one of the halftime messages to his team was to play to win.

He had witnessed a tendency to play “not to lose” at points this season. The Saints turned that around after the break and avoided two straight losses for the first time in 12 years.

Ronan Thomas passed for two touchdowns and rushed for another in the second half, helping Class 4A No. 5 Xavier to a 22-20 victory over No. 3 Western Dubuque in a slobber knocker of a non-district prep football game Friday night at Saints Field.

“It’s not like we changed the play calling,” Thomas said about the second-half turnaround. “We changed the mentality. People started going as hard as they could. They started getting angry on the field but not at themselves. They were going as hard as they could.

“It was awesome to see everyone to go out for the second half fired up after a slow first half.”

The Saints (2-1) demonstrated their mettle, battling through the first-half defensive slugfest and bursting for scores on three straight possessions. They were able to rebound from last week’s one-point loss to Williamsburg and survive another ranked foe.

“They proved that they are tough,” Schulte said. “That was a good, well-coached football team and it always is against Western Dubuque. To earn the victory was huge.”

Xavier trailed 7-0 at the break with Western Dubuque connecting on a 59-yard pass from Tanner Anderson to Brock Carpenter, who hauled in a bubble screen, found a seam and bolted for the second-quarter score.

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The Saints manufactured three straight scoring drives after intermission. Thomas helped lead the Saints on drives of 80, 70 and 66 yards. The first lasted six plays, concluding with a 57-yard scoring strike to Carter Hoffmann.

The Bobcats wasted little time to extend their lead, getting a 93-yard kickoff return from Colin McDermott to make it 14-6.

Thomas marched Xavier down the field on 11 plays, running four times for 29 yards and passing for 24 more. He scored on a 1-yard QB sneak and Coleton Beasler-Weber followed with a conversion run to tie it 14-14 with 3:20 left in the third.

Thomas rolled out and scrambled more in the second half. He showed good vision, changing direction and finding running lanes for first downs.

“They played to win,” Schulte said. “They executed. Ronan was a part of it.”

Beasler-Weber teamed up again to give the Saints the lead for good. The pair connected on a deep post pattern. Beasler-Weber outran the defense for a 63-yard TD and Beasler-Weber added another conversion run.

“Coach saw an opening,” Thomas said. “He talked to me about the play and wrote it out. I was on board with it and it executed well. The linemen gave us time and it was a great play.”

Thomas finished with 188 yards passing and 21 rushing to lead Xavier. Beasler-Weber surpassed 100 offensive yards, rushing for 39 and adding 71 receiving.

Anderson notched his second TD pass of the game, hitting Payton Putz on a 5-yarder and pulling the Bobcats (2-1) within two points with 4:45 to play. The conversion run by Grant Glausser was just inches shy of the goal line, keeping it 22-20.

“The third quarter was obviously very good,” Western Dubuque Coach Justin Penner said. “It got into a track meet there for a minute.

“It was a great high school football game but (Schulte) had the right 2-point play and I didn’t.”

Western Dubuque (2-1) still had a chance. The Bobcats’ last drive started on its 36 with 1:22 left. Three penalties and four incomplete passes thwarted the comeback. Xavier’s defense closed a gutsy and gritty outing.

“We just rinse and repeat,” Xavier’s Bryce Kramer said about the team’s perseverance and rebounding from last week’s setback. “Last week was last week. We focus on the next week. We have to control what we can control.”

The Saints allowed 245 yards but held the Bobcats below their 48-point average through the first two weeks. Western Dubuque lived in Xavier territory, crossing midfield on 4 of 6 first-half drives. Xavier forced a turnover on downs once and Western Dubuque missed a field goal off the left upright on another.

“Bend but don’t break,” Kramer said. “It was just a ‘next play’ mentality.”

Anderson passed for 177 yards, including 83 to Carpenter. The Bobcats’ all-time leading rusher, Glausser finished with 78 yards on 20 carries. He has been workman-like with 514 yards on the ground this season.

“Grant has been playing really well for us,” Penner said. “We have to find out how to get those yards against top-end teams.”

Cedar Rapids Xavier 22, Western Dubuque 20

AT SAINTS FIELD

WD CRX

First Downs 9 12

Rushes-yards 23-68 35-82

Passing yards 177 188

Comp-att-int 11-23-0 10-12-0

Total yards 245 270

Fumbles-lost 1-0 1-1

Punts-avg. 4-36.8 5-33.6

Penalties-yards 7-45 3-20

Western Dubuque 0 7 7 6 -- 20

C.R. Xavier 0 0 14 8 -- 22

WD – Brock Carpenter 59 pass from Tanner Anderson (Caden Abresch kick)

CRX – Carter Hoffmann 57 pass from Ronan Thomas (Kick failed)

WD – Colin McDermott 93 kickoff return (Abresch kick)

CRX – Thomas 1 run (Coleton Beasler-Weber rush)

CRX – Beasler-Weber 63 pass from Thomas (Beasler-Weber rush)

WD – Payton Putz 5 pass from Anderson (rush failed)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING – Western Dubuque: Grant Glausser 20-78, Anderson 3-(-10). C.R. Xavier: Beasler-Weber 11-39, Thomas 13-21, Noah Schimberg 8-15, Grant Helmle 2-9, Team 1-(-2).

PASSING – Western Dubuque: Anderson 11-23-0-177. C.R. Xavier: Thomas 10-12-0-188.

RECEIVING – Western Dubuque: Carpenter 2-83, McDermott 2-43, Hunter Quagliano 2-28, Glausser 1-13, Putz 3-9, Brandon Decker 1-1. C.R. Xavier: Hoffmann 4-39, Beasler-Weber 2-71, Schimberg 1-21, Lucas Frost 2-12, Jack Stevenson 1-5.

Comments: kj.pilcher@thegazette.com