Young Cedar Rapids Xavier football team grinds past Waverly-Shell Rock, 14-7

CEDAR RAPIDS — They faced a major disadvantage in experience.

But at the end, the Xavier Saints were the fresher, more disciplined team.

Class 4A seventh-ranked Cedar Rapids Xavier ground out a 14-7 victory over No. 9 Waverly-Shell Rock in a non-district football game Friday night at Saints Field.

“That’s a really good football team,” Xavier Coach Duane Schulte said. “To suck it up and grind out a win ... credit to the boys.”

Xavier (1-0) scored the go-ahead touchdown on Cash Parks’ 11-yard pass to tight end Jack Stevenson late in the third quarter, then handed it over to the defense.

The Saints held Waverly-Shell Rock (0-1) to 18 yards in the fourth quarter, 63 in the second half.

“We came to play,” said defensive back Carson Slaughter, who recovered a fourth-quarter fumble. “Our practice guys prepared us, and we have one of the best coaching staffs in Iowa.”

Parks headlines a sophomore class that will be called upon to help the upperclassmen this season.

“I was nervous,” Parks said after a 9-for-20, 104-yard performance with one interception. “But that’s good. It means you care about your teammates.”

Schulte was asked if he had ever coached a team with so many 10th-grade contributors.

“Never,” he said. “Our sophomore class, our junior class, our senior class ... they all helped us win this game.”

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Photos: Waverly-Shell Rock at Cedar Rapids Xavier high school football

The Saints forced a WSR punt and took over at their own 27 with 4:03 to go. Four first downs later, they had milked the clock to zeroes.

One of those first downs came on a long-count encroachment call against the Go-Hawks on third-and-4.

WSR committed six penalties for 55 yards; Xavier one for 10.

Xavier did nothing on its first two drives, then assembled a beauty on its third.

The Saints marched 80 yards in 13 plays, with Carter Hoffmann doing the honors with a 2-yard run on a third-and-goal pitch to the left side.

Parks had two big pass plays in the drive, a 21-yarder to Ryan Kelly and then a 20-yarder to Hoffman that sent the Saints into the red zone.

WSR owned a 115-101 yardage advantage in the first half, but had two drives bog down inside the red zone.

The Go-Hawks’ first march reached the 8-yard line, but Gavin Bockholt was wide left on a 25-yard field-goal attempt.

“That stopped their momentum a little bit,” Schulte said. “It gave us some hope.”

After Xavier’s scoring drive, WSR advanced to the 17 before a holding call — followed by an unsportsmanlike conduct from the sideline turned third-and-9 into third-and-22.

Another missed field goal stymied the march, and Xavier led 7-0 at halftime.

The Go-Hawks tied it, 7-7, when Wesley Hubbard connected with a wide-open Nathan Miller for a 34-yard TD pass on fourth-and-7 with 6:21 left in the third quarter.

Xavier plays at 3A No. 1 Williamsburg next week; WSR hosts North Scott.

Cedar Rapids Xavier 14, Waverly-Shell Rock 7

At Saints Field

TEAM STATISTICS

First downs: WSR 10, CRX 14

Rushes-yards: WSR 32-126, CRX 36-139

Passing yards: WSR 82, CRX 104

Passing: WSR 7-15-0, CRX 9-20-1

Total yards: WSR 208, CRX 243

Fumbles-lost: WSR 2-1 CRX 2-0

Punts-average: WSR 4-31.3, CRX 4-31.3

Penalties-yards: WSR 6-55, CRX 1-10

SCORING SUMMARY

Waverly-Shell Rock 0 0 7 0 — 7

C.R. Xavier 0 7 7 0 — 14

CRX — Carter Hoffmann 2 run (Owen Vasquez kick)

WSR — Nathan Miller 34 pass from Wesley Hubbard (Gavin Bockholt kick)

CRX — Jack Stevenson 11 pass from Cash Parks (Vasquez kick)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Rushing

Waverly-Shell Rock — Ethan Bibler 19-95, Wesley Hubbard 7-35, Gehrig Tibbitts 1-9, Camden Kramer 1-1, Charlie Kramer 1-0, Nathan Miller 2-(minus 2), Team 1-(minus 12). Xavier — Carter Hoffmann 19-63, Ryan Kelly 3-53, Cash Parks 6-13, Dustin Cook 4-13, Team 4-(minus 3).

Passing

Waverly-Shell Rock — Hubbard 7-15-0-82. Xavier — Parks 9-20-1-104.

Receiving

Waverly-Shell Rock — Brady Bodensteiner 3-29, Miller 2-39, Cam. Kramer 1-17, Tibbitts 1-(minus 3). Xavier — Kelly 4-50, Hoffmann 2-15, Aiden Miller 1-22, Jack Stevenson 1-11, Cook 1-6.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com