Cedar Rapids Xavier’s Quinn Schulte, Braden Stovie run over Oskaloosa in playoff opener

CEDAR RAPIDS - Cedar Rapids Xavier showed it could make adjustments on both sides of the ball.

The defense gave up a few early pass plays. The offense was held to 20 yards and punted on its first two possessions.

Then the Saints showed why they are No. 1.

Quarterback Quinn Schulte ran for 137 yards and three touchdowns, while tailback Braden Stovie posted 185 rush yards and two scores as the top-ranked Saints routed Oskaloosa, 43-10, in a Class 3A first-round playoff game Friday night at Saints Field.

'They'd be the first to tell you that they couldn't do anything without their offensive line,” said Xavier Coach Duane Schulte, who earned his 150th coaching victory with the school. 'With those guys, it kind of makes it a complicated relationship. If we can put them in situations to get them going, then good things can happen.”

Xavier (10-0) will host Davenport Assumption (8-2) in a quarterfinal game Nov. 3 at Saints Field. The Saints have defeated Assumption in each of the last three years, including a 52-20 home playoff victory last season.

'We're just going to try to get better every day in practice and every rep that we do,” Quinn Schulte said.

Xavier senior McClain Burger gave the Saints a first-quarter spark with an interception off 6-foot-8 lefty Cole Henry, a surprise starter at quarterback for the Indians. Burger returned the theft 23 yards to the Oskaloosa 30-yard line.

'I was just there at the right time, right place,” Burger said.

One play after Schulte ran for five yards on 4th-and-2, the quarterback again kept the ball and found an opening in the defense for a 17-yard TD that got the Saints on the scoreboard with 1:04 left in the first quarter.

'The O-line was getting a good surge going and that was opening some holes for us,” Quinn Schulte said. 'We just tried to run through their openings the rest of the game.”

After an Oskaloosa field goal cut its lead to 7-3, Xavier scored 36 unanswered points. Two long touchdown runs – 58 yards by Stovie and 72 by Schulte - and a Ben Conrad field goal put Xavier up at halftime, 23-3.

Schulte and Stovie added third-quarter TD runs of one and 49 yards, respectively, before Burger got the continuous clock rolling at 43-3 with 3:40 left in the third quarter after his 34-yard interception return for a score.

'It was pretty big,” Burger said. 'I had great blockers for that pick. I was lucky to be in the right place.”

Xavier tallied 340 total yards, all on the ground. Its defense held Oskaloosa to 131 yards.

AT SAINTS FIELD

Class 3A playoffs

First round

No. 1 Cedar Rapids Xavier 43, Oskaloosa 10

Oskaloosa 0 3 0 7-10

C.R. Xavier 7 16 20 0-43

CRX -

Quinn Schulte 17 run (Ben Conrad kick)

OSK -

FG Aaron Blom 32

CRX -

Braden Stovie 58 run (Ben Conrad kick)

CRX - Quinn Schulte 72 run (kick failed)

CRX -

FG Ben Conrad 35

CRX -

Quinn Schulte 1 run (run failed)

CRX -

Braden Stovie 49 run (Ben Conrad kick)

CRX -

McClain Burger 34 interception return (Ben Conrad kick)

OSK -

Casey Hill 10 run (Aaron Blom kick)

RUSHING - Oskaloosa: Cole Henry 3-(-17), Seth Howard 6-29, Casey Hill 7-18, Tyler Miller 1-2; C.R. Xavier:

Quinn Schulte 14-137, Braden Stovie 17-185, Joey Drahozal 2-8,Patrick Chambers 7-2, Bryson Bastian 2-5, McClain Burger 1-3.

PASSING - Oskaloosa: Cole Henry 13-31-1-87, Seth Howard 2-5-0-12; C.R. Xavier:

Quinn Schulte 1-2-0-0.

RECEIVING - Oskaloosa: Levi Fresquez 1-5, Alex Chapman 4-27, Seth Howard 2-45, Jarad Kruse 2-28, Casey Hill 2-4, Tyler Miller 4-(-10); C.R. Xavier:

Braden Stovie 1-0.

l Comments: douglas.miles@thegazette.com