Last-second field goal completes incredible Xavier comeback at Regina

IOWA CITY - If you weren't here you would not believe this finish. Cedar Rapids Xavier rallied from a 35-7 halftime deficit to defeat Iowa City Regina, 38-35. The winning points came on a Dallas Klein 35-yard field goal as time elapsed.

The frozen Xavier student section ran onto the field after Saints Coach Duane Schulte talked briefly with his team and embraced the players in a student body hug.

As much as Regina dominated the first half, and the Regals darn near were dominant enough to trigger the 35-point mercy rule, the Saints dominated the second.

The 3A third-ranked Saints (7-0) gave notice from the get-go of the second half by driving 69 yards in 12 plays for their second touchdown. Their offensive line moved out the increasingly winded Regina defense and pounded Maliki Wilson at the Regals. Quarterback Bryce Schulte ran several killer option keepers that Regina was unable to stop. Three of the second-half TDs, two by Schulte and one by Wilson, came on the option.

Xavier's defense shut down a Regina offense that rolled up 321 first-half rushing yards. The Regals were unable to counter with much of a passing offense. A few passes were dropped but Xavier secondary coverage accounted for the rest of the inefficiency.

Xavier tied the game with 3:22 left in the fourth quarter. Regina drove to the Xavier 21, helped by some big penalties. But Blake Whitten intercepted Nate Stenger's pass at the goal line and returned it to the 42 with 17.5 seconds left.

The key play in the winning drive came on a 30-yard burst up the middle by Sean Murphy. Not many coaches would even have called a running play with so little time but it worked and left the Saints with 3.3 seconds left and the ball on the Regals' 18.

Klein did the rest, splitting the goal posts with the 35-yarder and prompting a huge celebration.

After just nine minutes of play, Regina led 14-7.

The rest of the first half was all Regina: 321 first-half rushing yards, 17 first downs.

Regina's Nick Phillips was nearly impossible for the Saints to stop once he got a sliver of room, and rushed for 201 first-half yards on 15 carries. But he finished with 210.