Pella stuns Cedar Rapids Xavier with winning TD on final play

CEDAR FALLS — Ten years ago to the date, Cedar Rapids Xavier won a Class 4A playoff football semifinal with what will always be known at the school as 'The Immaculate Recovery.'

Thursday night, the Saints lost a 3A semifinal with what you could call the 'The Miraculous Reception.'

Ryan Van Wyk caught a 20-yard touchdown pass from Nick Finney on the final play of the game as Pella beat Xavier, 34-30, in one of the best prep football games you'll see.

Van Wyk went up and grabbed the football rebound style in the right corner of the end zone to allow the two-time defending state champs to escape with their 40th consecutive win. Pella (12-0) plays Webster City (11-1) next week for another title.

If you remember back to 2006, Xavier got a fumble recovery inside its 5-yard line and returned it all the way for a touchdown in the final minute to stun Bettendorf. Unfortunately for the Saints, what went around, came around.

And it really, really hurts.

'Kind of the opposite,' said Xavier's Bryce Schulte. 'But sometimes it happens. The other team comes out (with it). There's not much you can do about it.'

'I'm still stunned,' said Xavier's Erik Rodriguez. 'My teammates are still a little stunned, too. There's nothing we can do about it. We gave it our all. Once you give it your all, you leave it in God's hands.'

Xavier (11-1) seemed to have this game won when defensive back Josh Gerke intercepted a Finney pass at the Saints 15 with 1:45 remaining. Pella had just two timeouts remaining.

But three rushing plays netted minus-3 yards, and Xavier was forced to punt, Pella taking over at its 44 with 45 seconds left. Finney threw an incompletion on first down, then an 8-yard completion to Drew Pringle, with Xavier tackling him inbounds, the clock continuing to run.

Finney scrambled right on the next play and threw one up for grabs that the 6-foot-5 Van Wyk went up and caught for a first down with seven seconds left. Instead of spiking the ball to kill the clock, Pella took its time in hiking it, leaving just one play.

That one play was enough. Very reminiscent of Iowa's Capital One Bowl win in 2005.

'Nick gave me a chance,' Van Wyk said. 'It was a great ball. I couldn't be any happier.'

'I just knew we had to get one more play off,' Finney said. 'Didn't really have time to get a field goal off or anything. I knew Ryan would be there, and I just threw it up to him.'

Finney completed 18 of 29 passes for 335 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for 95 yards and two scores.

All but five of Pella's 435 yards came through him. Unbelievable.

'We didn't want this to be our last game,' Finney said. 'We had to finish it, and we did.'

Running back Maliki Wilson finished his terrific two-year Xavier varsity career with 237 yards and a touchdown. The Saints piled up 369 yards on the ground, against a Pella defense that had allowed only one guy to run for 100-plus yards this season.

'I'm speechless,' Wilson said. 'When Gerke intercepted that pass, I thought we were moving on ... That was the championship game, no doubt.'

Shane Scott made a pair of fourth-quarter field goals, including a 37-yarder with 3:34 left that put Xavier on top, 30-28. Pella moved into Xavier territory on the ensuing possession, but Gerke outfought a Pella receiver to come down with what appeared to be the game-winning interception.

Quarterback Bryce Schulte had a pair of short touchdown runs for the Saints. The final yardage total was Pella 436, Xavier 432.

Four was the final spread, too, as it turned out.

'Ten years ago, we had a big win in the semifinals,' Xavier Coach Duane Schulte said. 'Kind of ironic both of these games happened on November 10.'

Pella scored 21 points in the second quarter to take a 21-17 halftime lead. Xavier went back ahead, 24-21, with a touchdown on its initial possession of the second half.

It actually was Rodriguez with the big running play here, a 31-yard run on a fullback trap that took the football to the Pella 2. Quarterback Bryce Schulte took it into the end zone from there.

But Finney and Pella immediately responded. The QB rolled a bit right to buy time and lofted a perfect pass deep down the left sideline to Donovan Holterhaus, who skipped over the diving tackle attempt of a Xavier running back and completed the 64-yard touchdown.

Wilson did the Wilson thing and scampered free for a 35-yard run toward the end of the third quarter, taking Xavier to the Pella 16. But a holding penalty and three straight incompletions stalled the drive, and Scott was called upon for a 42-yard field-goal try he made, making it 28-27 with 11:38 left.

Xavier received the opening kickoff and went on what you could call the Maliki Drive. Wilson touched the ball on six of the first seven plays and eight of the first 10, repeatedly able to break plays outside, with significant blocking help downfield from Xavier receivers.

A pitch left to Wilson went for 18 yards to the Pella 5. Two plays later, Schulte bowled over for the 3-yard touchdown and a 7-0 Saints lead. Xavier went 66 yards in 11 plays, taking 5:03 off the clock.

Linebacker John Rocca intercepted a tipped pass by Finney on Pella's first possession, but Xavier could not take advantage of good field position at midfield and ended up punting. The first quarter ended 7-0.

Pella finally got its offense untracked, and big time, late in the second quarter, thanks to Finney's arm and legs. Three completions accounted for 71 yards and a Dutch TD with a little over six minutes left: Finney completing a corner route to Drew Pringle.

Wilson provided an immediate thunder-bolt response, breaking a tackle over the middle and sprinting 72 yards for a Xavier touchdown and a 14-7 Saints lead. But Finney came right back to break a 73-yard run over the middle to tie things up exactly one minute later.

Xavier punted on its next possession, with a good return setting up Pella at midfield. Finney went right back to work, completing a pass to Van Wyk for 33 yards to the Saints 2, then busting over right tackle for a 2-yard TD and the Dutch's first lead with 1:08 left.

Xavier and Wilson weren't done, however. His 41-yard run took the Saints to the Pella 39, with Schulte connecting with Nolan Butkowski on a pair of pass plays that set up a Scott 33-yard field goal on the final play of the first half.

Xavier finished with 248 first-half yards, Wilson accounting for 169 rushing and another 22 receiving. Pella had 242 first-half yards, every single one from Finney (75 rushing, 167 passing).

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