Xavier rallies past Solon, 22-19

SOLON - The Xavier Saints were behind, and backed up to their own goal line.

'I don't remember the down and distance,” said Coach Duane Schulte. 'But I knew we were desparate.”

Some halfback-pass trickery ignited the Saints, then a 58-yard touchdown pass from Bryce Schulte to Nick Stark won it as No. 3 Cedar Rapids Xavier rallied past No. 10 Solon, 22-19, in a Class 3A District 4 football opener Friday night in front of a crowd of 2,500 at Spartan Stadium.

'The coaches called a good play,” Stark said. 'My quarterback trusted me and threw it up there.”

Xavier (2-0 overall, 1-0 district) entered the fourth quarter facing a 19-7 deficit. If this was a gut-check opportunity, the Saints cleared it.

An 11-play, 85-yard drive got Xavier back into contention at 19-14 with 9:47 to go. Maliki Wilson capped it with a 12-yard TD run.

The Spartans (1-2, 0-1) couldn't generate much on their next two possessions, and the Saints set up shop at their own 7 with 3:13 to go.

After an incompletion, Schulte hit Nolan Butkowski in the flat with a lateral pass. Butkowski heaved it downfield to Blake Whitten for a 35-yard gain.

Schulte was stopped for no gain on the following play. The next one was the winner, with Schulte finding Stark behind the coverage and hitting him in stride for the winner. Stark held the ball aloft for the final 10 yards.

'He set up and got behind the cornerback,” Bryce Schulte said. 'The line did awesome in the second half. They opened holes, and they gave me time to throw.

'You've got to give credit to Solon. That's a tough group.”

Schulte finished with 179 passing yards. Stark collected six receptions for 138 yards and two TDs.

Solon reached the Xavier 25 in the final minute before Caleb Billick's interception clinched the outcome.

The Saints blanked Solon 28-0 last year in the first meeting between the two schools, but for the majority of the game, it appeared the Spartans were poised to turn the tables.

Graeson Dall took the opening kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown, and the Spartans went into halftime with a 13-7 lead.

Stark's 8-yard TD catch made it 7-7, then the Spartans reclaimed the lead.

On fourth-and-7 from the Xavier 34, punter Brandon Childs - formerly a quarterback - connected with Matt Roeder alongside the right sideline for the touchdown.

Dall's 2-yard run extended the Solon lead to 19-7 late in the third quarter before the Saints rallied.

Xavier hosts DeWitt Central next week. Solon is at Marion.

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