2013 Gazette/KCRG football team

CEDAR RAPIDS -- No, it didn't end well. But it was quite a two-year run by the Cedar Rapids Xavier football program."It's been a group of guys that love football. They love playing the games," said Saints Coach Duane Schulte. "At some point, they'll look back and see what they did -- they reached the Class 4A title game back-to-back years, and they did it as a 3A school (enrollment-wise)."Xavier went 12-2 and returned to the 4A final, falling to West Des Moines Dowling, 44-13. As is usually the case, defense fueled the Saints.And Daniel Vega fueled that defense. He has been selected as the 2013 Gazette/KCRG all-area defensive player of the year."The No. 1 thing with Daniel, he's got some God-given athletic ability," Schulte said. "He's very athletic for his size. And he's coachable, that's what makes him an exceptional player."Iowa City Regina (which won its fourth consecutive championship) and Waukon (the 2A runner-up) lead the 37-man team with four picks apiece. Xavier and Iowa City West have three each.Paul James of Cedar Rapids Washington is the area coach of the year; Jacob Hogan of 8-Man state champion Don Bosco is the player of the year (see accompanying stories).BGM's Jack Kline is the offensive player of the year after leading the Bears to the Class A final.All three of Xavier's selections are on the defensive side of the ball. Fitting, considering the Saints allowed just 8.0 points per game. They posted eight shutouts, including three in their postseason run.Matt Nelson, who has picked the University of Iowa, joins Vega on the defensive line. Sean Ickes is among the linebacking corps.Vega, who committed to Illinois State on Wednesday, collected 60 tackles (19 for loss) and six sacks. He did so after switching positions, from linebacker last year to defensive tackle."I have to give all the credit to Coach (Jim) O'Connell (the Xavier defensive coordinator)," Vega said. "It turned out to be the right fit for me."I think I got pretty good at bull-rushing people (on the opposing offensive line). I think I really started to figure out how to play on the defensive line."Kline is the offensive player of the year, but did much of his damage on special teams; we placed on the team as a kick returner. He was injured in the Bears' loss to West Lyon in the championship game. BGM finished 13-1.He set a national record with nine punt returns for touchdowns, averaging 54.1 yards per return.Kline also rushed for 1,811 yards and 32 touchdowns and caught 22 passes for 397 yards and five scores. His 300 points were fourth in the state.Elias Nissen was the state's leading scorer with 356 points as Springville went 11-1 and reached the 8-Man quarterfinals before falling to Don Bosco.Regina (14-0) extended its winning streak to 56 games, setting a state record. The Regals' representatives are quatrerback Drew Cook, offensive lineman Phil Arendt, defensive lineman Elliot Halsch and kicker Jacob Adam, who set a state record for points in a season for a kicker (105).Waukon (12-2) avenged a regular-season loss to New Hampton in the 2A quarterfinals, then advanced to the championship game before losing a 31-28 heartbreaker to Carroll Kuemper.All of the Indians' four selections were defenders -- Glyeb Ewing on the line, Parker Hesse at linebacker, Jacob Ronan at defensive back and Marcus Weymiller as utility. All were exceptional two-way performers. 

2013 GAZETTE/KCRG ALL-AREA FOOTBALL TEAM

OFFENSE

Pos.

Name

School

Ht.

Wt.

Yr.

OL

Phil Arendt

Iowa City Regina

6-5

265

Jr.

OL

Austin Holzer

Cedar Rapids Kennedy

6-3

250

Sr.

OL

Lucas LeGrand

Dubuque Senior

6-5

265

Sr.

OL

Bryce Meeker

Cedar Rapids Prairie

6-5

285

Jr.

OL

Ross Pierschbacher

Cedar Falls

6-4

290

Sr.

QB

Nate Boland

Iowa City West

6-1

190

Sr.

QB

Drew Cook

Iowa City Regina

6-5

205

Jr.

RB

Elias Nissen

Springville

6-6

205

Sr.

RB

Ryan Parmely

Maquoketa Valley

6-0

225

Jr.

RB

Xavier Washpun

Iowa City High

5-10

200

Sr.

WR

Anthony Batie

Iowa City West

5-11

165

Sr.

WR

Nate Bergfeld

Cascade

5-8

165

Jr.

WR

Jordan Rommes

South Winneshiek

6-1

195

Jr.

WR

Aaron Schultz

Williamsburg

5-9

160

Sr.

UT

Jacob Black

Solon

6-1

185

Sr.

UT

Jay Scheel

Union

6-0

185

Sr.

UT

Alex Young

Waterloo West

6-1

220

Sr.

DEFENSE

Pos.

Name

School

Ht.

Wt.

Yr.

DL

Austin Ashbacher

Decorah

6-1

250

Sr.

DL

Glyeb Ewing

Waukon

6-2

235

Sr.

DL

Elliot Halsch

Iowa City Regina

6-3

235

Sr.

DL

Matt Nelson

Cedar Rapids Xavier

6-8

255

Sr.

DL

Daniel Vega

Cedar Rapids Xavier

6-4

245

Sr.

LB

Kyle Gritsch

BGM

6-1

200

Sr.

LB

Parker Hesse

Waukon

6-3

210

Sr.

LB

Sean Ickes

Cedar Rapids Xavier

6-1

190

Sr.

LB

Tyler Johansen

North Fayette Valley

5-10

235

Jr.

LB

Micah Kelsay

Iowa City West

6-1

215

Sr.

DB

Alex Coker

Washington (Iowa)

6-0

195

Sr.

DB

Jake Hogan

Don Bosco

5-10

185

Sr.

DB

Rhett Nowotny

HLV

5-11

160

Sr.

DB

Jacob Ronan

Waukon

5-10

160

Jr.

UT

Garrett Covington

Washington (Iowa)

5-10

175

Sr.

UT

Reid Snitker

Cedar Rapids Washington

5-11

180

Jr.

UT

Marcus Weymiller

Waukon

5-11

185

Sr.

SPECIALISTS

Pos.

Name

School

Ht.

Wt.

Yr.

PK

Jacob Adam

Iowa City Regina

5-11

155

Jr.

P

Jalen Tranbarger

Sumner-Fredericksburg

5-11

190

Sr.

KR

Jack Kline

BGM

5-10

160

Sr.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR -- Jacob Hogan, Don Bosco

COACH OF THE YEAR -- Paul James, Cedar Rapids Washington

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR -- Jack Kline, BGM

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR -- Daniel Vega, Cedar Rapids Xavier