A season of firsts for Saints

CEDAR RAPIDS - The 2014 football season has been a year full of 'firsts” for Coach Duane Schulte and the Cedar Rapids Xavier Saints.

With the switch to district football and a change from Class 4A to 3A, the coaches and players have been presented with a unique challenge. Long gone are the days where Xavier's biggest rival is right down the street and away games are rarely more than 30 minutes away.

The times have changed, yet the rich tradition of Xavier football lives on.

The format of district play has led to primarily all new opponents for the Saints. Their schedule contained six district games, including meetings with Western Dubuque and a nearby foe, the Marion Indians. The non-district schedule included a rematch of last year's state championship game with Dowling High School in West Des Moines, a road game at Davenport Assumption and a visit from 1A powerhouse Iowa City Regina. This lineup of teams provided a series of struggles for the Saints, with a loss at formerly No. 1-ranked Dowling, in addition to home losses against a spirited Western Dubuque squad and a talented Regina team.

'The losses were very disappointing but they bonded us closer, especially after we lost against Western Dubuque,” junior receiver Nick Stark said. 'After that game, we came to practice more ready to compete and work harder, and it has continued to carry over since then.”

The Saints finished the regular season at 6-3, including 5-1 in district play. With a convincing regular season-ending, 37-6, home win over Marion, the Saints were able to clinch their first Class 3A District 4 title.

Like Schulte's past few teams, a stingy defense and powerful running game have been the key to success. Senior linebackers Thomas Ickes and Nic Ekland are the top two tacklers on the team. Ickes has 25 solo tackles with six of them being for a loss. Ekland also has added 19 solo tackles of his own. Senior safety Dylan Eller has provided a spark for the defense, as well, with five interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown. On the other side of the ball, senior running back Jay Kortemeyer has received the majority of the carries for the Saints. He averages six yards per rushing attempt and is close to reaching the 1,000 yard mark.

First-year starter Bryce Schulte, a sophomore, has had a productive season at quarterback, accounting for 14 total touchdowns. He also has kept the turnover margin low with only two interceptions throughout the nine game span. However, an inconsistent aerial attack must improve if the Saints are looking to return to the UNI-Dome for the third straight year.

'Some major keys for playoff success will be to do our job, watch film and to come to practice ready to work hard every single day,” Stark said.

The Saints opened the playoffs with a 35-6 win over Charles City last week and host Waverly-Shell Rock tonight in the second round.