Regina seizes opportunity, beats 3A power Xavier

CEDAR RAPIDS – One of the first things Marv Cook addressed in his postgame huddle Friday night what that his players should realize the importance of the opponent's graciousness.

'They gave us this opportunity,” the Iowa City Regina Coach said.

Consider it an opportunity seized. Jake Brinkman's 71-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter broke a tie and helped the Regals to a 21-7 win over Cedar Rapids Xavier before a packed house at Saints Field.

This one was anticipated by many when it was set up by the schools' athletics directors last winter and definitely didn't disappoint. Quarterback Drew Cook's 1-yard sneak with 4:57 left made it a two-score game and essentially pushed second-ranked Regina (7-1) over the top.

The Regals are four-time defending Class 1A state champs, of course, and had a state-record 56-game win streak snapped in Week 1 by Solon. Class 3A fourth-ranked Xavier was the Class 4A state champ in 2006 and a finals-game participant last season and in 2012.

Beating a school that could be considered three classes above you and with almost twice as many varsity players as you was why Regina's players and fans whooped it up postgame with a championship-esque celebration.

'This was a game since day one that we circled,” Brinkman said. 'People always have been telling us that we're good for our level. We just wanted to come out here and show those people that even a little old 1A school can play with these guys. I'm proud of my teammates, they played so hard. Give props to Xavier, they played us so physically. There were a lot of big schools that didn't want to play us, and they chose to play us. I have so much respect for those guys.”

Regina held a 7-0 lead at halftime, but Xavier's defense dominated the third quarter and allowed a sputtering offense to finally tie it early in the fourth via a 25-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Bryce Schulte to receiver Joe Welch. On Regina's first play from scrimmage after that score, Brinkman took a read-option handoff left, got a block on the outside and broke loose down the sideline.

'That long run just killed the momentum,” said Xavier Coach Duane Schulte.

'We put so much effort into this game,” said Drew Cook, who completed 10 of 21 passes for 103 yards and his first interception of the season. 'To come here and get a victory, that means a lot to us.”

Xavier (5-3) could never get a run game established, which was pivotal. The Saints came in averaging 210 yards on the ground but turned almost strictly to the air in the second half.

Schulte – who didn't complete a pass in a shocking loss two weeks ago to Western Dubuque – seemingly came of age in a 15-of-27, 147-yard game. Xavier finished with just 76 rushing yards.

'I thought both teams played tough,” Coach Schulte said. 'Both are quality programs. When it boils down to 11 kids on the football field, if you've got a good 11, anything can happen.”

Regina owned a 143-78 yardage edge and scored the first half's lone touchdown. That came courtesy of Cook, on a second-effort, 2-yard TD run off the right side early in the second quarter.

Cook's 25-yard gallop on a read-option keeper moved the ball into the red zone, then his 19-yard pass to Nathan Stenger took it to the 2. Give Stenger props for a diving catch, as he picked a low throw off the turf.

Cook, an Iowa Hawkeye commit, also threw his first interception of the season later in the quarter, as Xavier cornerback Matt Downey perfectly defended a fly pattern intended for the dangerous Nick Phillips down the sideline.

You knew the Saints would try and pound the ball offensively, but Regina's defense didn't allow that in the opening 24 minutes. Leading rusher Jay Kortemeyer was limited to 30 yards on 11 carries.

Xavier did drive deep into Regina territory midway through the second, having a 1st-and-goal at the Regals 10. But two runs were stuffed, Schulte was pressured and had to throw away a third-down pass, and kicker Dallas Klein hooked a 28-yard field-goal attempt well left.

'It really kind of was (a no-win situation) for us, but we've been in their spot before,” Coach Schulte said. 'We've had to play the Bettendorfs and the Cedar Falls, the Dowlings, the Southeast Polks … But it was still a good high-school football game. I thought the kids played hard.”

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