New Cedar Rapids Xavier High School quarterback Quinton Scholer had a "big brother" on the football team the past 12 months or so, but they were not actually related by birth or family ties.

Scholer's "big brother" was Reggie Schulte, the all-state quarterback who led the Saints to the Class 4A championship game last year before leaving this summer for his new duties at the University of Northern Iowa.

Xavier has a "Big Brother/Little Brother" program, where older players adopt a younger player at their position and show them the ropes. Scholer had Schulte as his big brother and is mighty glad he did.

Scholer, a 6-foot-3 senior, looked good in his debut as top-ranked Xavier's new starting quarterback in a 35-7 victory at Dubuque Hempstead last Friday. He completed 8 of 10 passes for 112 yards and two touchdowns and carried the ball eight times for 99 yards and two more TDs.

Scholer's relationship with Schulte began last season, when Scholer was the No.2 quarterback for the Mississippi Valley Conference champs. It continued during the winter, spring and into the summer until Schulte left for Cedar Falls.

During the offseason, we really worked together a lot," Scholer said Tuesday before practice. "We became good friends during football and we played basketball together, so that helped. We kept our relationship going throughout the summer."

Xavier Coach Duane Schulte, the previous quarterback's father, was glad to see last year's QB and this year's QB spend so much time together and build a strong relationship.

"They hung out a lot," said Schulte. "They spent a lot of time throwing before last season, and they spent a lot of time throwing this past summer. I know I'd say a lot of times, 'Reggie, where are you going?,' and he'd say, 'Oh, I'm throwing with Quinton after we lift,' or something like that."

Scholer and Schulte got together as often as possible.

"Definitely a couple of times a week at least, especially toward the beginning of the season," said Scholer. "We spent a lot of time together. It really helped me be where I am today.

"He helped me with all my mechanics during the offseason. He really got me comfortable with the offense. He helped me a lot, so going into it I had a general idea about everything."

Scholer was a starting defensive back for the Saints last season as well as the backup quarterback. He did not get many snaps on offense, but he was the starting quarterback on the freshman and sophomore teams and knows the offense.

"I've been running the same system, so that helps a lot," he said. "I have a general understanding of everything and Coach Schulte helps with all the hard stuff."

Reggie Schulte warmed up with the Northern Iowa football team last Saturday night before its big 28-20 victory over Iowa State and wore a headset along the sideline, writing down plays and taking notes. The night before, Scholer performed Schulte's old job at Xavier in fine style.

"It felt great," he said. "It felt like after all the work, I finally got to have some rewards. So it felt good to play."

Scholer was glad to see pictures of Schulte in uniform for the Panthers on Saturday. He wanted to watch the game on TV, but something went wrong with his television system. In any case, he knows his "big brother" has found a new home and a new role in college as he redshirts as a true freshman.

"That's awesome for him," said Scholer. "He deserves it. He worked hard."

So did Schulte's "little brother," who will make his second start Friday night when the Saints host Cedar Rapids Jefferson.