Duane Schulte is superstitious, but maybe he's too superstitious to talk about his superstitions. He might jinx himself.

"I have a pattern, I guess," he said Saturday morning, not taking the bait. "Most coaches are a product of a routine."

Some folks say the Xavier football coach has a lucky cap that he wears to games.

What about it, Coach?

"Not necessarily," he replied. "I just wear the caps we have. I've had this same cap, I guess, for a while, though.

"In terms of clothes, most coaches are like farmers. Give them something for free and they'll wear it."

Well, how about the lucky gum? Some folks say there's something to it, that you like a piece of gum before a game.

"Oh, I don't know about that," he said, downplaying the suggestion.

"If I have a routine," he said, emphasizing if, "Dave Gearhart, our statistician, gives us a piece of gum. He's done it before every game for 20 years now, I guess."

What kind of gum? Juicy Fruit? Double-Bubble? Wrigley's Spearmint?

"I don't know what it is," Schulte insisted. "He hands us a piece of gum. It's no big deal, really. I don't really pay attention."

OK, so he's not superstitious. He's worn the same ballcap for years and he always takes a piece of gum from Gearhart before each game, but he's not superstitious.

What do you suppose would happen if somebody hid his cap before Wednesday's playoff game against Iowa City High? And what would happen if Gearhart forgot the gum?

Better not to find out.

As Schulte says, he has a pattern, not necessarily superstitions. And part of that pattern is guiding Xavier to the Class 4A playoffs.

He's done it nine times in 15 years now, including six years in a row. Xavier won the Class 4A title in 2006 with a perfect 13-0 record, and the Saints are marching into the playoffs this year with an umblemished 9-0 mark.

The Saints have a 2-10 record against Iowa City High over years, but these are not your older brother's Little Hawks who used to rule the earth. These Little Hawks (4-5) are limping into the playoffs with a four-game losing streak after being pounded by Kennedy Friday night, but you'll never hear Schulte make any disparaging comments about any opponent.

That's not a superstition with Schulte. That's an iron-clad law.

"They've got a great program, great coaches and great players," he said, assessing his team's past troubles with the Little Hawks. "That's how great they are."

The Saints have been pretty great themselves this year, dispensing with nine straight opponents with relative ease, but it figures to get tougher in the playoffs.

If the Saints defeat Iowa City High Wednesday night at home, they'll host the winner of Wednesday's opening-round game between Davenport Assumption (7-2) and Waterloo East (5-4) on Monday, Oct. 29. The Saints would be favored in that second-round game against Assumption or East, but then giants might start colliding.

You might want to circle Friday, Nov. 2 on your calendar, because if the first two rounds go according to form, Xavier and Iowa City West would match perfect 11-0 records in the quarterfinals at Iowa City West that night. The Trojans are seeded No. 2 and the Saints are seeded No. 3, so Iowa City West would host that game.

If Xavier beats Iowa City West, the Saints could face undefeated Pleasant Valley in the semifinals in the UNI-Dome on Friday, Nov. 9. That would be a meeting of 12-0 clubs.

And if the Saints defeat Pleasant Valley, they could face Ankeny in the state finals on Friday, Nov. 16 in the UNI-Dome in a battle of 13-0 clubs.

It's better not talking to Schulte about any of that, however. "Just getting ready for City High," he said Saturday morning when he answered the phone.

Xavier faced Pleasant Valley in the first round of the playoffs last year. The Saints lost, 33-31, but it was sort of a coming-out party for Reggie Schulte, the coach's son.

Schulte completed 22 of 26 passes against Pleasant Valley for 309 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. He's used that performance as a springboard for success this year and has blossomed into one of the top quarterbacks in the state.

Schulte has hit 75.6 percent of passes this year (102 for 135) for 1,644 yards with 28 touchdowns and only three interceptions. He's now thrown for 3,145 yards and 40 touchdowns in his career, smashing school records in both categories.

Whatever the Schultes - father and son - like to eat before a game, it's probably a good idea to make sure they get it.

It's not being superstitious, mind you. Just prudent.