CEDAR FALLS - Reggie Schulte was a waterboy the last time the Xavier Saints played for the Class 4A state title.

He'll have a slightly more important job this time.

Schulte was in the sixth grade when the Saints won the state crown in 2006. His father is Xavier's head coach, and there are always a lot of little Saints helping on the sideline.

"I still remember it, to be honest with you," Schulte said moments after Xavier defeated Cedar Falls, 27-6, in the semifinals Friday night.

"Just the overall atmosphere, the togetherness of the overall community during that run and during this year," he said. "It's just a lot of fun to be a part of it."

The Saints defeated Southeast Polk for the 2006 state title, 21-6. This time they'll face Ankeny, another member of the CIML.

Schulte was the waterboy in 2006. Now he's the star quarterback of a club that's 13-0 and ranked No. 3 in the state with one more game to play.

He claims he was a darn good waterboy. Didn't spill a drop.

"I thought I was dead-on," he joked. "It's hard to beat those days.

"I think it was the best of all times, to be honest with you, for the Xavier program. It was a lot of fun and I was excited to be a part of it that night."

The Saints are hardly a one-man team, but Schulte undoubtedly will have to play well for the Saints to whip top-ranked Ankeny next week. He's had a tremendous campaign, but Ankeny quarterback Joel Lanning is one of the all-time greats in state history.

Lanning has passed for 5,592 yards and 52 touchdowns during his career with the Hawks. He's also run for 2,757 yards and 38 touchdowns, giving him an eye-popping total of 8,349 yards of total offense and 90 TDs.

Schulte saw Ankeny beat Southeast Polk, 28-12, in the first semifinal Friday and was impressed.

"They have some big boys," he said. "Lanning, their quarterback, is a stud. And they probably have a bunch of other players."

Ankeny Coach Jerry Pezzetti has compiled a 369-141-1 record in 52 years as a head football coach, including a 312-130-1 mark in 43 years with the Hawks. He's taken Ankeny to the playoffs 23 times and won the state title in 1997.

Reggie Schulte's dad, Duane, won a state title himself in 2006 with a "dead-on" waterboy by his side. This time, the coach's kid will be on the field, trying to help the Saints win another crown.

"It's awesome," Duane Schulte said. "It's awesome to do it with him and all his friends and with every kid on the team and all my assistant coaches. It's awesome. That's all I can say."