Xavier Football

Rocca helps Saints rock 3A foes

The last thing Xavier Coach Duane Schulte told his players following their victory at Decorah last Friday was to make sure they volunteered as sand-baggers over the weekend to help fight the flood back home.

Lineacker John Rocca and the rest of the Saints took it seriously.

Rocca helped with the sand-bagging efforts at one of his coach's apartment complex, then he helped a teammate's family that lives in the affected area, then he went out to Palo to help there.

"I'd say the majority of us were downtown helping out," he said Tuesday. "We were all spread out."

Rocca lives in Marion, well out of harm's way, but said all of the Saints wanted to pitch in. "We're all together as a community," he remarked.

The Saints are a tight-knit group, on the field and off, and it's one of the reasons they are enjoying another fine season this year.

Xavier has a 5-0 record and is ranked No. 1 in Class 3A heading into Friday night's homecoming game against Independence, which has an 0-5 record and has scored only one touchdown all year.

The Saints are 3-0 in district games, outscoring their district opponents 120-27 in three blowout victories. South Tama, Waverly-Shell Rock, Charles City and Benton Community are all tied for second place in the district at 2-1. Only the top two teams from the district are assured of making the playoffs.

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Smooth Saints roll by Decorah

DECORAH - Smooooth.

That's the best way to describe how the Xavier Saints played football Friday night.

Smooooth, with a lot of extra "o's" for the offense.

The top-ranked Saints enjoyed touchdown drives of 72, 71, 87, 80 and 73 yards and collected a big heaping of revenge against the Decorah Vikings, 38-6, in a Class 3A district game in Decorah.

The Vikings upset the Saints in the Class 3A playoffs in Cedar Rapids last year, handing Xavier its only loss of the season.

"We were ready to play," said Xavier tailback Maliki Wilson, who cracked 200 yards for the third time this season. "After last year, we all hit the weight room and we've been looking forward to this for a whole year.

"None of us really like them after last year," he said.

Wilson did not mean the Saints personally disliked the Vikings. Rather, he meant they didn't like what the Vikings did to them a year ago.

"We learned from our mistakes and we just tried to execute," said Wilson, who rushed 26 times for 219 yards and two touchdowns, including a 76-yard burst in the second half. "I think tonight we all wanted to hit somebody. That's football, though."

Bryce Schulte hit 10 of 13 passes for 171 yards in his sharpest game of the year, with Nolan Butkowski hauling in four of those throws for 127 yards.

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Rodriguez gives Saints rare weapon at fullback

On most high school football teams, the fullback has one primary assignment that overshadows everything else.

He's supposed to block, block and block some more.

Erik Rodriguez is certainly an outstanding blocker for the Xavier Saints, but he's also an accomplished runner and a good receiver for the No. 1 team in Class 3A.

If Xavier's opponents worry too much about tailback Maliki Wilson or quarterback Bryce Schulte, Rodriguez is very capable of making them pay a heavy price.

"Erik is a different weapon back there," Xavier Coach Duane Schulte acknowledged. "He's a nice kid, too.

"He's the perfect blend for what you need in terms of a Xavier football player," the coach said. "He's a super-nice kid in the hallways and in school and everywhere else, but he gets a little nasty in him when he crosses the line and plays football. That's what we want."

Rodriguez, a 6-foot, 200-pound senior, has carried the ball 22 times for 164 yards in four games for a healthy average of 7.5 yards per carry. He's also caught four passes for 36 yards and is an integral part of the offense.

And make no mistake, he likes getting his nose dirty at fullback.

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2006 state champs motivate No. 1 Saints

Xavier High School honored its 2006 football team Friday night on the 10th anniversary of those Saints stunning the world and capturing the Class 4A state title despite stiff odds against bigger schools.

A decade from now, Xavier might be honoring this year's team for winning another state crown.

The top-ranked Saints cruised to a 35-7 victory over Charles City Friday night in a Class 3A district game that was not nearly as close as the final score suggests.

Bryce Schulte threw four touchdown passes and Xavier opened a 35-0 bulge midway through the third quarter before Coach Duane Schulte emptied his bench and gave everyone a chance to play on Senior Night.

The 2006 state champs were saluted during a reception in the Xavier Commons before the game and were introduced at halftime of the varsity contest.

"I can't describe how great it was to walk in our Commons and see all those guys there," said Coach Schulte, who steered the Saints to their state crown 10 years ago. "It warms my heart to see them back here, to be honest with you.

"They're great guys," he said. "They're the standard for what Xavier football kind of is."

Xavier is 4-0 overall and 2-0 in district competition this year as it motors toward the Class 3A playoffs. Their ultimate goal is winning a state title of their own, and seeing the 2006 state champs at the game Friday got their attention.

"It certainly motivates us a little bit," said linebacker John Rocca, who had several sacks and helped the Saints hold Charles City to just 16 yards on the ground.

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