Xavier Football

Barish, Miller anchor Xavier D-Line

It's always nice when the opposing coach has something good to say about your players before a big game.

That's what happened this past Friday night when Benton Community football coach Kal Goodchild told Xavier Coach Duane Schulte that he was really impressed with defensive tackles Zach Barish and Lucas Miller from watching them on tape.

"He mentioned how impressive he was with these two guys," Schulte related, "and hopefully rightfully so."

Barish, who stands 6-foot-3 and 250 pounds, and Miller, who measures 5-11 and 225, are both seniors and two-year starters for the Saints. They give Xavier a physical presence in the middle of the defensive line, a key ingredient for any successful team.

"They're an integral part of what we do," said Schulte, whose Saints are ranked No. 1 in Class 3A heading into Friday night's home game with Charles City. "They're hard-nosed, bulldog-type kids that have a lot of grit to them. They try to get after it and play good, solid old-fashioned football."

Interior defensive linemen usually go unnoticed by fans, but rival coaches spend a lot of time analyzing an opponent and Goodchild obviously liked what he saw on tape. He probably was just as impressed with them in Xavier's 47-14 victory over the Bobcats in Van Horne.

The players like to be noticed, but don't let it go to their heads.

"I appreciate all the comments we got from him," said Barish. "It gives us a little bit of confidence."

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No. 1 Saints roll by Benton, 47-14

VAN HORNE - Schulte pulled Schulte from the game in the third quarter and put Schulte in at quarterback instead.

Confused? Don't be. It was just Xavier rolling to an easy victory Friday night with Coach Duane Schulte and his sons - Bryce and Quinn - helping the Saints stay perfect at 3-0.

The top-ranked Saints dumped Benton Community, 47-14, in the Class 3A district opener in Van Horne with the defense and special teams making it easy for the offense.

Xavier had three touchdown drives - if you can call them drives - of 3 yards, 4 yards and 3 yards. Another drive went 25 yards, with all those easy scores courtesy of two long punt returns and two fumble recoveries.

Maliki Wilson, who led the state in rushing when the night began, broke loose for a 49-yard touchdown in the third quarter, but he carried the ball only five times for 59 yards.

The Saints led 41-0 midway through the third quarter, which allowed Coach Schulte to rest starting quarterback Bryce Schulte and give sophomore Quinn Schulte his first snaps behind center.

Schulte was able to clear his bench in the second half for the only time this season.

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Butkowski assumes big role with Saints

Nolan Butkowski has developed into one of the top multi-sport athletes at Xavier High School in football, basketball and baseball, but he sometimes struggles to keep up with his own mother when they go for a long run.

"I always brag that I can beat her in short distances," Butkowski said with a smile before football practice this week, "but she always comes back that she can beat me in long distances."

Butkowski worked extra-hard to prepare for his final year at Xavier. That included going on four- and five-mile runs with his mother, Cori, who is an attorney and avid runner who sometimes goes nine or 10 miles, which is a little too long for her athletic son.

Butkowski's mother has been known to tease Nolan a little about that. "Yeah, a little bit," he acknowledged.

All that running, along with all his time in the weight room, have helped Butkowski fill some important roles for the Xavier football team, which is ranked No. 1 in Class 3A heading into Friday night's district opener at Benton Community.

Butkowski had a big game last Friday when the Saints defeated Linn-Mar, 45-17, at Linn-Mar Stadium. He caught three passes for 73 yards, made four solo tackles and returned an interception 33 yards to set up a touchdown.

He also caught a long touchdown pass, but the play was nullified by a penalty.

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Xavier O-Line paved way for Wilson's record

Maliki Wilson grabbed the headlines last Friday night when he rushed for a school-record 291 yards and scored on three long touchdowns for the Xavier Saints, but he was quick to credit all his blockers for paving the way in a 35-26 victory over Iowa City Regina.

As it turns out, it's a mutual admiration society. Wilson praised his blockers, and the blockers praised Wilson for his big game in the season-opener.

"It's pretty incredible," Xavier center Sam Meyers said this week. "It's easy to block for a running back that can set up his own blocks for us and gets a ton of yards after contact."

Wilson snapped the old school mark of 271 yards set by Brendan Miller against Linn-Mar in 2013. He broke loose for touchdowns that measured 69, 31 and 62 yards against the Regals.

"It's impressive to see what he can do," said Ryan Jasper, who plays right guard on the offensive line. "He sets us up great, but again it all goes back to the scout team. They gave us a great look in practice and we knew what we were doing when we got out there."

Wilson collected his 69-yard touchdown on his first carry in the first quarter and his 62-yard touchdown the last time he touched the ball in the fourth quarter to clinch the victory. All told, he carried the ball 25 times for a healthy 11.6-yard average.

"It's nice to have a back like him running behind us," remarked Max Johnson, who starts at right tackle.

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