Xavier High School - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Duball's goal sends Saints to state

On the sun-splashed sidelines of the Saints soccer field Saturday afternoon, Xavier Coach Amir Hadzic kept thinking, “Somebody put the ball in the goal.”

At last, in the 55th minute of a scoreless tie, Jerry Duball - the oldest of the three Duball boys on the team - sneaked one past a diving Dubuque Wahlert goal keeper Johnny Klauer from about 10 yards out.

“We were extremely dominant on offense the whole game,” said Saints defensive star Stephen Jones. “We knew it was just a matter of time before we’d score. And Jerry finally did it.”

With the 1-0 substate title, defending Class 2A state champion Xavier returns to the tournament Thursday for the seventh time in Hadzic’s eight years at the helm.

Xavier (9-9) will face Sioux City Heelan (12-3) in the quarterfinals Thursday at 2:30 p.m. at the Cownie Soccer Park in Des Moines. The Saints are seeded No. 8 and Heelan is seeded No. 1.

The Saints have won state titles three of the last four years, losing out in the first round in 2012. And they’ve claimed six state titles overall, one less than only Iowa City West.

Ranked No. 4 in Class 2A, they carry a 9-9 record to Des Moines. But Hadzic said that’s deceiving.

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Linn-Mar ranked No.1 in girls soccer

The Linn-Mar girls soccer team used its victory over top-ranked Bettendorf Thursday tonight to claim the No.1 spot in the Class 3A rankings Friday by the IGHSAU.

The Lions beat Bettendorf, 3-2, in overtime. The two teams traded spots in the poll, with Linn-Mar moving from No.2 to No.1 and Bettendorf heading in the opposite direction.

Linn-Mar has a 17-0 record.

There are four Metro teams in the rankings this week. Xavier is No.3 in Class 2A and Marion is No.15. Prairie is ranked No.9 in Class 3A.

CLASS 3A

1. Linn-Mar (17-0), 2. Bettendorf (15-2), 3. West Des Moines Valley (11-3), 4. Hempstead (14-2), 5. Johnston (15-3), 6. Waukee (14-3), 7. Iowa City West (14-3), 8. Muscatine (14-3), 9. Prairie (12-3), 10. Dowling Catholic (9-6).

CLASS 2A

1. Waverly-Shell Rock (16-2), 2. North Scott (13-4), 3. Xavier (8-7), 4. Dallas Center-Grimes (12-4), 5. Pleasant Valley (9-8), 6. Ankeny Centennial (10-7), 7. ADM (14-2), 8. Council Bluffs Jefferson (12-6), 9. Lewis Central (11-5), 10. Pella (11-5), 11. Ankeny (6-8), 12. Spencer (14-2), 13. Newton (12-3), 14. Winterset (11-4), 15. Marion (9-4).

No. 7 Saints sweep Wahlert

The No. 7 Xavier softball team swept a Mississippi Valley Conference doubleheader from Dubuque Wahlert Thursday at Xavier.

The Saints won both games in identical fashion, 11-1 in five innings.

Morgan Breitbach was 2-for-3 with a home run in the first game. Jamie Feltes was 2-for-2 with a double. Allison Schwach scored three runs.

Erin Drahozal pitched a one-hitter with 10 strikeouts.

Breitbach went 4-for-4 with two doubles and three RBIs in the second game. Courtney Colston was 2-for-3. Kylie Oldridge tossed a three-hitter with eight strikeouts.

No. 4 Saints roll by Independence

Seven different players scored goals Thursday as the fourth-ranked Xavier Saints sailed by Independence, 7-0, in the semifinals of the Class 2A substate boys soccer tournament at Heco Field.

Caelen Lilly and Jerry Duball gave Xavier a 2-0 lead in the first half.

The quick and physical Saints, using their deep roster, collected five more goals in the second half by Chad Eichler, Luke Koechner, Joe Mulangaliro, Nolan Armstrong and Connor Vogl.

Xavier will face Dubuque Wahlert in the substate finals Saturday at noon at Xavier, with the winner advancing to the state tournament.