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HUNGRY ’DOGS

FAVORITE XAVIER PRESENTS A CHALLENGE, BUT LYNX ARE READY

Webster City’s Devon Stoakes (5) and Jaxon Cherry (24) put Norwalk’s Braedon Carlson on the ground short of the first down stick during the first half of last week’s Class 4A state playoffs first round game. No. 8 WCHS will be in Cedar Rapids tonight to take on No. 2 Xavier in a state quarterfinal at 7 p.m. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

WEBSTER CITY — Ty McKinney found himself in one of those moments where he didn’t know for sure, but, deep down, he knew. And so did his teammates.

Webster City’s junior spinback stood in the east end zone at Lynx Field just minutes after he and his teammates had taken 10th-ranked Norwalk behind the woodshed, 57-20, in the first round of the Class 4A state playoffs last Friday night and he was already looking toward the quarterfinals.

“I’m guessing we’ll play (Cedar Rapids) Xavier, but this is a statement that everybody should be ready for us,” McKinney said. “We’re not scared of anybody and this should be a warning.”

Well, Ty, ask (sort of) and you shall receive.

McKinney’s educated guess as to who No. 8-ranked WCHS (8-2) will face in tonight’s round of eight was pretty much a foregone conclusion. No. 2-ranked Xavier (9-1) pasted Burlington, 45-8, in its opening round tilt and will host the Lynx at 7 p.m.

WCHS junior wingback CJ Hisler (22) leads the Lynx in rushing with 964 yards entering tonight’s Class 4A state quarterfinals. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

In the state quarterfinals for the fourth time over the past seven seasons, WCHS accepts its fate as a decided underdog against arguably the heaviest of heavyweights in the state’s second largest class. In the playoffs for the 16th consecutive season, Xavier has played in five state championship games over that span and won three of them, including back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018. They’ve reached at least the semifinal round nine times since 2006.

WCHS head coach Bob Howard already knows all of this and his players probably have a good idea of what type of mountain they’re facing. But they’ve treated this as any other week even though the stakes are amplified.

“The kids have practiced well and they understand that there’s only eight teams left and there aren’t any bad ones,” Howard said. “Xavier sure isn’t one of the bad ones.

“They are in the top tier of 4A football programs.”

That top tier program features a roster of 49 juniors and seniors and it will suit somewhere north of 70 players for tonight’s contest. WCHS, meanwhile, has just 48 sophomores, juniors and seniors on its roster and only 25 upperclassmen.

WCHS cornerback Evan Estlund (8) tackles Denison-Schleswig’s Matthew Weltz during Week 9 of the regular season. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

That’s where the real advantage resides, Howard says. Xavier has the luxury of depth and most of its players only work on one side of the ball. And it’s something the Lynx will have to overcome if they want to pull off the upset.

“They’re very athletic and they play one way,” Howard said. “That can’t be overblown because it’s not so much about getting tired during the game, it’s the practice time they get and the film time they get. It’s being able to come off the field and getting on the IPads to look at what the other team is doing and the coaching they get. All of that stuff is a big deal.”

So, yeah, WCHS faces some obstacles and yet neither Howard nor his players are looking for sympathy. And they’re not about to wave the white flag.

“If we played them 10 times, it would probably be a 70-30 type deal, but we’ve only got to do it once,” Howard said. “Footballs bounce funny on any given night.

“We know how good they are, but we’re not bad either.”

No, they’re not.

WCHS brings the fifth-ranked offense in the class into the quarterfinals, averaging 36.5 points per game. Over the last three weeks, the Lynx have rushed for more than 1,200 yards and ripped off 41, 56 and 57 points in consecutive routs.They possess the No. 2 rushing offense in the class (3,081 yards) and have three backs — CJ Hisler (964 yards), Jaxon Cherry (833 yards) and McKinney (649 yards) — capable of breaking off a long run on any snap behind a veteran offensive line that has become a formidable bunch over the past seven weeks.

The Lynx will face a stout Xavier defense that allows just 12 points per game and Howard has a good idea of what his offense will face.

“I expect on most downs they’ll have nine kids within five yards of the ball,” he said. “They’ll be down on the line of scrimmage because that’s how they played against Burlington, who throws less than we do.

“We can’t have turnovers and we can’t have stupid penalties. We can’t be in second and long a bunch either or we’re going to be in trouble, so first down is going to be a big deal.”

Xavier isn’t bad offensively either, as it features a balanced attack. Quarterback Alex Neal has thrown for 1,196 yards and eight touchdowns, and he also owns 438 yards rushing and 11 more scores. Tailback Michael Cunningham (587 yards, 7 TDs) leads the Saints on the ground, and wide receiver Aidan McDermott (656 yards, 3 TDs) is a big target for Neal.

“(Neal) is a very good quarterback and he’s big,” Howard said. “They didn’t throw much against Burlington because they didn’t have to and they play such good defense that they don’t have to score 30 points every game.”

WCHS allows just 15.9 points per game.

Xavier’s resume includes a regular season victory over fifth-ranked (3A) West Delaware, and its only loss was a 20-8 setback against No. 1 (4A) North Scott in Week 4.

North Scott could serve as a bit of motivation for WCHS, however. The Lancers, the 2020 state champions, had their dreams of a repeat dashed in last week’s first round by unranked Decorah.

“It’s any given Friday night in high school football and North Scott found that out last week,” Howard said. “The easy thing would be to say (Xavier) is the favorite and that’s fine. I know we’re going to play hard and if we play well then we’ve got a shot.”

When it gets this deep in the postseason, that’s all any team can ask for.

Tonight’s winner will advance to next week’s semifinals inside the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls against an opponent that will be determined following the completion of the quarterfinal round.

TONIGHT

No. 8 Webster City (8-2) at No. 2 CR Xavier (9-1)

What: Class 4A state playoffs quarterfinal game.

Where: Saints Field, Cedar Rapids.

Kickoff: 7 p.m.

At Stake: A spot in next week’s state semifinal round in Cedar Falls.

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