Quarterfinal Preview: #8 Webster City vs. #2 Cedar Rapids Xavier

The Webster City Lynx football team picked up a dominating 1st round playoff win against the Norwalk Warriors, 57-20. The win was Bob Howard’s 11th playoff win at Webster City, and sets them up with a first time foe in the 4A Quarterfinals, as they travel to Cedar Rapids to take on the Saints of Cedar Rapids Xavier.

Xavier has only been around as a school since 1998, but since 2006, the Saints have become one of the premier big school powers in the state of Iowa, with 3 state championships in that time frame, led by coach Duane Schulte. Xavier is lead by a balanced offensive attack, engineered by quarterback Alex Neal, who has accounted for 1,600 yards of total offense and 19 touchdowns, while completing 68% of his passes. Michael Cunningham and Will Hiserote are the reigning duo at running back, accounting for over 1,000 yards and 11 touchdowns. Aidan McDermott has been a dominant receiver for the Saints, catching 51 passes for 656 yards and 3 touchdowns. Thomas Sundell has been the top Xavier defender, amassing 55 tackles and 14.5 tackles for loss.

Webster City rolled up a season-high 500 yards rushing against Norwalk on Friday night, as CJ Hisler lead the attack with 220 yards on just 10 carries. Hisler enters Friday just 36 yards shy of a 1,000-yard season, and is averaging nearly 10 yards per carry. Ty McKinney and Jaxon Cherry both surpassed the 100-yard mark on Friday as well, with Cherry scoring 4 touchdowns in his 2nd straight game. The Lynx front 4 lived in the backfield against Norwalk, as the defensive line trio of Kyzer Stanley, Keegan Hisler and Jamin Stuhr combined for 7 tackles for loss and a sack on Friday, and will need a strong performance against a discipline Xavier front.

Kickoff is slated for 7 PM at Cedar Rapids Xavier High School in Cedar Rapids, Jerry Klaver will have the call on 95.7 KQWC.