Douglas Miles

Your Prep Sports

CEDAR RAPIDS – To outsiders, the task seemed insurmountable.

After all, Clear Creek Amana had lost its last four prep football meetings with Cedar Rapids Xavier by a combined score of 148-21.

In order to stay alive in the chase for a spot in the Class 4A playoffs, the Clippers would have to flip the script on the Saints’ home field.

Conlan Poynton and Owen Rosenberg made the plays to garner belief.

“Being together as a team, not getting too high and not getting too low,” Poynton said after his two fourth quarter touchdown passes helped CCA upset sixth-ranked Xavier, 28-24, in a District 3 back-and-forth battle Friday night. “Because obviously this is a great team that has a legacy behind them. Getting too high on the highs, don’t sidetrack ourselves from the game that we have ahead of us.”

What Pontyon and CCA (5-3, 3-1 District 3) has ahead is a home date with Clinton next Friday to close the regular season.

Win there, and the Clippers will have put themselves in prime position for a spot in the 4A playoff field.

“We knew we had to win both to get in,” first-year CCA Coach Lance Pedersen said. “And we have played some great competition. Our only losses came to (3A No. 10) Solon, (3A No. 3) Williamsburg and (4A No. 10) North Scott. This is a great win for our program and a great win for our kids. I am so proud of them. But we have got to win next week.”

CCA trailed at halftime, 17-7, but a blocked punt that was recovered in the Xavier end zone by Clippers’ senior Clayton Isham turned the momentum with six minutes to go in the third quarter. Xavier’s attempt at a response was turned away at the CCA goal line with Rosenberg intercepted a pass to keep the Clippers within three points at 17-14.

“The quarterback, I had been reading his eyes all game,” Rosenberg said. “All game. He was telling the story.”

Three minutes into the fourth quarter, Poynton gave CCA its first lead of the game at 21-17 with a six-yard touchdown pass to Tay Seals.

After Xavier responded with a scoring drive to reclaim the lead with 3:42 to go, Poynton directed one final attempt to try and snatch the victory.

Against a heavy Xavier blitz, his 11-yard touchdown toss to Cale Berry with just 62 ticks on the clock sent his sideline into celebration.

“Trust was everything right there,” Poynton said. “Just slinging it, getting it to my guys, getting it to my playmakers and I knew they would make plays.”

As Xavier staged a last-gasp effort in the waning seconds, Rosenberg again turned the Saints away with an interception near his own goal line to officially seal the upset.

“I knew there was a guy coming deep to my zone, so I just knew I had to go with him,” Rosenberg said. “And then there it was. It just fell right in my hands.”

On offense, Rosenberg collected 10 receptions for 120 yards, while Poynton threw for 241, ran for 60 and also had a touchdown on the ground.

Fullback Dustin Cook totaled two touchdowns and Carter Hoffmann ran for 219 yards and a score for Xavier (5-3, 3-1), which was denied an opportunity to clinch the district title.

CCA                 CRX

First Downs                  16                     20

Rushes-yards                30-75                40-264

Comp-Att-Int                 21-31-0             16-29-2

Passing yards               241                   147

Total yards                    316                   411

Punts-avg.                    5-33.0               2-33.5

Fumbles-lost                 1-0                    4-2

Penalties-yards             8-105                7-70

Clear Creek Amana              0   7   7  14  –  28

Cedar Rapids Xavier           0  17  0   7   –  24

CRX – Carter Hoffmann 24 run (Owen Vasquez kick)

CCA – Conlan Poynton 3 run (Aiden Gross kick)

CRX – Dustin Cook 11 pass from Cash Parks (Owen Vasquez kick)

CRX – FG Owen Vasquez 25

CCA – Clayton Isham blocked punt recovery in end zone (Aiden Gross kick)

CCA – Tay Seals 6 pass from Conlan Poynton (Garrett Plathe kick)

CRX – Dustin Cook 2 run (Owen Vasquez kick)

CCA – Cale Berry 11 pass from Conlan Poynton (Garrett Plathe kick)

Individual Statistics

RUSHING – Clear Creek Amana: Conlan Poynton 22-60, Noah Collis 8-15. Cedar Rapids Xavier: Carter Hoffmann 30-219, Cash Parks 4-18, Dustin Cook 2-5, Ryan Kelly 3-18, Michael Bean 1-4.

PASSING – Clear Creek Amana: Conlan Poynton 21-30-0 241, Wyatt Key 0-1-0-0. Cedar Rapids Xavier: Cash Parks 15-28-2-130, Sam Leuck 1-1-0-17.

RECEIVING – Clear Creek Amana: Nick Daniel 2-42, Cale Nash 2-9, Owen Rosenberg 10-120, Cale Berry 4-52, Tay Seals 2-11, Noah Collis 1-7. Cedar Rapids Xavier: Carter Hoffmann 6-55, Ryan Kelly 3-16, Dustin Cook 7-55, Jack Downey 2-25.

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