LAWRENCE — Now that’s the way Xaverian wants to play football.

The three-time defending Division 1 champions dropped a 52-51 shootout to Central Catholic in the midst of a four-game losing streak on Oct. 2. But the Hawks regained their identity with a physical 27-19 victory over Central in Friday’s Division 1 quarterfinal at Lawrence Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Running behind Jack Warren and Jake Loynd on the left side of Xaverian’s offensive front, senior Michael Kimmelmann erupted for 256 rushing yards with three total touchdowns to carry the Hawks on the road.

“We wanted to do anything and everything [to win],” said Xaverian coach Al Fornaro. “If we want to throw it a little bit, that’s fine, but let’s not forget where our roots are buried, and that’s running the football.”

“We want to pound the rock. We want to take the will to win away from our opponent. It is a violent sport and we want to be violent at the point of attack, and we were.”

The third-seeded Raiders (6-4) took a 19-7 halftime lead with dual-threat quarterback Caden Smith (17 carries, 122 yards, 3 TDs) leading touchdown drives on each of their first three possessions. Defensively, Armari Mills, Brian Waller-Reitano, and Shane Sugrue were among the playmakers driving to the football to deny Xaverian any early momentum.

The No. 6 Hawks (6-4) began to gain momentum in the second half when senior quarterback Will Wood executed a check at the line of scrimmage to spring Kimmelmann for a 62-yard game en route to the tailback’s second score.

Later in the third quarter, Smith left the game with a shoulder injury, and the Raiders were unable to keep pace.

From fourth or fifth on the depth chart to the workhorse back, Kimmelmann approached Fornaro this offseason and asked to earn more opportunities.

“[Kimmelmann] had no shake. Now he’s not Walter Payton or Barry Sanders, but he’s got a little wiggle. But more importantly, he is tough as a two-dollar steak,” said Fornaro. “By the second game he was playing [this season], I could tell this position was his to keep.”

The 5-foot-9-inch, 170-pound Kimmelmann broke off a series of long runs to set up Wood’s 5-yard touchdown that gave Xaverian the lead, adding a 20-yard catch and a 4-yard touchdown late in the fourth to seal it.

Recalling Xaverian’s four-game losing streak, Kimmelmann said, “It was definitely tough. In the film room we realized something had to change and coach [Fornaro] told us, everyone that we need is in this room. We believed in that, believed in our coaches, and most of all, believed in each other, and it’s only gone up from there.”

Nate Weitzer can be reached at nweitzer7@gmail.com. Follow him on X @nweitzer7.