Almost nobody has been able to hang with Cedar Rapids Xavier and star quarterback Cash Parks this Iowa high school football season.

In fact, Parks and his fellow starters have barely played a complete game because of the score difference being so heavily in their favor.

But the Saints know their semifinal round opponent on Thursday, November 12 very, very well.

During the regular season, Cedar Rapids Xavier scored a 21-13 victory over Western Dubuque. The two meet in the nightcap of a quadruple header, with Carlisle and Sergeant Bluff-Luton battling at 4 p.m.

The Saints and Bobcats are set to kick at 7 p.m. from the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls.

Carlisle vs. Sergeant Bluff-Luton

The semifinals are nothing new for Sergeant Bluff-Luton, as they have reached the final four each of the past two seasons. Last year, they did it for the first time in Class 4A.

Justin Ehlers has almost 1,300 passing yards and 14 touchdowns with just one interception on 119 attempts. He has over 400 rushing yards and eight TDs, as Carson Jager and Emmet Kneifl have a combined 1,190 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns.

For as balanced as the offense is when it comes to running the football, they are the exact same with targets for Ehlers. Gavin Ahrendt leads with 416 and seven TDs, but two others have oer 200 yards and six total have caught scores.

Sergeant Bluff-Luton’s defense has 12 interceptions, with Ehlers leading with four. They have five more fumble recoveries and are dangerous in the return game.

Standing in the way of a trip to the finals is another undefeated team in Carlisle. The Wildcats opened the year with a pair of close wins over Newton and Indianola, rolling from there.

They eliminated both ADM and Pella in the postseason, with wins over Gilbert and North Polk during the regular season.

CJ Haug has 17 passing touchdowns and just one interception, completing 73 percent for nearly 1,300 yards. He has another 667 rushing yards on the year, with Carter Berg rushing for 999 and 16 TDs and Isaac Burk 648 and seven scores.

Hayden Schulte is a tremendous No. 1 WR, catching 36 passes for 858 yards and 11 scores. Nobody else has more than eight catches.

Western Dubuque vs. Cedar Rapids Xavier

The first time around, Dawson Doyle scored two touchdowns and ran for 130 yards in a 21-13 victory for Cedar Rapids Xavier over Western Dubuque.

The Bobcats had a big game on the ground, averaging seven yards per carry, as Kyan VVaassen ran for 105 and Iowa State commit Drew Bergfeld added 74 on just six carries with a score.

After that close call, the Saints went on a run, winning their next nine by at least 11, including most while ending it early for the starters.

Cash Parks, who led Cedar Rapids Xavier to the title last year, has completed 67 percent for 1,360 yards and 13 touchdowns, running in 13 more scores. Doyle has almost 1,000 rushing yards and eight touchdowns, with Ty Weiss catching 39 passes for 668 and 10 scores.

On defense, Austin Dostal has 17 quarterback sacks and 22 tackles for loss among his 34.5 stops, with Beau Morio adding six sacks and 13 tackles for loss. Nolan Wilgenbusch has six sacks and 11 tackles for loss.

Western Dubuque has not lost since the setback to Cedar Rapids Xavier, earning a second close win over Waverly-Shell Rock in the playoffs last week.

Brady Rissman has completed 108 of 149 for 1,270 yards and 18 touchdowns, Bergfeld has 851 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns, and Vaassen 677 with 10 scores. Bergfeld is averaging 13 yards per carry, as the Bobcats pick up over eight yards per rush as a team.

Bergfeld is part of a stingy defense that has 62 tackles for loss and 16 turnovers with three touchdowns.