It took Washington scatback Tavian Patrick awhile to get off the snide Friday night.

Going into the regular season finale against Burlington at Kingston Stadium, the shifty 5-foot-8 senior needed just 23 yards to reach the 2,000-yard milestone for his career.

He didn’t get there until his sixth carry of the game when he ran for 19 yards with just under two minutes to go in the first half. For good measure, he then dashed 33 yards for a touchdown that was called back for holding but followed right back with 30 more yards.

Another touchdown, this time a 10-yard pass from TJ Vogel to Isaiah Nimmers, was nullified by a penalty. Patrick hit paydirt on the next play, though, and that put Washington up 41-0 at halftime.

It was, obviously, a one-sided mismatch as the Warriors scored once more under a continuous clock in the entire second half and notched their first shutout of the season, 48-0.

“It took a little bit to get rolling,” said Patrick, who had just eight yards on four carries in the first quarter.

“I think we were all kind of excited for senior night. But we gotta stop letting distractions get to us.”

The over-matched and under-manned Grayhounds (1-8, 0-5 District 6) did distract Class 4A fifth-ranked Washington (8-1, 5-0) right off the bat by opening the game with an onside kick that they recovered near midfield.

The two teams then traded punts, with the Warriors startingtheir second possession on their own 5-yard line. On third down, Vogel lofted along pass to a wide-open Drew Dostal and he outran everybody for a 93-yard score.

With five minutes to go in the first quarter, the rout was on.

"They gave us a little bit of trouble on our first offensive series,” Washington coach Paul James said. “But we started throwing and loosening them up a little. And when we went to the spread (offense), our running game got going.”

Indeed, after that initial stop, the Warriors scored the next seven times they had the ball. Meanwhile, Burlington didn’t manage a first down until the 3:32 mark of the first half. With deep reserves playing the whole second half, Washington still piled up 485 yards total offense (243 rushing and 242 passing).

Patrick sat out with 71 yards on eight carries, giving him 2,040 for his career.

“T.P. has been a solid performer for two years,” James said. “And by alternating every other series with Johnny Dobbs all year, it’s a challenge for other teams.

“Dobbs is a big bruiser, and Tavian is elusive and makes quick cuts.”

Patrick, who calls fellow senior Dobbs his best buddy on and off the field, credited the offensive line this year and last for helping him become the 15th player in Metro to reach 2,000 yards.

“It’s an honor,” he said. “But we’ve got the playoffs, and our eyes are making it to the (UNI) Dome. “We’re just going to take it one game at a time. But our mission is to get a (state) championship.

“All of the seniors want to go out with a ring.”

Burlington     0   0 0 0 –   0

Washington 14 27 7 0 – 48

Scoring plays

W – Drew Dostal 93 pass from TJ Vogel (Ross Kennedy kick)

W – Alex Herzog 63 pass from Vogel (Kennedy kick)

W – Johnny Dobbs 16 run (Kennedy kick)

W – Tavion Stewart 50 run (kick failed)

W – Dobbs 27 run (Connor Geuder kick)

W - Tavian Patrick 10 run (Geuder kick)

W – Keion Wills 17 pass from Bryan Kunde (Geuder kick)