Cedar Rapids Washington broke the huddle and turned toward the line of scrimmage during Friday's game at Iowa City High when one of the Warriors suddenly fell in a heap.

It was Storhm Henry, one of Washington's offensive linemen, and for a few scary moments he was lying face down in the grass as medical personnel and coaches rushed to his side.

"It was the most painful thing I've ever experienced," Henry said Monday after practice. "The game before that I had a deep thigh bruise, and this was about 10 times worse than that."

Henry had been struck by severe cramps in the upper parts of both legs, making it impossible to move, probably from dehydration. He finally was helped to his feet and waddled to the sideline.

"It just stunned me," he said. "I had to walk off like an old man. I was really bent down."

This happened during the third quarter. Washington Coach Tony Lombardi did not like what he saw. "I thought he's got to be done for the game," the coach said Monday.

Henry was given fluids as part of his treatment. Zach Williams replaced him on the offensive line and Lombardi turned his attention to the hotly contested game.

"We usually have pickle juice there, but they didn't bring any pickle juice along to the game," Henry reported. "So I was just sitting there, struggling. I had to drink water, and that barely helped."

Henry is listed at 5-foot-11 and 295 pounds, so that's a big body to hydrate in a hurry. Meanwhile, the battle raged at Bates Field.

Iowa City High, ranked second in the state, carried a 24-20 lead into the fourth quarter, protecting a 33-game winning streak in Mississippi Valley Conference games. The Warriors needed another touchdown, but they'd have to get it without one of their top blockers.

Or so it seemed.

Washington got the ball on its own 31-yard line with 6:49 left in the game. The Warriors picked up a few first downs and moved into City High territory, looking for an upset. Suddenly, big No.64 felt a lot better on the sideline.

"It was about a minute and 56 seconds left," Henry recalled. "They called a timeout, and right then my legs clicked, like there was something happening and I could walk. I was feeling good. I went and grabbed my helmet and I just ran back out.

"I told Zach Williams, the guy that replaced me, 'I'm getting back in.' So he was like, 'All right! All right!' And then Tyler Burrell and the other linemen were like, 'Yes, we need you! We need you!'"

Henry took his accustomed spot at right guard and the Warriors went back to work, edging closer to the end zone and deliberately eating precious time off the clock. If they scored, they didn't want the Little Hawks to have much time to respond.

Henry was glad to be back on the field.

"I felt pretty good at the time, but once we got in the mix of things and started taking it down the field to score, I could start feeling it act up again," he said. "I stayed in. I just had to battle through it in the last minutes and seconds."

The Warriors reached the City High 5-yard with 16 seconds left and called their final timeout. Lombardi called for a quick pass from Braedon Tovey to Ryan Cain. Henry got a good look as the play developed.

"We were pass blocking, and I saw the ball come over my head," he said. "Cain jumped out and grabbed it, then everybody was screaming. It was a great feeling."

The touchdown made it 26-24 with 10.8 seconds left. The PAT made it 27-24. Washington kicked off, the Little Hawks spent all their time trying to lateral the ball around and the game ended.

Henry dragged his legs around the field, first to the sideline to celebrate with Washington fans, then back onto the field to hear Lombardi call his players "gladiators" for the performance they'd given that night.

Henry, a full-blooded Native American with shoulder-length black hair, was one of those gladiators.

"When a game is on the line, it's not about the plays, it's about the players," Lombardi said. "You have to have the right players on the field.

"When I saw him go out there, there's nobody I trust more than him. And so I was glad to have him out there."

Two weeks ago, Lombardi cited Henry for exceptional effort in a victory against Dubuque Senior, calling Henry one of the leaders of the Washington football team. Henry remembered that when the Warriors needed him against City High.

"Coach, you told me I was a leader," Henry said to Lombardi. "I knew I couldn't let the team down on that last drive. I had to be out there."

"That was pretty moving to hear that out of a kid," Lombardi reflected Monday.

Henry was glad to play a role in the victory, sore legs and all. "It was worth it," he said. "I love football, so missing any minute of a game, it hurts inside. So I just had to get back out there and try again."

Henry's mother is Meskwaki and his father is from the Papago nation of Arizona. He was raised in the Meskwaki tradition and has relatives in Tama.

He wears his hair in a pony-tail during games. An opponent pulled it in a game this year, accidentally he thinks. Actually, his hair is much shorter now than it used to be.

"It used to be past my butt, but I got tired of braiding it. I chopped it off in February," he said. "Maybe during the playoffs, I keep telling these guys I'm going to get a buzz cut."