Washington Football

It's all set: No. 1 Wash vs. No. 2 Bettendorf

High school football fans in Eastern Iowa have been dreaming about a matchup of top-ranked Washington against second-ranked Bettendorf in the semifinals of the Class 4A playoffs all season.

Now it's finally here.

The Washington Warriors roared into the semifinals behind the 1-2 punch of tailbacks Tavian Patrick and Johnny Dobbs Friday night and punished Iowa City West, 44-19, in the quarterfinals at Kingston Stadium.

Bettendorf upheld its end of the bargain Friday night by whipping North Scott, 23-3, so now both 12-0 teams are headed for a major collision in the UNI-Dome next Friday in Cedar Falls.

Read more...

It's all set: No.1 Wash vs. No.2 Bettendorf

High school football fans in Eastern Iowa have been dreaming about a matchup of top-ranked Washington against second-ranked Bettendorf in the semifinals of the Class 4A playoffs all season.

Now it's finally here.

The Washington Warriors roared into the semifinals behind the 1-2 punch of tailbacks Tavian Patrick and Johnny Dobbs Friday night and punished Iowa City West, 44-19, in the quarterfinals at Kingston Stadium.

Bettendorf upheld its end of the bargain Friday night by whipping North Scott, 23-3, so now both 12-0 teams are headed for a major collision in the UNI-Dome next Friday in Cedar Falls.

Read more...

Warriors, Saints look to keep rolling

The Cedar Rapids Washington football team is loaded with lots of good players.

Everywhere you look - offense, defense, special teams - there's a talented player is a little bigger, stronger and faster than the other guy on the other team.

It's one of the reasons the top-ranked Warriors are 11-0 and favored to defeat Iowa City West (7-4) in the quarterfinals of the Class 4A playoffs Friday night at Kingston Stadium (7 p.m., KGYM).

The Xavier Saints (8-3) are not quite as loaded with talented athletes this year as they were the last two seasons when they reached the championship game of the Class 4A playoffs, but they've enjoyed another good year and will try to keep advancing when they host sixth-ranked West Delaware (10-1) in the Class 3A quarterfinals at Saints Field (7 p.m., KMRY).

Washington and Xavier are the only two Metro teams still kicking as we move toward the final stages of the 2014 playoffs.

Remarkably, 14 different players have scored touchdowns for the Warriors this season. They do not have a 1,000-yard rusher (yet) or a 1,000-yard passer, but they have plenty of weapons, a powerful running attack and a stout defense.

Washington blanked Iowa City West, 28-0, in Game 3 of the season Sept. 12, holding the Trojans to 101 yards through the air and 99 on the ground. The trick Friday night will be keeping Iowa City West quarterback Aaron Bleil under wraps.

Bleil has passed for 2,254 yards and 17 touchdowns. His favorite target is Oliver Martin, who has 59 catches for 747 yards and five touchdowns. The Warriors have a strong pass rush and talented defensive backs, so it will be interesting to see how that battle turns out.

Read more...

Smothers 'brothers' power No.1 Warriors

The Smothers Brothers was a popular television show in the 1970's that featured comedy, music and political satire by Dick and Tommy Smothers.

"I've heard a lot about it," Cedar Rapids Washington fullback Caleb Smothers said with a smile Monday night. "A lot of the older substitute teachers throw that at me."

The top-ranked Warriors had their own version of the Smothers Brothers Monday night in their 25-14 victory over Cedar Falls in the second round of the Class 4A playoffs at rainy Kingston Stadium.

Caleb Smothers and Connor Vincent are not really brothers, but the two fullbacks looked like twins in the Washington backfield Monday with their power running and absolute aversion to being tackled.

Smothers and Vincent are known more for their blocking and tackling than their running, but they played key roles as the Warriors (11-0) advanced to a date with Iowa City West (7-4) in the quarterfinals Friday night at Kingston.

Smothers and Vincent normally combine for 42 yards in Washington's running attack, but they combined for 110 yards on 14 carries Monday and were especially effective on a 77-yard touchdown drive that clinched the game in the fourth quarter.

Read more...