Washington High School - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Warriors Klaus, Barnes sign LOIs

Tue - 15 Nov Written by Jim Ecker

In signing their national letters-of-intent Tuesday, two Washington seniors will be continuing their athletic pursuits at the collegiate level with close friends and teammates.

Kelli Klaus next year will join the basketball program at Colorado Christian University with former Warrior Ashley Piper, now a freshman at the 1,000-student liberal arts college.

And all-state swimmer Morgan Barnes will be attending the University of South Dakota along with Ian Ford, who inked his scholarship offer with the 6,000-student state school last week.

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Last Updated on Sunday, 08 April 2012 20:37

Lombardi sets goals as new Washington baseball coach

Tue - 15 Nov Written by Jim Ecker

Tony Lombardi held his first meeting as the new baseball coach at Cedar Rapids Washington Tuesday and a 6-foot-4 lefthander with a 90 mph fastball and sweet swing showed up.

That lanky southpaw is A.J. Puk, the same A.J. Puk who left Lombardi's football team this past August to concentrate on baseball and play for a travel team.

Lombardi wants Puk and all the other top athletes at Washington to play baseball, have fun, enjoy some success and revive the program after two losing campaigns.

Puk is being recruited by some of the top college baseball programs in the country. He could play baseball for the Warriors next season or he could stick with travel ball. Maybe he could do both, like Dakota Freese did this past season.

"I'd love to have A.J.," Lombardi said. "There's not a better kid on the planet. He's the nicest kid. So hopefully he wants to play for us. That would be great."

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Last Updated on Tuesday, 15 November 2011 17:14

Ian Ford will swim at South Dakota

Wed - 09 Nov Written by Jim Ecker

Cedar Rapids Washington senior Ian Ford participated in lots of sports when he was younger.

"I was kind of a multi-sport kid," he said Wednesday. "I played soccer, lacrosse, basketball, baseball, swimming."

This was on the East Coast, where he grew up.

"When I got around age 9, I knew swimming was really where my heart was," he said. "I begged my mom to put me on a year-round team, and from that point on it's been swimming ever since."

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Warriors run out of miracles

Sat - 05 Nov Written by Jim Ecker

One by one, most of them crying, the seniors on the Cedar Rapids Washington football squad hugged their younger teammates after the game at Kingston Stadium Friday night.

Coach Tony Lombardi waited for each of them at the end of the line, greeting each player with a firm, lingering embrace and soft words of consolation.

"Good job. You played well. I love you," he said, one after another.

Washington's remarkable season ended with tears in the quarterfinals of the Class 4A playoffs. Disappointed Warriors were still mingling on the field 45 minutes after it ended.

Barkley Hill killed them. So did two turnovers.

Hill broke loose for 231 yards and five touchdowns as No. 6 Cedar Falls stopped the Warriors, 35-32, in a memorable contest on a cool night in November.

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Last Updated on Saturday, 05 November 2011 00:05

Young Warriors clipped by No. 1 Iowa City West

Wed - 02 Nov Written by Tom Fruehling

The outcome was as expected.

With a decisive 3-0 win over Cedar Rapids Washington Wednesday night in the Jefferson gym, the top-ranked and defending 4A champion Iowa City West girls advanced to their fourth straight state volleyball tournament.

For the Warrior women, who haven't been to state since 1994, losing in the regional finals is a harbinger that they're getting closer to the magic circle.

Under turnaround Coach Kari Lombardi, Washington finished its season at 20-18. Last year the team won only seven matches and Lombardi said there are much brighter days ahead.

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Last Updated on Thursday, 03 November 2011 00:29