Washington bounces back by thumping Iowa City West

IOWA CITY - At the conclusion of Washington's 42-13 thumping of Iowa City West, Coach Paul James told his team, 'That was Warrior football.”

If it is, the remainder of their opponents may want to duck the haymaker that is coming their way.

After the first drive disintegrated among a pile of penalties, the Warriors got themselves together.

'We just had to lock it in mentally,” Washington quarterback T.J. Vogel said. 'We had a rough week last week, so I think it took a little while. Once we locked it in we knew we could hand it to them.”

The Warriors got it going in the second quarter, putting together touchdown drives of 87, 51 and 36 yards. The final drive was a backbreaker for the Trojans as the Warriors got the ball with only 26 seconds left. An incompletion, a 13-yard gain and a sack left the Warriors with one play from 27 yards out before time would expire.

Vogel threw a perfect flag pattern to Isaiah Nimmers for the score as time expired to complete the 21-0 half.

West was held without a first down and to only 18 yards of offense in the first half. But the Trojans did put together a touchdown drive to open the second half. It was jump-started by a fake punt deep in their own end. Washington committed pass interference on the play, and that gave West its first first down. The Trojans eventually scored on an Alex Henderson option read run up the middle.

But the West defense had no answer all game long. Washington scored touchdowns on its next three possessions. It answered West's score with a 74-yard pass to Nimmers, who outraced Oliver Martin for the touchdown.

'This week we were thinking we could only run certain plays but we could really run anything and beat them on it,” Vogel said. 'We thought we could run it and then we ran it so much they didn't expect the pass.”