Washington rallies from early hole to beat Bettendorf

CEDAR FALLS – They were pick-sixed on the first possession of the game, fell behind for the first time all season. By 10 points, no less.

But as their coach mentioned during a short and impromptu postgame huddle in a corner of the UNI-Dome end zone, they responded like champions.

The Cedar Rapids Washington Warriors may not finish as Class 4A state football winners, but they've got a chance to be that after Friday's 28-17 semifinal win over Bettendorf. It's the second finals appearance for top-ranked Wash (2003 the other), which gets the unenviable task of trying to take down defending champion West Des Moines Dowling next Friday night.

But let's not worry about any of that stuff, yet. Celebrate being 13-0, gentlemen, because that is quite an accomplishment.

'I told the kids that I've been in the Notre Dame locker room, and on the way out, there's that sign that says ‘Play Like A Champion Today,'” said Washington Coach Paul James. 'I told them ‘Boy, you guys played like champions today.' They played really hard. They got behind 10 points, but just battled back like champions.”

This was expected to be a tight, lower-scoring game between two physical, run-oriented ballclubs, which made the way it began alarming if you were a Wash fan. On the fourth play from scrimmage, Warriors quarterback Reid Snitker threw a pass for an attempted short hitch route that Bettendorf cornerback Dylan McLaughlin sat on, intercepted in stride and ran back 41 yards for a touchdown.

But, oh, would Snitker redeem himself. He ended with his best passing game of the season, completing 7 of 10 throws for 162 yards and two touchdowns.

'My teammates just really helped me there,” he said. 'They said not to get down, it didn't matter, it's 0-0. Just get your head out and keep playing. That's what I did.”

Bettendorf tacked on a short field goal for a double-digit lead after a quarter. With its offense stuffed, Wash appeared to be in trouble.

'It felt really weird being behind,” said Washington's Landen Akers. 'That's never happened to us this season. We just started out slow. But our defense kicked in, and we got it going.”

A 13-yard run from fullback Connor Vincent combined with a unique defensive holding penalty to finally move the Warriors into Bett territory. On 1st-and-10 from the Bulldogs 34, Snitker faded back off play action and threw a perfect corner-route pass to Isaiah Nimmers for a 34-yard TD that changed momentum.

The Warriors defense forced a three-and-out, and Snitker struck again with another beautifully thrown sideline fly route to Akers for 41 yards to the Bett 6. Johnny Dobbs bowled over from the 1 two plays later, and Wash suddenly had a 14-10 lead.

Vincent, who played one of the better games you'll see from a high school linebacker, forced a fumble from Bettendorf's Justice O'Conner and pounced on it at the Bulldogs 6 on the next possession. Dobbs scored again from the 1, and it was 21-10 Washington.

'I just think our defense responded really well, especially after they got that pick-six,” Vincent said. 'Everybody tried to get everybody else up and get it going.”

'There's concern when you're down 10-0,” James said. 'But then when our defense responded, and we changed our formation on offense, went to two tight ends and threw the ball down the field, we started feeling pretty good about things. We've got a lot of gutty competitors.”

Washington held Bettendorf out of the end zone and to no points in the closing seconds of the first half, Vincent sacking QB Cyle Cox for a loss of 13 yards at the Warriors 23 as time expired. Cox scored on the opening second-half possession bot make it 21-17, and, again, Wash appeared to be on the ropes.

But the defense held, making a pair of huge fourth-down second-half stops, leading to the ever-present Snitker hitting Akers for a 45-yard TD over the middle early in the fourth that made it a two-score game again.

'We knew they tried to stop the run, kept a lot of people in the box,” Snitker said. 'So I knew we had a lot a lot of one-on-ones. I trust my receivers.”

Washington came in averaging 285 yards on the ground but was held to 91. The success through the air made up for that.

'It's different conditions inside,” Akers said. 'A lot better conditions for our quarterback to throw,”

James also was Washington's head coach during the 2003 title-game run, stepped down after the 2006 season to become the school's athletics director, then came back last season to replace Tony Lombardi after he resigned.

'That's what I just talked to my family about,” he said. 'Would you believe a year and a half ago that we'd be where we're at now? It's just a great feeling. All the credit goes to the kids and the coaching staff.”

l Comments: (319) 398-8259; jeff.johnson@thegazette.com