City High learned from loss to Washington

IOWA CITY - With City High trailing, 33-20, in the fourth quarter, it looked like the Little Hawks had a chance to pull within a touchdown for the first time all night.

The Little Hawks were driving when they handed it off to junior Bryce Frantz, who broke through multiple tackles. But the ball was stripped just before he crossed the goal line and Cedar Rapids Washington recovered in the end zone for the touchback.

The Little Hawks fell to 5-3 (3-1 in district) with the 39-20 loss. snapping their five-game winning streak. Washington (7-1) continues its dominating performance, improving to 4-0 in district play.

'Personally, I was a little bit too aggressive (on that play) and tried to cross the line, but this ain't the NFL I guess,” Frantz said. 'You can't do that in high school. We're gonna be coming in hot, and we're going to be practicing strong, and getting better each week.”

Early on, it looked as if it was going to be a long night for the Little Hawks. The Warriors jumped out to a 27-0 lead and scored their first touchdown less than three minutes into the game after a City High 3-and-out.

Following a mishandled snap by junior Jared Taylor on the punt, Washington added another touchdown to take a 13-0 lead after missing the PAT.

On City High's next possession, Taylor threw an interception. Washington's Andrew Dostal returned the pick 52 yards for the touchdown.

That wasn't the end of the rocky start for the Little Hawks. After a Taylor sack and fumble, Washington picked it up for a 36-yard scoop-and-score by Rane Weiland.

After a short touchdown run by Frantz, City High finally got on the board. The Little Hawks pulled to within 13 at the half, thanks to an 18-yard touchdown catch by Naeem Smith.

Washington got the ball early in the third quarter and scored on a 1-yard touchdown plunge by Tavian Patrick. He finished with two touchdowns and 159 yards on only 17 carries.

The Little Hawks still were in the game, even following a Frantz fumble near the goal line. Still trailing, 33-20, with around four minutes to play, senior Jason Jones went back to field a punt, but fumbled it deep in City High territory.

Washington recovered and scored a few plays later on a run by Johnny Dobbs to make it 39-20. With three minutes to play, the margin was too big for City High.

'I felt we were ready, and I was certainly proud of the way they hung in there and battled,” City High Coach Dan Sabers said after the game. 'We can learn a lot from this and come back better next week.”

On Friday, the Little Hawks go on the road to play Muscatine (6-2, 2-2 in district) in the final game of the regular season.

'I think we'll be better prepared because of this game,” Saber said. 'That's gonna be a tough one down there, and they've got an explosive offense, so it'll be interesting.”

Click here for more City High news.