Second-ranked Washington rolls past Ottumwa, 40-2

CEDAR RAPIDS – How scary it is that Cedar Rapids Washington has been able to put up all these points so far this football season, and last season's Metro player of the year really hasn't gotten it going, yet, offensively.

Reid Snitker showed signs of getting it going Friday night at Kingston Stadium, running for two touchdowns and throwing for another in a 40-2 win over Ottumwa.

'Honestly, I don't care what my stats are, as long as we win,' Snitker said. 'It was nice tonight to have a good night, boost my confidence up and show that I can still play.'

The senior quarterback, also a first-team all-Mississippi Valley Conference pick in 2013, hasn't approached the numbers he had a season ago, though he really hasn't needed to. Second-ranked Washington (6-0) has a plethora of weapons it has been able to show off through six weeks.

For instance, running back Johnny Dobbs had 121 rushing yards and two TDs to help the Warriors manhandle an Ottumwa team that came in 4-1 and on the heels of a stunning 34-0 demolition last week of Iowa City High.

'We are able to run the ball better. That's why we're not having to rely on him to get it done through the air,' Washington Coach Paul James said. 'Tonight, I thought we did a better job of throwing the ball. We showed some improvement, especially on a windy night. We're working on it. I think we've got to have some balance.'

Snitker came in completing just 43 percent of his passes and was still just 5 of 12 Friday night. But he made some good throws, the best a 28-yard touchdown late in the second quarter to Alex Herzog, in which he hit his open receiver in stride down the sideline near the corner of the end zone.

He started the scoring with a 23-yard TD run in which he rolled right and outsprinted the defense. On Washington's initial second-half possession, he scrambled up the middle for a 5-yard score.

Caleb Smothers had the Warriors' other touchdown, a 17-yard run off a fullback trap late in the third. Washington ran for 269 yards, outgaining Ottumwa by a 417-62 margin.

'Tonight, I saw a couple of open holes and trusted my legs,' Snitker said. 'This was probably the first game this season where both sides of the football competed and did their jobs.'

'They are a really good team,' said Ottumwa Coach Zach Pfantz. 'We talked about not being intimidated, but I thought we played like we were a little bit. We have played really, really good run defense all season long, but tonight we just weren't doing the things we normally do. They are really good, we knew that going in. We just got pushed around a little bit.'

Washington sacked Ottumwa QB Brok Hopwood seven times. The Bulldogs' lone score came early in the fourth quarter when Dobbs was tackled in the end zone for a safety.

Hopwood had fumbled on a sneak attempt inside the 1-yard line on the previous play.

'We had good preparation on both sides of the ball,' James said. 'Defensively, we gave a little bit that first series, then we got kind of in a groove and got zeroed in and did a great job. We were concerned. Ottumwa showed some good things on film.'

'I still believe in our guys,' Pfantz said. 'I hope this is something they can learn from. We're still kind of a young team. Some of these things we've just got to learn from and get better and move forward. But they definitely out-physicaled us all game long.'

Washington plays Cedar Rapids Prairie next week, while Ottumwa hosts Muscatine.

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