Washington eliminates Jefferson, 42-21

CEDAR RAPIDS — It squibbed. It bounced. It rolled. And it evaded the hands of the Jefferson J-Hawks.

Fourth-ranked Cedar Rapids Washington scored the go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter, added another 17 seconds later, and went on to eliminate Cedar Rapids Jefferson, 42-21, in a Class 4A second-round playoff game Monday night at Kingston Stadium.

State runners-up last year, the Warriors (10-1) advance to Friday's quarterfinal against No. 3 Cedar Rapids Kennedy (11-0). Kickoff is 7 p.m. at Kingston.

The Cougars claimed a 28-24 triumph against the Warriors in Week 2.

Monday's meeting was the third time Washington and Jefferson collided in the postseason, the first time since 1979. Washington owns a 2-1 playoff advantage.

Credit in part a bizarre play that broke the J-Hawks' backs.

Washington took a 28-21 lead on T.J. Vogel's 24-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Nimmers with 4:09 left in the third quarter.

The Warriors elected to squib the ensuing kickoff, and though the J-Hawks got their first touch on the ball around the 30, they couldn't secure it. Washington's Ian Thomas finally fell on the loose ball at the 1, and Vogel scored on a quarterback sneak on the following play to make it 35-21.

'How about that kick,' Washington Coach Paul James said about Thomas' recovery. 'It's a game of inches. Had that gone six more inches it would have been a touchback.'

Jefferson would have taken over at the 20, still down just seven points. Instead, Washington took possession inside the 1, then went up by two touchdowns.

'It wasn't just one play,' Jefferson Coach Brian Webb said. 'We gave up some big plays on defense and we had a couple passes that were wide open down the seam for maybe big plays or touchdowns. We just couldn't execute those things well.

'We didn't play our best tonight and Washington played real well.'

The J-Hawks turned the ball over four times after that, and their best season in years came to an end.

Jefferson (7-4) posted its first winning season since 2001, and earned its first playoff win (last week against Dubuque Senior) since 1992.

But the run ended Monday.

'The kicking-game play took some wind out of their sails, as did when their quarterback (Jared Eivins) went down,' James said.

Vogel threw for 194 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another score.

He completed a modest 4 of 9 passes in the first half, but two of them went for touchdowns and one set up another as the Warriors took a 21-14 advantage into the locker room.

'It's all about keeping my head and not letting emotion get to me,' Vogel said. 'I know these guys have my back so I have to have theirs.

'I go out and do my best every play and do everything I can for this team because we're a family.'

Jefferson scored on an impressive first drive, marching 78 yards in eight plays, with Eivins hooking up with Brock Hunt for an 8-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead.

The Warriors' first drive appeared to be stalling, but then Vogel made his first big throw.

On fourth-and-14 at the Jefferson 32, Vogel connected with Isaiah Nimmers (despite good coverage) along the front right corner of the end zone to tie it.

That was the first of three straight scoring drives, and Vogel's arm played a role in all of them.

Vogel connected with Keion Wills for a 48-yard touchdown to put the Warriors ahead for good. Then he spotted Nimmers again for a 35-yarder to the Jefferson 1, and Johnny Dobbs capped the drive with a scoring plunge.

Jefferson crept within 21-14 when Eivins connected with Valentino Green with 3:05 left in the half, and that's how it stayed at intermission.

The J-Hawks knotted it at 21-all when Green broke two tackles, then got loose for a 59-yard TD run with 8:00 left in the third quarter, but the final 20 minutes of the game belonged to the Warriors.

Tavian Patrick ran for 124 yards for Washington, which owned a supremely balanced attack — 194 yards passing, 192 rushing for 386 total.

l Comments: (319) 368-8857; jeff.linder@thegazette.com