The Program: Relive Cedar Rapids Jefferson's season

CEDAR RAPIDS — The puzzle pieces are out of the box and it is up to the Cedar Rapids Jefferson football players to assemble them.

The hope is for the arrangement to produce a playoff picture, including the first postseason win since 1992 and first winning record since 2000.

'I think the potential is there to get those three things,' Third-year head coach Brian Webb said. 'All those things are within our grasp.

Jefferson aiming high behind new quarterback

The first thing Cedar Rapids Jefferson football coach Brian Webb did when he found out was call his dad.

He'd just heard Jesse Furrow and his family were moving from Indiana to Cedar Rapids, and the senior brought with him an impressive stat line. Furrow threw for 2,147 yards and 20 touchdowns last season at Pendleton Heights High School and is a veteran of off-season quarterback camps galore.

Webb wanted to wait and see before getting too excited. But once Furrow was on campus last winter, it was clear almost immediately what the J-Hawks had.

'We're sure happy he's here — just the luck of the draw,' Webb said. 'Sometimes I think maybe it was for a reason.'

Washington outlasts Jefferson

The J-Hawks fought until the end. Jefferson Coach Brian Webb said he thought his team squandered some opportunities and made mistakes (10 penalties for 75 yards) that could have closed the gap or even won the game. He couldn't fault their effort.

'We are so far ahead of where we are and where we've been,' Webb said. 'You can see that tonight. They came out and popped us in the mouth. They responded and never gave up.'

Rashed runs with rushing role

Cedar Rapids Jefferson's Tavian Rashed possesses exceptional skills as a running back.

His 5-foot-7, 160-pound frame can cover 40 yards in 4.66 seconds and he has strong instincts to find running lanes. Rashed's start, however, was as a lineman for his Metro Youth Football Association team before switching to the backfield at Roosevelt Middle School.

'It made me stronger,' Rashed said. 'I understand how the line moves. It probably helps with my patience.'

Prairie tops Jefferson, 17-14

Jefferson Coach Brian Webb was direct with his frustration about the J-Hawks letting the opportunity for victory slip past them due to costly mistakes, including 10 penalties for 80 yards.

'There's nothing to sugarcoat,' Webb said. 'We had too many penalties. We couldn't block.

'We had spurts and moments when we were good,' Webb added.

Building a culture at Jefferson

Every high school football program in the country wants to build a culture of winning.

That's obvious. Why compete at all if that's not the case, right?

The Cedar Rapids Jefferson football team hasn't had that culture in a while, and more recently it's come down to belief. Too often the players haven't believed it was possible to win.

But this year — at least so far — that's changing. Even after a rivalry loss to Cedar Rapids Washington, the belief is there, and it's starting to show.

'I think this is the first summer where we had a big group of kids in, working hard, every day trying to get better as a team,' said senior lineman Kelly May. 'I've been on varsity since my sophomore year, and in practice, the excitement levels — it's as if people want to be here. That's when we start to get better, when people want to be here and want to do the things it takes to get better.'

Dominant win just what the doctor ordered

A doctor could not have prescribed anything better for Cedar Rapids Jefferson.

The J-Hawks vital signs received a boost with the matchup and result they needed.

Cedar Rapids Jefferson throttled Davenport North, 42-7, claiming its first win of the season, in a non-district prep football game Friday night at Brady Street Stadium. The victory matches the H-Hawks' win total each of the last two seasons.

'It was what we needed,' Jefferson Coach Brian Webb said. 'There are things we have to work on, especially in the second half we have to get better on. Great total team effort. Everybody got a lot of playing time. Everybody got a piece of the victory.'

Kuehl a key component for Jefferson

J-Hawk senior Dalton Kuehl was expected to help lead the charge from upfront on the line. Unfortunately, Jefferson found itself trying to earn its first victory without him and he was stuck with the uneasy feeling of being on the sideline last week.

'It's frustrating not being able to contribute,' Kuehl said. 'To an extent you feel like it's your fault. You could have contributed to a win.'

Video: Jefferson at Davenport North

DAVENPORT -- Go behind the scenes with the Jefferson football team -- from the bus ride, to the pregame meetings, to the sideline on Fiday night -- as the J-Hawks travel to take on Davenport North and pick up their first win of the season.

Convincing back-to-back wins for Jefferson

Six years is a long time.

Cedar Rapids Jefferson head football coach Brian Webb knows that. His J-Hawk players know that. They know just how long it's been since the Jefferson football team has won multiple games in a season, and Thursday night at Brady Street Stadium, they wiped that number away in convincing fashion.

'They're tired of losing, and that's the bottom line,' Webb said after his J-Hawks demolished the Davenport West Falcons, 62-0. 'That's what I tried to do when I came here. Every once in a while you get sick and tired of being sick and tired. Losing is not fun. It's just a mind-set, it's a mentality and accountability piece. We have kids that are buying into what we're doing every single day.'

J-Hawks not satisfied with lone victory

Kelly May might have said it better than anyone.

'Granted, it feels good,' May said after Cedar Rapids Jefferson's 42-7 win over Davenport North last Friday, 'but I think I speak for everyone when I say none of us are satisfied.'

J-Hawks beat Kennedy in overtime

Cedar Rapids Jefferson, a team starving for victories, decided it wanted to try for the taste of victory instead of snacking on extra time.

'We weren't going for a tie,' Coach Brian Webb said. 'Absolutely not. We just had to go with it.'

Quarterback Jesse Furrow rolled to his left and hit Valentino Green on fourth down for the game-winning touchdown, giving the J-Hawks a 27-24 overtime victory over Cedar Rapids Kennedy last night at Kingston Stadium.

Video: Former coach Bob Ask praises J-Hawks in post-game celebration

Former Jefferson Coach Bob Ask addressed the J-Hawks after the win, bridging the gap from their successful history to the team trying to regain respectability.

'I couldn't be more proud,' Ask told the team. 'It's one of the greatest victories we've ever had, but it's hard on an old man's heart but I'll take it.'

Video: Behind the scenes as Jefferson beats Kennedy

CEDAR RAPIDS -- Go behind the scenes with the Cedar Rapids Jefferson as the J-Hawks beat Cedar Rapids Kennedy in an overtime thriller. Gazette photographer Stephen Mally shows you coach Brian Webb's pre-game speech in the locker room, and the team's celebration after a game-winning touchdown in overtime.

J-Hawks out to prove they're for real

It's no secret the last two weeks have meant a lot to the Cedar Rapids Jefferson football team.

To not acknowledge that would be a lie considering recent history. But two wins — by a combined 104-7 against Davenport North and West — against teams not on their competitive level does not predict success for the rest of the season.

And especially after losses to metro teams in Cedar Rapids Washington and Prairie, the J-Hawks haven't proved a thing to anyone yet.

'No, and I've told them that. Like I told the guys, until we beat a metro school or an Iowa City school, nobody is really going to look up to us as being any different than we've been,' said Coach Brian Webb. 'We've yet to prove ourselves in a close game, that we can finish those. So, yeah, without a doubt I would like to see that at some point, in a tight game, we can close out the deal. In my three years, we have yet to do that.

Replay: Live chat with Jefferson coach Brian Webb

Tigers too much for J-Hawks

Cedar Rapids Jefferson Coach Brian Webb knows the Cedar Falls football program well.

He played for the Tigers and their current head coach, Brad Remmert, was on that staff. He aspires to raise the J-Hawks to the stature of the perennial power.

The desired destination still is a long way away. Ninth-ranked Cedar Falls was too much for Cedar Rapids Jefferson, posting a 35-17 victory in a Class 4A District 5 game Thursday night at the UNI-Dome.

'We have nothing to walk away ashamed of,' Webb said. 'That is a good team and that is going to make us better, playing teams like this. Kids have to understand this.

Jefferson 'couldn't execute' in loss to Waterloo West

First and goal from the five yard-line, Cedar Rapids Jefferson had the game-winning score in its sights.

Instead, the J-Hawks saw play-fake between quarterback Jesse Furrow and running back Tavian Rashed bounce to the ground, recovered by visiting Waterloo West, and their hopes for a comeback win dashed.

'I don't know if there's a word in the dictionary for that,' said Coach Brian Webb after Jefferson's 23-17 loss to West. 'It's really tough. I don't know, I'm kind of speechless.

Jefferson hopes for happy homecoming

The resurgence of Cedar Rapids Jefferson's football program has added to the excitement surrounding the fall ritual. The J-Hawks will attempt to deliver a Homecoming victory for the first time since 2008, hosting Waterloo West on Friday night at Kingston Stadium.

'I say this week the school has been more pumped up and ready for this week,' Jefferson senior Dakota Tomkins said. 'There have been a lot more kids talking about coming to the games. They really want to see us do well.'

Jefferson keeps playoff hopes alive with win

Cedar Rapids Jefferson is grasping at its first playoff berth in six years.

After a late handoff fell to the turf last week, the J-Hawks no longer held their postseason fate in their own hands.

Jefferson did put themselves in position for one of the playoff spots in Class 4A District 5 last night with a 35-0 victory over Waterloo East at Kingston Stadium. The J-Hawks racked up more than 200 yards rushing, including more than 100 yards from both Tavian Rashed and Bryce Lund, who combined for four first-half touchdowns.

A costly loss to Waterloo West last week put the J-Hawks in desperate need to close with two wins.

'This was the first round of playoffs for us,' Jefferson Coach Brian Webb said. 'Next week is the second round.'

Coach Webb finds better perspective from the box

On most Friday nights at a given high school football game, you'll see a man on either sideline barking out plays and commanding the sideline huddle.

Typically, it's the head coach. He's in control, running things from the field. But if you're looking for Cedar Rapids Jefferson head coach Brian Webb on the sideline at Kingston Stadium, you won't find him. He'll be in his usual post in the second floor of the press box.

That may seem a bit unorthodox, but for Webb, it's all a matter of perspective.

'I decided it's what I want to do. It lets me process information more quickly,' Webb said. 'I get better perspective and viewing angle from the box when I call offensive plays since I'm also the offensive coordinator. When I'm at field level, I'm only 5-(foot)-8 and a half, so it's hard to see different techniques.'

J-Hawks make the postseason despite loss to Linn-Mar

It wasn't the way they necessarily wanted to get it done, but when the clocks it 0:00 at the end of Friday night football, Cedar Rapids Jefferson found itself in the playoffs for the first time since 2008.

The J-Hawks (4-5, 2-3) fell to Linn-Mar, 42-21, and though the initial reaction to the loss is a bit of a bummer, the Jefferson players left Marion with a smile. Even if the goals from before the season weren't met, they got the biggest one.

And in the process, they let everyone know they'd go down swinging.

'We played these guys tough, and we're no longer the team that when people see us on the schedule, they chalk it up as a loss,' said Coach Brian Webb. 'Whether you're in with a loss or in with a win, it's been six years. Like I told them, we'll go play anybody, anywhere, whether it's Bettendorf, Pleasant Valley or (Cedar Rapids) Washington.

Furnish contributes to Jefferson success

Mason Furnish doesn't have the best statistics or garner the most attention from the average prep football fan.

The Cedar Rapids Jefferson senior makes an impact that extends beyond the postgame box score. Furnish has been a key asset to the J-Hawks' success, showing up with his helmet and lunch pail each game and practice.

'He is one of the most consistent kids we have,' Jefferson Coach Brian Webb said. 'When Mason Furnish is on the field and in the game, you know what you're going to get. You're going to get an effort all the time.'

Video: A day in the life of Dakota Tomkins

In the latest video for The Program, our season-long behind the scenes look at Jefferson football, Gazette photographer Stephen Mally follows J-Hawk senior safety Dakota Tomkins through a typical gameday. We go into the classroom and the cafeteria to see what it's like to be a J-Hawk football player with a big game looming that night.