C.R. Washington looks for stability in former coach's return

CEDAR RAPIDS -- A bright red whistle hung from Paul James' neck.It wouldn't be entirely accurate to say it spent the last seven years in storage."Last winter, I coached a couple Junior Warrior basketball teams, so it's not all that rusty," James said.James begins his second tour of duty with the Cedar Rapids Washington football program, hoping to stabilize and rebuild the program after an offseason filled with drama.Former coach Tony Lombardi resigned in April while in the midst of an investigation dealing with charges that he mistreated players. Lombardi and his family have since moved to West Des Moines.James fashioned a 58-48 record in his first go-round, an 11-year run that included a state runner-up finish in 2003."I think he's a great coach," said senior Jake Bjornsen. "Coach Lombardi was a great coach, too. They just have different styles."Said Reid Snitker: "It seems more simple, more old-fashioned. And that's OK."Washington was 3-6 last season, including 1-5 in the MVC Valley Division. The Warriors gave up more than 29 points per game. But defense might actually be the Warriors' strength, especially early.Three of the Warriors' top five tacklers are back. Bjornsen led the team last year with 80 tackles. Connor Vincent collected 57, Snitker 45.Snitker intercepted three passes; Bjornsen recovered three fumbles."Defensively, we should be pretty good," Snitker said. "I think we should have one of the better defenses in the (Mississippi Valley Conference)."As of last week, Snitker was battling for the starting quarterback job with fellow junior Anthony Rodriguez-Bleakley.James is one of seven new coaches on the staff of 14. He continues to serve as the school's athletics director."There have been more nights of little sleep than there have in the last few years," he said.Three-and-6 isn't a common occurence on the east side of Cedar Rapids, and the Warriors are bound to avoid duplication. The sophomore and freshman teams were excellent last year, and many of those faces figure to filter their way onto the varsity this fall."Our goal for now is to get better each practice," James said. "We want to let our effort, technique and attitude take over."The Warriors open Aug. 30 against Cedar Rapids Kennedy at Kingston Stadium. It's a handful of swing games that will determine the team's fate this season."I don't want to put a number on how many games we can win," James said. "I don't want to put a cap or a limitation on this team. We're going to go into every game to win it."

CEDAR RAPIDS WASHINGTON WARRIORS

Coach -- Paul James (12th year, 58-48)

Last year -- 3-6 overall, 1-5 MVC Valley Division

Key losses -- QB Mitch Blades, RB Mitch Bredeson, WR Jason Oney, OL Zac Gillis.

Key returners -- DB Jake Bjornsen, LB Connor Vincent, DB Reid Snitker.

Keys to making playoffs -- Shore up a defense that allowed more than 30 points on five occasions. Learn the new system quickly. Activate a strong junior class.

Game to watch -- Maybe it's cliche, but the opener against Cedar Rapids Kennedy is key.

Schedule

Aug. 30 -- at Cedar Rapids Kennedy

Sept. 6 -- Iowa City West

Sept. 13 -- at Cedar Falls

Sept. 20 -- Linn-Mar

Sept. 26 -- Waterloo West

Oct. 4 -- at Cedar Rapids Xavier

Oct. 11 -- Cedar Rapids Jefferson

Oct. 18 -- at Cedar Rapids Prairie

Oct. 25 -- Dubuque Wahlert

Roster --1 Gunnar Lenzen Jr. P/K2 Isaiah Nimmers Soph. WR/DB3 Reid Snitker Jr. QB/DB5 Landen Akers Jr. WR/DB6 Mason Taylor Jr. RB/DB7 Clayton Bjornsen Sr. WR/DB8 Anthony Rodriguez-Bleakley Jr. QB/DL9 Kyle Malcolm Sr. WR/DB10 Tyler Burkle Sr. WR/DB11 Samuel Rambo Jr. WR/DB15 Jacob Bjornsen Sr. WR/DB16 Maurice Arrington Jr. WR/DB17 Will Ernster Sr. WR/DB20 Victor Lopez Sr. P/K22 Noah Ulferts Jr. WR/DB26 Keelen Hale Jr. RB/LB32 Alex Ledvina Jr. RB/DB33 Jake Vial Sr. RB/LB34 Johnny Dobbs Soph. RB/LB40 Caleb Smothers Jr. FB/LB42 Sam Vincent Jr. FB/LB44 Connor Vincent Jr. FB/LB45 Colton Nelson Jr. RB/LB46 Arthur Garrett Jr. FB/DL48 Mike Eken Sr. FB/DL50 Zac LeGrand Sr. OL/DL51 Julian Good-Jones Jr. OL/DL52 Tyler Erb Jr. OL/DL54 Masen Akers Sr. OL/DL55 Sean Knox Sr. OL/DL56 D.J. Hotz Sr. OL/DL57 Noah Fox Sr. OL/DL62 Noah Williams Sr. OL/DL64 Wes Ennis Jr. OL/DL65 Sawyer Philipp Jr. OL/DL66 Austin Schuttloffel Sr. OL/DL70 Hunter Swartz Jr. OL/DL71 Javier Figuerora Diaz Jr. OL/DL72 Max Podgorski Jr. OL/DL74 Kaine Cooks Sr. OL/DL75 Michal Jonesi Jr. OL/DL78 Royal Silver Jr. OL/DL80 Lars Bjornsen Sr. TE/LB86 Daniel Rosenthal Jr. TE/LB88 Jason Ohlin Sr. TE/DL