SLIDESHOW: Cedar Falls thumps shorthanded Jefferson squad

Cedar Rapids Jefferson's football team is fast becoming the Band of Black and Blue.

The injury-depleted J-Hawks showed plenty of heart, but were had by a couple of big plays and a relentless Cedar Falls rushing game last night at Kingston Stadium.  Cedar Falls won the Mississippi Valley Conference game, 22-3.

After losing its season opener to Cedar Rapids Washington, Cedar Falls has won its last two.

Jefferson (0-3) played without senior running back/quarterback Tyler Evans, who earlier in the week underwent surgery to repair a torn ACL in his right knee. He was the J-Hawks' leading passer and second-leading rusher through their first two games. Senior offensive/defensive lineman Zack Butler also missed the game because of injury.

“We're running out of bodies,” Jefferson Coach Jim Womochil said. “We're down to our third-string quarterback and our second-team running back, and we got two guys starting in the offensive line that if you told me that before the season I would have said you were nuts.

“But we had guys step in and give a tremendous effort.”

Jefferson trailed 15-3 after senior Jon Watson's 40-yard field goal with 3:37 left in the third quarter. The J-Hawks then recovered Watson's onsides kick and moved the ball to the Cedar Falls 26. But on second-and-8, senior quarterback Logan Ruffridge's pass was intercepted in the end zone by Cedar Falls senior Dylan Deery for a touchback.

“That was a big play,” Womochil said. “We had momentum, but that kind of broke our back.”

Cedar Falls senior quarterback Jake Farley marched the Tigers back 80 yards, plunging in from the 1 with 7:56 left to put the game away, 22-3.

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Sophomore running back Barkley Hill rushed for 247 yards and a touchdown, and also blocked a punt that caromed through the end zone for a safety, to lead the Tigers.  He went 36 yards the first time he touched the ball and had a scoring run of 80 yards in the first half, which ended with Cedar Falls holding a 12-0 lead.

“He's a very good back and a lot of those guys in the line blocked well for him,” Cedar Falls co-coach Pat Mitchell said.

The Cedar Falls defense limited Jefferson to 72 yards rushing, 55 of which came on a Tanner Unkel dash in the third quarter. The J-Hawks had only one yard rushing at halftime.

“From a defensive standpoint, we got turnovers and blocked a punt,” Cedar Falls co-coach Brad Remmert said. “Offensively, we moved the ball, but at critical times dropped some passes that kept us out of the end zone.”

-- Mike Koolbeck, news correspondent