Big-time rushing attack lifts C.R. Washington past Western Dubuque, 35-21

CEDAR RAPIDS - You've waited all season for Cedar Rapids Washington to get a ground game going.

Well, it's going now. And at just the right time.

The fourth-ranked Warriors imposed their offensive will to the tune of 405 yards rushing to overcome Western Dubuque, 35-21, in a Class 4A playoff first-rounder Friday night at Kingston Stadium.

Washington (9-1) got a go-ahead 52-yard touchdown from fullback Ben Nassif with 5:32 left. That was his first carry of the game.

Connor Malcolm's 13-yard score a minute and a half later finally put WD away. It's Washington hosting Iowa City High (8-2) in a quarterfinal next Friday night at Kingston.

'I think our offensive line has just really come together,” said Washington guard Gerry Alt. 'We're playing with a chip on our shoulder. It's easy to block for a guy like Ian Thomas, because he's putting his head down and getting yards and going through people instead of trying to run around people. When you've got the whole team buying into our system, it really helps.”

Oh, yeah, Ian Thomas. He didn't get into the end zone but rushed 25 times for 260 yards.

Not bad for a guy who only got into the backfield three weeks ago and only because of injuries to others. A human bowling ball with the way he runs at times, he had 234 yards and four TDs last week in the do-or-die regular-season finale against Waterloo West.

Now this. It has been a sudden reversal of fortune on the ground for Washington, which has struggled most of the season to rush the football, despite a highly touted offensive line.

'I missed a lot of summer (work) for basketball,” said Thomas, who has battled a nagging shoulder injury that took him out of the game briefly in the second quarter. 'That's something I shouldn't have done, that I regret. So I was last in the rotation ... After we lost to Cedar Falls, we just gave me a shot. I took it and ran with it.”

Washington was able to overcome 10 penalties, including two that negated touchdowns and a couple that kept Western Dubuque drives going. It also was able to overcome the brilliant play of Bobcats quarterback Dylan Gotto, who threw for 238 yards and three touchdowns.

The lefty completed 18 of 31 throws, his quick feet able to get him out of several pass rushes.

'Dylan is the best quarterback I've ever coached,” said WD Coach Justin Penner. 'Just look at the poise he showed tonight. He threw the ball, he ran the ball. He was Superman for us in many ways.”

Bryan Kunde's 1-yard QB sneak gave Washington a 7-0 lead in the second quarter, but Western Dubuque stuffed a 4th-and-1 Wash run deep in its own territory a short time later and went on a drive finished off on a 25-yard TD pass from Gotto to Drake George.

Thomas ran up the middle for 54 yards on the first play of the second half, setting up another Kunde 1-yard sneak. But WD came right back, Gotto hitting Kyle Cleary on a 10-yard touchdown slant pass.

Another big Thomas run (this one 41 yards) on the ensuing possession set up a Malcolm 16-yard touchdown to give Wash the lead right back, 21-14. A questionable fourth-down pass interference call on Washington's O'Rien Vance kept the ensuing WD drive alive, with Gotto connecting with tight end Fred Silker for an 11-yard touchdown on the next play that tied it at 21-21 with 10:44 remaining.

What turned out to be Wash's winning drive began on its own 5. The Warriors moved the football to their own 48, then Nassif busted loose on a trap play.

'The guard just pulls and kicks out the D-end,” Nassif said. 'I just follow right behind him. I saw green grass right in front of me, and I kept running.”

Western Dubuque went three-and-out on the next possession, with Washington's Drew Dostal returning a punt 37 yards to the Bobcats 16. A holding penalty negated a Thomas TD on the next play, but Malcolm ran it in on the play after that.

'Not totally sure,” Washington Coach Paul James said, when asked what has changed to allow Washington to run so effectively the last two weeks. 'A couple of weeks ago, during the week, we had our backs working with our linemen in preparation for blocking assignments and stuff. That seemed to maybe give us some assistance on understanding who is blocking who. It seems like we're getting body on body now. We don't have linemen looking around for somebody to block. We have bodies on bodies.”

'In the beginning, I think it was kind of hard for our line,” Thomas said. 'They felt like they were doing good, but we weren't getting that many yards. Now we're getting yards and everything is going well. Our offense is starting to pick up. Like I said early in the year, once we get going ... Our defense had an off night tonight, but it is what it is. Our line is getting a lot better every day.”

l Comments: (319) 398-8259; jeff.johnson@thegazette.com