Cedar Rapids Washington bounces back, blanks Linn-Mar, 38-0

CEDAR RAPIDS — The coaches have changed, yes, but the recent trend of this rivalry remains the same.

Haven Henningsen rushed for 193 yards and scored three lengthy touchdowns, and Cedar Rapids Washington's defense ruled in a 38-0 rout of Linn-Mar in a Class 4A non-district football game Thursday night at Kingston Stadium.

'Last week, that's not who we are,' Henningsen said, referring to the Warriors' 56-0 Week 3 loss to Bettendorf. 'We played for each other tonight, and when we do that, we have a lot of potential.'

The Warriors held Linn-Mar to 79 yards of total offense and four first downs, and evened their record at 2-2 heading into district play.

'We stressed getting into the right alignment defensively, and the kids just executed,' Washington Coach Maurice Blue said. 'We can run to the ball, that's for sure. I'd like to see us overrunning it a little less.'

Blue succeeded Paul James as the Warriors' head coach after James was hired at Linn-Mar last spring after 40-plus years at Washington, including 15 as the head football coach.

Awkward?

'Not at all,' James said. 'A lot of people made a big deal of it, but for me, I'm just trying to get these guys a win, and get us moving in the right direction.

It was clear immediately that the wait will continue for at least another week.

The Warriors scored on their first drive, with Henningsen scooting loose for a 59-yard run. The TD came one play after Bryan Kunde netted 12 yards on fourth-and-1 at the Washington 29.

Henningsen had 151 rushing yards in the first quarter. His second touchdown was a 47-yarder at the 5:28 mark of the period.

With 22 seconds left in the half, the Warriors applied the knockout blow. Kunde hit Henningsen on a pass to the right side on third-and-22, and the latter broke two tackles and turned it into a 32-yard score to make it 21-0 at halftime.

'I saw an opening and did what I could,' Henningsen said. 'I ran it up and got the touchdown.'

Clad in black uniforms with red numerals, the Warriors beat the Lions for the fifth straight year. Each of the last four have been continuous-clock games.

Washington's Ty Johnson, who moved from cornerback to outside linebacker this year, confirmed that a summer 7-on-7 game between the teams 'was heated,' but Thursday was all business.

'I thought there would be more bickering and fighting, but they were respectful and we were respectful,' Johnson said.

And the Warriors were quite a bit better.

Seth Semrau added a pair of second-half touchdowns for the Warriors.

Both teams begin district play next week. Washington is back at Kingston for an encounter with Cedar Rapids Jefferson; Linn-Mar (0-4) will be favored to notch its first win when it hosts Ottumwa.

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