Jefferson goes to 3-1 with 62-21 demolition of Davenport West

CEDAR RAPIDS - It was worth the wait, and then some.

Cedar Rapids Jefferson's homecoming game Friday night at Kingston Stadium, otherwise known as Soggyfest 2015, was delayed by a single bolt of lightning just as it was about to begin. The J-Hawks and Davenport West were lined up for the opening kickoff, in fact, with the referee ready to hand the ball to the West kicker.

Some 45 minutes later, Jeff's Manny Olutunde did finally field that opening kickoff and ran it back 92 yards for a touchdown. Three more lightning-like (pardon the pun) TDs in the first quarter, and the J-Hawks were on their way to a 62-21 win.

'The lightning delay kind of kills you,” said Jefferson quarterback Jared Eivins, who ran for two touchdowns and passed for another. 'But our coaches and players tried to stay positive in that situation ... Manny's kickoff return was a great momentum booster for us. We started slow last week against Davenport North, so it was a huge emphasis for us to get going early.”

There was nothing slow about this start. Eivins hit Jalyn Stafford for a 40-yard touchdown on Jeff's first play from scrimmage, and the rout was on.

Jefferson is 3-1 as it begins Class 4A district play next week against ranked rival Cedar Rapids Kennedy. It's a good football team with a lot of weapons on offense.

'It means a lot. It's been a long time since we've been 3-1,” said Jefferson Coach Brian Webb. 'We're going in the right direction. It's the first time we've won a homecoming game since 2008. But we've got two top-five ranked teams coming up back to back in Kennedy and Cedar Falls. So we've got to be healthy and ready to go.”

'Now the games start counting. We know that,” Eivins said. 'That's our biggest focus. It's nice going in 3-1. But, from now on, with seedings and playoffs on the line, we're 0-0.”

Seven different guys scored touchdowns for Jefferson. The J-Hawks ran for 297 yards, with five guys accounting for most of it.

Valentino Green had a 66-yard TD off a reverse and finished with 127 yards on just five carries. Tavian Rashed had 79 yards rushing on just eight attempts, scoring a touchdown.

This was electric stuff.

'It's always good to start strong with a score,” Webb said. 'That's the thing we have this year is a lot of playmakers. We try to get them the ball as much as possible because they just do things you can't teach. That's a good thing to have.”

This was the first loss of the season for West, probably the biggest surprise in the state, regardless of class, with three wins in as many weeks. The Falcons were 6-75 the previous nine years.

'Davenport West is so much improved over last year,” Webb said. 'I want their coach to be recognized for what he's doing.”

Quarterback Ray Milem ran for a TD and threw for one for West.

'That's a good team,” countered first-year West Coach Justin Peters. 'From what I've heard, they were in our situation three years ago. That's a team that we can look at and say ‘This is where we want to be down the road.' That was a very good, eye-opening experience for these boys, especially our young ones, that there is a future ahead of us.”

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