Balanced offense powers Warriors

CEDAR RAPIDS - This isn't the same Cedar Rapids Washington football team.

You remember the seemingly run at all cost attack, squeezing every yard out of all-state running back Alex Carr, right?

In their season opener, these Warriors showed a diverse offense and the ability to make big plays in the passing game. Washington rolled to a 51-26 victory over Cedar Rapids Prairie in a Mississippi Valley Conference contest at John Wall Field.

The Warriors' Braedon Tovey threw the ball 19 times, hitting Flynn Heald on nine of them.  Washington isn't a one-dimensional attack, throwing for 252 and rushing for 243 as a team.

"I thought we were able to dictate the tempo of the game, and that's really important" Washington Coach Tony Lombardi said. "I think that comes from having a balanced offensive attack."

The passing game made a quick impact. On the first drive, Heald caught three consecutive passes - 40, 5 and 33 yards - on the opening drive, giving the Warriors a 7-0 lead when he streaked up the left sideline and caught Tovey's pass, tip-toeing the sideline and sneaking the ball inside the pylon before falling out of bounds.

It was first the first of two big plays from Tovey to Heald. After Prairie cut the Washington lead to 11 in the third quarter, Tovey to Heald regained the momentum for the Warriors. Tovey threw a strike to Heald, who got behind the defenders on a post pattern and ran 68 yards for the score, crossing the goal line as he was dragged down from behind and giving Washington a 37-19 lead.

Heald, who also had an interception in the end zone to end the first half, finished with 238 yards on 9 catches, but Lombardi said his adjustment and double-cut on that second touchdown is an example of his strong knowledge of the game.

"This guy is what any coach at any level dreams about," Lombardi said. "This kid stays late and will find anybody he can to throw him the ball so he can work on his routes."

Tovey also was impressive, completing 11-of-19 passes. The senior quarterback takes over after last year's starter A.J. Puk who quit in the preseason to focus on baseball.

"He did a great job tonight. He threw the ball extremely well," Lombardi said. "Our receivers did a great job of getting their hands on the ball, catching it with nice runs after catch. I was pleased we were able to move the pocket, get him outside the pocket and he threw well inside the pocket."

Lombardi praised his offensive line, controlling the line of scrimmage and adjusting to the various defensive fronts thrown at them.

"A lot of people don't know the average GPA of that offensive line is about 3.7," said Lombardi, mentioning Storm Henry, Sean Bredl, Tyler Burrell, McCauley Todd and Zac Gillis. "They're sharp kids."

The teams traded safeties after that first score, but then Washington took control with two 1-yd Walter Short touchdown runs. Short's second touchdown gave the Warriors a 23-2 lead in the second quarter. Short, who  finished with 86 yards on 17 carries, capped short drives for the Warriors, which took advantage of great field position starting inside the Prairie 43 on both series. Four of Washington's scoring drives started at midfield or closer.

Prairie fought hard, and were within striking distance well into the third quarter.

The Hawks got on the board when Andrew Netolicky tackled Tovey in the end zone for a safety and reached their own end zone on a fantastic run by Demetrius Harper. The junior wideout busted a 74-yd TD run, bouncing left and turning the corner. When a Washington defender had an angle on him, he cut back to the middle of the field and was gone, receiving a nice block on a defender trying to chase down the play.

Prairie answered with 10 unanswered points in the third, pulling within 30-19 on a 32-yard TD pass from Jace Hanna to Harper and an Austin Reutzel 35-yard field goal. Harper finished with 167 total yards, including 104 rushing. Zach Witte gained 87 yards, including a 67-yard run.

Washington sealed the win late, adding a Bredl interception return for a touchdown and Mitch Bredeson's five-yard TD run in the fourth. Bredeson finished with 87 rush yards, and David Tann added 72 and a score for Washington.

The win put a damper on the special night for the Hawks, which started with a re-dedication of the field after being refurbished in the offseason. It was also the debut of head coach Mike Morrissey, who took over for long-time head coach Craig Jelinek, who retired after last season.

TEAM STATISTICS

CR Wash.

CR Prairie

First downs

23

14

Rushes-yards

47 - 243

31 - 213

Passing yards

252

144

Comp-Att-Int

11 - 19 - 1

8 - 22 - 3

Total yards

495

357

Fumbles-lost

1 - 0

2 - 1

Punts-average

1 - 35.0

3 - 37.5

Penalties-yards

6 - 48

9 - 51

Rushing:

 CR Wash. –

Mitch Bredeson 14-87 ,

Walter Short 17-86 ,

David Tann 8-72 ,

Braedon Tovey 1-16 ,

Jo Jo McBride 2-7 ,

Flynn Heald 2-0 ,

Team 3-0

 CR Prairie –

Demetrius Harper 6-104 ,

Zach Witte 11-87 ,

Jace Hanna 6-20 ,

Peyton Wagner 3-10 ,

Austin Reutzel 1-4 ,

Cameron Rathje 1-2 ,

Tristan Beyer 1-0 ,

Team 2-0

Passing:

 CR Wash. –

Tovey 11-19-1-252

 CR Prairie –

Hanna 6-20-3-101 ,

Wagner 2-2-0-43

Receiving:

 CR Wash. –

Heald 9-238 ,

Mitch Blades 1-8 ,

Jason Oney 1-6

 CR Prairie –

Harper 3-63 ,

Drake Brunscheen 2-50 ,

Team 1-17 ,

Witte 1-9 ,

Carson Goodale 1-5

CR Wash.

7

23

14

7

–

51

CR Prairie

2

7

10

7

–

26

CRW - Heald 33 pass from Tovey (Michael Daughtery kick)

CRP - Safety, Andrew Netolicky sack

CRW - Safety, Prairie penalty in end zone

CRW - Short 1 run (Daughtery kick)

CRW - Short 1 run (Daughtery kick)

CRP - Harper 74 run (Reutzel kick)

CRP - FG Reutzel 35

CRW - Heald 68 pass from Tovey (Daughtery kick)

CRW - Sean Bredl 40 interception return (Daughtery kick)

CRW - Bredeson 5 run (Daughtery kick)

CRP - Brunscheen 26 pass from Wagner (Reutzel kick)

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