C.R. Washington knows it must focus on Iowa City West's Oliver Martin

CEDAR RAPIDS — So the story goes.

Oliver Martin seriously considered attending Cedar Rapids Washington as a freshman. He was part of a highly successful youth traveling football team headed up by then-Washington Coach Tony Lombardi.

Lombardi's son, Rocky, was the quarterback. He's headed to Michigan State next year.

Record-setting Cedar Rapids Xavier running back Maliki Wilson was part of that team, too. Then there was Martin, whose parents were going to move to Cedar Rapids and everything.

But alas, this all-star team, if you will, never materialized. Tony Lombardi stepped down as Washington coach under controversy and moved to West Des Moines, where Rocky played QB for West Des Moines Valley for three years.

Wilson began his sophomore year at Washington but transferred to Xavier. Martin stayed put in Iowa City and is in his fourth year as a varsity player for Iowa City West.

He is considered one of the top prep wide receivers in the country and is sorting through a who's who list of big-time college offers. Irony of ironies, West (9-2) plays Washington (10-1) in a Class 4A semifinal playoff game Friday night at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls (7:06 kickoff).

'They've got dudes,' said Washington defensive coordinator Maurice Blue. 'They've got Devontate Lane sitting back there at tailback. Once he gets going, he's going, so we've got to do our best to keep him corralled. Then you've got Oliver Martin. It's funny because you've got him, Maliki Wilson, all those guys were on that travel team, so I've known those guys since they were in sixth grade. Oliver was a dude when he was in sixth grade. He's a good player, but he's a very good kid, too. He's as good a kid as he is a player.'

Martin is second in the state with 75 receptions and third in receiving yardage with 1,128. He is that rare player who can make a game-breaking play despite not being a running back or quarterback.

'He's got everything, really,' said Washington safety-wide receiver Drew Dostal. 'He's fast, he's big, he's strong, he's quick off the ball, and he can catch the ball.'

'We've got to control him,' Blue said. 'He's going to get what he's going to get. You can't take away what he's going to get. We've just got to make sure that when he catches it, he's not getting a lot of yards after the catch. That we're not letting him get off the line of scrimmage for free. Stuff like that.'

This West team has become about more than just Martin, however. Quarterback Evan Flitz threw five touchdown passes in a quarterfinal upset of Cedar Rapids Prairie last week, including to four different receivers.

The Trojans spread you out and try to get the ball to Martin, speedy Traevis Buchanan, slot guy Austin West and slot/tight end Dillon Doyle. Lane has moved from receiver to running back and is a very tough runner.

'Obviously, they have a lot of weapons on the outside,' Dostal said. 'We're just doing what we usually do, maybe a little help toward Oliver. Nothing too special.'

Washington beat West last regular season, 42-13, and limited Martin to three catches for 38 yards. But the Warriors had an outstanding cover cornerback in Isaiah Nimmers, who is now at Northern Iowa.

West has won six games in a row, after a two-game losing streak midseason. Washington has won five straight since its only loss to Cedar Falls, 27-21, Sept. 30.

'It's a hard game to prepare for, but ever since our loss to Cedar Falls, we've been pretty good in practice about getting focused and knowing what's coming up,' said Washington safety-running back Connor Malcolm. 'It was kind of a wake-up call. It's been do or die since then. You win, or you're done playing.'

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