CR Jefferson makes playoffs despite loss

MARION - It wasn't the way they necessarily wanted to get it done, but when the clocks it 0:00 at the end of Friday night football, Cedar Rapids Jefferson found itself in the playoffs for the first time since 2008.

The J-Hawks (4-5, 2-3) fell to Linn-Mar, 42-21, and though the initial reaction to the loss is a bit of a bummer, the Jefferson players left Marion with a smile. Even if the goals from before the season weren't met, they got the biggest one.

And in the process, they let everyone know they'd go down swinging.

'We played these guys tough, and we're no longer the team that when people see us on the schedule, they chalk it up as a loss,” said Coach Brian Webb. 'Whether you're in with a loss or in with a win, it's been six years. Like I told them, we'll go play anybody, anywhere, whether it's Bettendorf, Pleasant Valley or (Cedar Rapids) Washington.

'We'll be ready to go.”

Through 13 minutes of football, it looked like the Jefferson wasn't going to need a tiebreaker to get in.

The J-Hawks tried some new offensive formations that exposed the Lions (8-1, 5-0) with the screen game. Quarterback Jesse Furrow had 144 yards through the air by halftime, and the game was tied at 14-14. Webb said he liked how the offense was working, and learned a lot for going forward.

But Linn-Mar Coach Bob Forsyth and his staff made some key adjustments, and the Lions cruised in the second half on both sides of the ball to a district title. Furrow finished 11 of 21 for 189 yards and 1 TD, and Jefferson only managed one score.

The Lions, on the other hand, saw a record-breaking performance out of Trevor Noble, who caught four touchdown passes from Ryan Schmidt to break a school record. Schmidt's four TD passes also tied the Linn-Mar record.

With at least a share of the district championship wrapped up already, Forsyth could've rested his starters to prevent injury for the playoffs. But the veteran coach laughed that off after the game, saying there was never a doubt they would play and play hard.

'Every time we take the field, we take the field to win, and every time we have a game, we're going to play our best and our best players to try to win,” Forsyth said. 'I don't think you can have any other attitude than that. We've worked too hard. You've got to play your best players.”

Going forward, with the quick turnaround, every coach in the state is at the mercy of the early-morning playoff pairing release to determine who they'll be playing on Wednesday.

Forsyth said he 'might have some wives after me,” as he's called a 4 a.m. coaches meeting already for preparation.

For Webb, it might not be that early, but the preparation will start early today. His team has had, in his mind, a successful season because of the playoff berth. More than anything, though, Webb is happiest with the respect his kids have earned this year.

And now everyone has identical records. There's a new season that starts Wednesday night.

'People respect us now,” Webb said. 'When you face us, you're going to have to strap it up, because we're not going to quit. We lacked some execution at times, but we're in the playoffs. We're excited.

'Everyone's record is 0-0. We've got opportunity in front of us again to compete and beat a team. Whether we're a four seed or a one seed doesn't matter to me. We're in and come tomorrow we're not going to be happy with just being in the playoffs.”

l Comments: (319) 368-8884; jeremiah.davis@thegazette.com