Washington outlasts Jefferson, 43-26

CEDAR RAPIDS - Cedar Rapids Washington Coach Paul James did not expect perfection in the opening week.

He couldn't have expected a late start, a weather delay, muggy weather that led to widespread cramping among players and finishing about 20 minutes before midnight either. The Warriors survived all of it and a crosstown rival with something to prove.

'A lot of them have experience and have been through a lot of wars with all we went through last year,” James said. 'I think that's the nature of these kids. When they get their back up against the wall, they step forward and find a way to get things done.”

Fifth-ranked Washington used big plays for an early lead and to pull away for a 43-26 season-opening win over Cedar Rapids Jefferson on Friday night at Kingston Stadium. The game included a late start and a 30-minute delay in the second quarter due to weather.

The Warriors won their seventh straight regular-season game, closing last season strong after a slow start. They are ahead of last year's playoff squad.

'It's better than last year, going 0-3,” said Washington wide receiver Isaiah Nimmers, who burned the J-Hawks for 109 receiving yards and two touchdowns. 'To get this first win is good.”

Washington's big-play potential produced a lot of points. The Warriors had four scoring plays of 44 yards or longer. Nimmers was at the heart of two, reeling in a 61-yard bomb from Reid Snitker on the third play of the game, putting Washington up 6-0.

Nimmers' second was more impressive. He caught a bubble screen from T.J. Vogel on the far sideline. Jefferson appeared to have it stuffed when Nimmers reversed direction to the near side of the field, bolting for a score to make it 36-20 in the final minutes of the third.

'I was just trying to get the first down,” Nimmers said. 'I got over to the other side and saw there was open field. I just turned on the jets and hoped I scored.

'I had a couple blocks. The whole team did a good job.”

The Warriors apparently have options at quarterback with Snitker and Vogel. Snitker threw for 94 yards, while Vogel added 83 passing yards. Snitker sustain a slight ankle injury, according to James, and played a lot of defense. He came in to finish a late drive under center. Vogel is expected to spell Snitker at times.

‘We wanted to get him some minutes,” James said of Vogel. 'Maybe a little bit more than we expected.”

The offense wasn't the only group to light up the scoreboard. A safety gave Washington an 8-0 edge and then special teams, thanks to returner Landen Akers, followed suit. Akers fielded the ensuing free kick, ran to the near sidelined and turned the corner, running 70 yards for a touchdown. He broke through the coverage, shedding a tackle and out-ran defenders to the end zone.

'We just have some good skilled athletes that can run and know how to play football,” James said. 'A lot of our guys who have good speed came through.”

Washington held a 15-0 lead at the break when the teams erupted for 41 total points in the third quarter.

Jefferson turned a one-sided contest into a competitive contest, scoring 13 straight points on touchdown runs from running back Tavian Rashed and Jesse Furrow.

The two teams exchanged big plays. Washington's Tavian Patrick broke a 70-yard touchdown run that was answered by a 98-yard kickoff return by Jefferson's Manny Olutunde. Johnny Dobbs helped Washington pull away for his first of two second-half touchdown runs, helping the Warriors to a 16-point lead going into the fourth.

The frantic paced and the elements caused fits for the Warriors, who had physical issues for Washington. The Warriors battled through it.

'We had some guys going down with cramps, some fatigue,” James said. 'We were having to shuttle kids in there. We had some injuries. We were really scrambling at times.”

One of them was Patrick, who led Washington with 135 rushing yards. He added a 48-yard run to set up a touchdown, going along with his long score.

'He'd been on his knees on the sidelines,” James said. 'He came in and ran one of those long ones.”

The J-Hawks fought until the end. Jefferson Coach Brian Webb said he thought his team squandered some opportunities and made mistakes (10 penalties for 75 yards) that could have closed the gap or even won the game. He couldn't fault their effort.

'We are so far ahead of where we are and where we've been,” Webb said. 'You can see that tonight. They came out and popped us in the mouth. They responded and never gave up.”

Furrow, a transfer from Indiana, has garnered a lot of attention. He impressed, passing for 182 yards and rushing for 60. The numbers could have been better had it not been for some untimely drops.

'He's a phenomenal quarterback,” Webb said. 'If you take away all the drops, you wonder what his stats would have ended up.”

Jefferson is looking to improve on two straight one-win seasons under Webb. The J-Hawks own confidence this will be the turnaround season, leaving Webb anxious to get back to work for next week's game.

'We've got a good football team,” Webb said. 'I'm excited for what the season has in store, because offensively I think we can score a lot of points. I think we can do a lot of great things. We just have to clean up things.”

l Comments: (319) 368-8679; kj.pilcher@thegazette.com