Washington runs to the UNI-Dome

CEDAR RAPIDS – There was a belief on the Cedar Rapids Washington coaching staff before the season started that the offense would be multiple receivers, shotgun formation and wide open.

But a funny thing happened. Ground and pound began working and working great.

So that's what the Warriors stuck with, and they are running all the way to the UNI-Dome. Tavian Patrick rushed for 176 yards and a touchdown, and Johnny Dobbs added 122 and three scores as top-ranked Washington rolled past Iowa City West, 44-19, in a Class 4A playoff quarterfinal Friday night at Kingston.

Washington gets No. 2 Bettendorf in a battle of physical 12-0 teams next Friday in Cedar Falls. May the best rushing attack win.

'I've been surprised a little bit because at the start of the season, we were looking at maybe running some spread more, like we did last year,' said Washington Coach Paul James. 'But we did so well in our '21' set, our regular right and left, that we just stayed with it and got better and better.'

Washington imposed its will upon West (7-5), rushing a whopping 65 times for 386 yards. An offensive line that includes Iowa State recruit Julian Good-Jones continually blew holes open for Patrick, Dobbs and fullbacks Caleb Smothers and Connor Vincent.

Both juniors, Dobbs and Patrick are thunder and lightning at tailback, with Dobbs a bruising, punishing runner and Patrick the smaller, quick-footed type.

'Johnny can pound the ball, I can get outside and turn the corner,' Patrick said. 'I'm pretty much a speed back, elusive. I can get it down there, and he can pound it in, do the dirty work.'

'I just feel more comfortable than last year,' Dobbs said. 'Running behind this o-line just feels way better. You can see the holes better, the holes are way bigger. It's just easy to run through them.'

It's hard to believe Washington had lots of troubles running the football last season. James said he and assistant coach Charlie Faulkner both have spent lots of time working with the linemen.

Vincent and quarterback Reid Snitker also had rushing TDs, with Washington literally running to a 24-7 halftime lead.

'Our coaches are great,' Patrick said. 'They have us in the weight room all the time. They tell us it's not an 'I' thing, it's a 'We' thing. We do it for each other. We know if one of us slacks, everybody else is going to get on him, tell him 'Come on, do it for the team.''

'I don't know what it has been,' James said. 'Some of the kids are a year older. We've got, maybe, two different players in there from last season … We've got three tight ends we've been rotating in there. That's a key part, having three guys rotating that are affective blockers.'

Washington won the early regular-season meeting between the teams, 28-0, but this was a different game. West never could get a ground attack of its own going, held to 165 total yards.

Aaron Bleil hit Alex Henderson for a pair of passing touchdowns for the Trojans. Their other score came late on a fumble return.

'You never know what the season brings,' James said. 'It took awhile for us to move up the rankings. I think we started, like, eighth or ninth or whatever. We just preached to them that it's not a big deal. We moved up the ladder kind of matter of factly, accepted it.

'I think that's the furthest thing from their minds, is the ranking. It's just about the next opponent. Their mature in the way that they think about the season and the game.'

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