Sat - 20 Oct
Written by Michael Schmidt
DUBUQUE – While this hasn’t been a banner year for Cedar Rapids Washington football, Mitch Blades and his Warrior teammates certainly put a nice bow on the season Friday.
Blades threw for two touchdowns and ran for another as Washington whipped Dubuque Wahlert, 38-0, in the season finale at the Rock Bowl.
The Warriors (3-6, 1-5) put up 21 points in the second quarter to stake themselves to a 28-0 halftime lead. Wahlert (1-8, 0-6) never mounted anything, gaining just 60 yards of total offense and four first downs in the game.
It was a nice cap to a week full of distractions for Washington. Head coach Tony Lombardi was suspended for the final game due to a post-game incident last week with a Prairie player.
Lombardi did not make the trip to Dubuque, but Blades said Lombardi was very involved in the game plan in the days leading up to the contest.
“(Lombardi) was with us all week, getting us ready to go,” Blades said. “He would have liked this effort.”
Washington scored on all but two of its possessions. The only futile drives came after a Blades interception on the first possession of the game and its final possession of the game.
In between, the Warriors ran on all cylinders. Blades got the scoring started with 5:33 left in the first quarter, hitting receiver Jason Oney on a 4-yard fade route for the touchdown.
A 12-play march on Washington’s ensuing drive led to a pretty, 36-yard touchdown pass from Blades to Oney. Oney beat the Wahlert defender on a fly pattern down the right sideline.
The Warriors hit the ground for the final two scoring drives of the first half. Robert Miley scored on an 8-yard touchdown run and Blades capped the first-half scoring with a 1-yard plunge with 25 seconds remaining.
Washington interim coach Mo Blue credited the other members of the staff.
“I was a little nervous during the week, but we knew what we had to do,” Blue said. “Once the game got going, it was business as usual. (Offensive coordinator) Frank (Scherrman) called a whale of a game.
“The kids did a great job of focusing on what we wanted them to do, offensively and defensively.”
Mitch Bredeson ran for a 7-yard touchdown to stake Washington to a 35-0 lead and a continuous clock with 6:23 left in the third quarter. Riyad Ajram added a 27-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to complete the scoring.
Blades was the catalyst for Washington, completing 9-of-18 passes for 101 yards. He also carried the ball 12 times for 102 yards.
Oney was Washington’s leading receiver, hauling in six catches for 71 yards. The Warriors did not punt.
“We had a good game plan, and the offensive line did a great job,” Blades said. “It was better to go out with a win. I didn’t want to see people cry at the end of the season.
“Most of the season was a disappointment, but it was a good way to go out.”
WASHINGTON 38, WAHLERT 0
CRW DW
First downs 17 4
Rushing 47-263 21-48
Passing 9-19-1 2-13-2
Passing yards 101 12
Punts 0-0 5-30.0
Fumbles/Lost 0-0 0-0
Penalties 5-50 3-30
SCORING PLAYS
W – Jason Oney 4 pass from Mitch Blades (Riyad Ajram kick)
W – Oney 36 pass from Blades (Ajram kick)
W – Robert Miley 8 run (Ajram kick)
W – Blades 1 run (Ajram kick)
W – FG Ajram 27
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING
WASHINGTON: Bredeson 20-87, Blades 12-102, Miley 6-46, Williams 5-14, Snetzler 2-4, Vial 1-9.
WAHLERT: Allendorf 12-31, Broderick 2-minus 1, Nauman 4-4, Dietzel 2-7, Nemmers 1-7.
PASSING
WASHINGTON: Blades 9-18-1, 101 yards; Oney 0-1-0, 0 yards.
WAHLERT: Broderick 2-11-2, 12 yards; Dietzel 0-2-0, 0 yards.
RECEIVING
WASHINGTON: Oney 6-71, Dostal 2-13, Miley 1-17.
WAHLERT: Allendorf 1-9, Dietzel 1-3.
