No. 1 Warriors surge into 4A finals
CEDAR FALLS - Paul James figured his glory days as a football coach were over when he stepped down as Washington's head man after the 2005 season to become the school's athletic director.
Unlike Ponce de Leon, James has discovered the fountain of youth.
The top-ranked Washington Warriors, blessed with great athletes making great players, rallied for a 28-17 victory over second-ranked Bettendorf in the semifinals of the Class 4A playoffs in the UNI-Dome Friday night.
James led Washington to the championship game in 2003 but never dreamed he'd return with headsets and a clipboard with a chance to win the ultimate prize in coaching again.
"That's what I just said to my family," said James, who returned to coaching last year. "I said, 'Would you have thought a year-and-a-half ago in May that we'd be where we are now?'
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