Linn-Mar had Washington on the ropes of their Class 4A football playoff game Monday night at Linn-Mar Stadium.

Mark Atwater's 1-yard sneak with 5:55 to play capped a 71-yard drive that gave the Lions a 26-14 lead. The Lions failed in their two-point PAT attempt, but it seemed like an afterthought.

After all, Washington was unraveling. The Warriors had committed two unsportsmanlike conduct fouls on top of pass interference and personal foul penalties for 46 yards that put the ball at the Washington 2.

It seemed a certainty that Linn-Mar was going to advance to the quarterfinals.

Washington didn't get the message.

The Warriors scored two touchdowns in the final 4:46, the last on a 3-yard pass from Braedon Tovey to Flynn Heald with 9 seconds left, and upset second-ranked Linn-Mar, 28-26.

The loss ended Linn-Mar's unbeaten streak. The Lions finished the season 10-1.

It was the end of a dream season for Linn-Mar. The Lions won the Mississippi Valley Conference Mississippi Division and Atwater ran for more than 800 yards and 12 touchdowns, and passed for more than 1,700 yards and 25 touchdowns. Andy Henry caught an MVC record 18 touchdown passes.

"It's indescribable to me," Atwater said, when asked if he could summarize what the season meant to him. "It didn't shake out our way, but I wouldn't trade this team for anything. They're a great group of guys and this ride was amazing for me. I wouldn't have it any other way."

Washington (8-3) advances to play Cedar Falls (10-1) in Friday's quarterfinal round at Kingston Stadium. Cedar Falls beat Iowa City High, 21-7, Monday night.

It was a stunned group of Lions that sat in the Linn-Mar locker room after the game. Linn-Mar had whipped Washington, 56-7, on Oct. 7.

"Not a bit," Atwater said, when asked if he thought the previous encounter with the Warriors affected the Lions Monday. "We knew they were going to be a better team.

"They played well tonight. We caught them on a bad night, or something. We just didn't execute (and) they played very well. We turned over the ball too much to win tonight."

The Lions had three turnovers. One led to a Washington touchdown, and the other two prevented possible Linn-Mar scores.

Atwater, who threw only four interceptions in the previous 10 games, was intercepted twice. The first, by Washington's Ryan Cain in the Warrior end zone, was negated by Michael Redmond's 34-yard punt return that gave the Lions the ball back at the Washington 27. On the first play, Atwater swept around left end for the touchdown and a 7-0 lead with 5:15 left to play in the first quarter.

The second interception, off a deflection that ended up in the hands of Washington's David Tann, who returned it 26 yards to the Linn-Mar 34, set up Washington's first touchdown that tied the game, 7-7, early in the second quarter.

A 17-yard touchdown pass from Atwater to Redmond put Linn-Mar ahead 17-14 late in the first half.

Moments later the Lions appeared to get a huge break when Zach Martins intercepted a pass and returned it deep into Washington territory. But at the end of Martins' run, the ball was popped loose and the Warriors' Stohrm Henry recovered at the Washington 16 with 35 seconds left in the half.

Quinn Treiber's 24-yard field goal with 1:06 left in the third quarter boosted Linn-Mar's lead to 20-14.

The Lions then marched 71 yards to go ahead 26-14.

Washington zipped back 53 yards on six plays. Tovey's 20-yard touchdown pass to Mitch Blades pulled the Warriors within 26-21 with 4:46 remaining.

And the Lions were losing their grasp.

"They drove quick on us and we made mistakes," Atwater said. "They picked apart some of our zones. They threw the ball well, dinked and dunked us underneath and methodically drove down and scored quick."

Linn-Mar put its "hands" team out in anticipation of an onsides kick and Washington's Michael Daughtery drove the ball into the end zone for a touchback.

Linn-Mar had a chance to salt the game away. The Lions picked up a first down at their own 31, converting on a fourth-and-a foot. But a holding penalty pushed the ball back to the 25. Atwater connected with Andy Henry for four yards and ran an option keeper for three more when Washington called a timeout with 2:19 to play. Atwater's third-down pass to Henry was incomplete and the Lions were forced to punt.

"We came back but then we got a penalty," Atwater said. "We drove back and knew we could do it in first- (down) and second-and-short, but we put ourselves in too long of a situation."

Washington got the ball back at its own 42 with 2:08 to play. A 24-yard pass from Tovey to Heald put the ball at the Linn-Mar 28. On first-and-10 at the 18, Tovey scrambled 11 yards to the 7. Tann carried it to the 3 and Washington called its final timeout with 29 seconds left.

The Warriors appeared to make a huge mistake when Mitch Bredeson was stopped for no gain in the middle of the field, but they stepped back up to the ball and Tovey threw a strike to Heald in the left flat for the go-ahead touchdown with 9 seconds left.

"That last one, they drove," Atwater said. "We tried to switch it up. They made more plays than us tonight."

The Lions had one last gasp with 7.8 seconds left and the ball at their own 14, but Atwater was sacked by Sean Bredl to end the game.

"I think the biggest thing is that we're just really proud of the kids," Linn-Mar Coach Bob Forsyth said. "We had a great season. They put a lot of work into this. We just weren't able to get it done tonight."

WASHINGTON 28, LINN-MAR 26

CRW       LM

First Downs         13         20
Rushing             24-118     51-232
Passing             9-20-1     7-15-2
Passing Yards       117        113
Fumbles/Lost        0/0        4/1
Punts               5-37.6     2-27.5
Penalties           8-73       8-55

Washington     0   14   0   14 - 28
Linn-Mar       7   10   3    6 - 26

SCORING PLAYS

LM - Mark Atwater 27 run (Quinn Treiber PAT)
CRW - Will Griffin 2 run (Michael Daughtery PAT)
LM - Treiber 37 FG
CRW - David Tann 22 pass from Braedon Tovey (Daughtery PAT)
LM - Michael Redmond 17 pass from Atwater (Treiber PAT)
LM - Treiber 24 FG
LM - Atwater 1 run (run failed)
CRW - Mitch Blades 20 pass from Tovey (Daughtery PAT)
CRW - Flynn Heald 3 pass from Tovey (Daughtery PAT)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Washington

Rushing: Mitch Bredeson 14-44, Will Griffin 12-38, Braedon Tovey 6-30,
David Tann 2-6, Flynn Heald 1-0

Passing: Braedon Tovey 9-20-1, 117
Receiving: Flynn Heald 4-44, Ryan Cain 3-31, David Tann 1-22,
Mitch Blades 1-20

Linn-Mar

Rushing: Mark Atwater 32-140, Nick Trabucco 5-42, Ross Lembeck 7-24,
Brandon Ophoff 6-23, Andy Henry 1-3
Passing: Mark Atwater 7-15-2, 113
Receiving: Andy Henry 5-53, Zach Martins 1-43, Michael Redmond 1-17