Cedar Rapids Washington Coach Chris Cruise used the word "struggle" a few times while talking about his boys swimming team.

He talked about how the Warriors "struggled" last year and might continue to "struggle" again this season if they don't improve in a couple of key events.

Keep in mind, Washington finished fourth at the state meet last year and has an excellent chance of competing for high honors again this season.

A lot of schools would like to "struggle" like that, but Washington has established a level of excellence with 27 state team championships and 48 straight district crowns. Sometimes, fourth in the state meet is not quite good enough.

"The guys have set some really high goals for themselves this year, as we always do around here," Cruise said. "I think we have a good chance to realistically achieve those goals."

When Cruise mentioned "really high goals," he was talking primarily about individual and state titles. That's where Morgan Barnes, Ian Ford, Scott Allison and Josh Hughes enter the conversation.

Barnes placed second in the 200 freestyle and third in the 500 freestyle last year, finishing behind seniors both times. Ford grabbed fourth in the 100 backstroke and seventh in the 200 individual medley.

Allison placed seventh in the 50 freestyle and took eighth in the 100 freestyle, while Hughes finished sixth in the 500 freestyle. Ford, Hughes and Allison placed second in the 200 medley relay with Mo Green, an outstanding swimmer who graduated.

Barnes, Ford, Allison and Hughes are the Fab 4 for the Warriors as a new season begins. "I'm sure they'll do very well for themselves," Cruise remarked.

Washington could have another budding star with Jared Thorson, a freshman with talent in the freestyle, butterfly and backstroke events.

"He could be a real strong contributor to our team this year in a variety of places," Cruise said. "I think he'll be considered a force by the end of the year."

Now, back to the "struggle" part for Washington. The Warriors did not place in the 200- and 400-yard freestyle relays at the 2011 state meet because they did not have enough sprinters. That's the part Cruise hopes to alter this year.

"That makes it hard to compete for a state title when you don't get any points out of your freestyle relays," he said. "If that develops we could be pretty tought at the end of the year.

"If not, then we'll probably struggle to score points just like we did last year. We have to make sure we do well in those relays."

Muscatine won the state championship with 187.5 points. Dubuque Senior placed second with 141 points, followed by Cedar Falls (135) and Washington (105.5).

Cruise could take his top swimmers and stack the relays, but that might hurt the individual events. And if he stacks the individual events, it could affect the relays.

"That's what we have to sit down and look at," he said.

Barnes, Ford and Allison are seniors, making this a year of opportunity for Washington.

"It sure looks like that," Cruise said. "We'll lose an awful lot after this year. You're talking about three of the top swimmers in the state and they'll be pretty tough to replace."

Barnes and Ford will be teammates at the University of South Dakota next year.