Washington High School - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

No. 7 Washington girls race past Kennedy

Kennedy tried to run with the Washington girls basketball team Friday night, but the result was not pretty.

The seventh-ranked Warriors ran the Cougars out of the gym, 77-43, on Hall of Fame Night at Washington.

Tia Dawson collected 18 points, 12 rebounds and six blocked shots for Washington (15-3, 12-2) in the Mississippi Valley Conference game.

The Warriors were too fast, too deep and too talented for Kennedy (6-12, 5-9). The Cougars committed a string of turnovers against Washington's fullcourt press and fell deeper and deeper behind as the mismatch continued.

Washington led at halftime, 43-29, then blew to a 64-35 bulge late in the third quarter. The Warriors reached the 70-point mark early in the fourth period and Coach Frank Howell yanked Dawson and the rest of his starters shortly after.

Ashley Piper and Janay Pritchett tossed in 11 points apiece for Washington, which saw 13 players dent the scoring column.

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Ableman, Strother tabbed for swim Hall

Cedar Rapids Washington graduates Randy Abelman and Jon Strother will be inducted into the Iowa Swim Coaches Hall of Fame during the boys state meet in Marshalltown Feb. 12.

Abelman (Class of 1977) was a two-time prep diving champion and a four-time All-American at the University of Iowa, where he enjoyed a record-setting career. He was NCAA champion in the 1-meter springboard in 1981. He was a member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic diving team that did not compete in Moscow because of a boycott ordered by President Jimmy Carter. He also was on the U.S. National team from 1978-84. Ableman is the diving coach at the University of Miami (Fla.) and has been named the NCAA Diving Coach of the Year nine times.

Strother (Class of 1994) is the only Iowa high school swimmer in the 72-year history of the state meet to win gold medals in two relays for four straight years, helping Washington win four state titles in a row.

Abelman and Strother are the only two inductees into the Iowa Swim Coaches Hall of Fame this year.

Warriors fall to stingy Cougars

Cedar Rapids Kennedy Coach Bob Fontana has persuaded his guys to play defense with passion, pride and persistence.

It's been a simple message to get across.

"If you don't play defense, you don't play," senior Jake Misener explained. "That's how he gets us to play defense."

The stingy fourth-ranked Cougars held Washington to just three points in the third quarter Friday night and spanked the Warriors, 57-50, on Hall of Fame Night at Washington.

Washington exploded for 24 points in the second quarter and led by seven at halftime, 30-23. Fontana used the intermission to stress defense and rebounding, and Kennedy (14-2, 9-2) took his words to heart in the second half.

"A lot of them were not very good defenders last year," Fontana said. "And they have decided, 'You know what? We have to play defense if we're going to get where we want to go.'"

Christian French drew the assignment of guarding Washington sharpshooter Josh Oglesby, pitting a Division I football player (French) against a Division I basketball player (Oglesby). Oglesby scored 22 points, but forced some shots, had two air-balls and was 8-for-20 from the field, including 5 for 13 on 3-pointers.

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UNI getting model player in Alex Carr

On the football field, Alex Carr is as tough as they come.

Small for a tailback, he still carried the ball on nearly every play for the Washington Warriors last fall, usually into the middle of the line and beyond.

In one game, Alex had an almost unheard of 49 carries.

But he’d always pop right back up, never mind the beating.

Then he’d switch sides and play every down as a defensive back.

He was a vocal leader, too, as if his non-stop cheering would make everyone play even harder.

Off the field, on the other hand, he’s soft-spoken, as polite-as-you-please and as serious as any 17-year-old can be.

 “I’m grateful,” he says, “for all the people who have helped me be a better person.”

Imagine his embarrassment, therefore, when his mom, Jenny, mentions that they’re going to California in a couple of weeks for Alex to pose in a nationwide modeling competition.

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