Warriors, Saints look to keep rolling
The Cedar Rapids Washington football team is loaded with lots of good players.
Everywhere you look - offense, defense, special teams - there's a talented player is a little bigger, stronger and faster than the other guy on the other team.
It's one of the reasons the top-ranked Warriors are 11-0 and favored to defeat Iowa City West (7-4) in the quarterfinals of the Class 4A playoffs Friday night at Kingston Stadium (7 p.m., KGYM).
The Xavier Saints (8-3) are not quite as loaded with talented athletes this year as they were the last two seasons when they reached the championship game of the Class 4A playoffs, but they've enjoyed another good year and will try to keep advancing when they host sixth-ranked West Delaware (10-1) in the Class 3A quarterfinals at Saints Field (7 p.m., KMRY).
Washington and Xavier are the only two Metro teams still kicking as we move toward the final stages of the 2014 playoffs.
Remarkably, 14 different players have scored touchdowns for the Warriors this season. They do not have a 1,000-yard rusher (yet) or a 1,000-yard passer, but they have plenty of weapons, a powerful running attack and a stout defense.
Washington blanked Iowa City West, 28-0, in Game 3 of the season Sept. 12, holding the Trojans to 101 yards through the air and 99 on the ground. The trick Friday night will be keeping Iowa City West quarterback Aaron Bleil under wraps.
Bleil has passed for 2,254 yards and 17 touchdowns. His favorite target is Oliver Martin, who has 59 catches for 747 yards and five touchdowns. The Warriors have a strong pass rush and talented defensive backs, so it will be interesting to see how that battle turns out.
Last Updated on Thursday, 06 November 2014 22:33
