Washington Practice Report

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy!</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's a top four match-up in Class 2A as top-ranked Washington hosts #3 Jones in a rematch of last year's semifinal round. Washington has played a gauntlet non-district schedule and the same goes for the Longhorns as this is the second straight week they've played a team ranked ahead of them. They faced 3A's #2 Lincoln Christian last week and struggled to slow down their juggernaut offense, giving up 56 points in the loss. On the other side, Washington's offense has been on fire to start the season and show no signs of slowing down anytime soon. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>These two teams met twice last season and the Warriors got the best of the Longhorns on their way to a 15-0 season and Class 2A state championship. Washington would beat Jones 33-14 in the regular season meeting. Then they would have a rematch in the semifinals and the Warriors would end Jones' season with a 49-14 victory before beating Millwood the following week in the title game. The Warriors came into this season as the preseason favorites in Class 2A and they've played like it so far. They beat up on Vian in impressive fashion in week zero and then got a tough road win over an improved Sulphur team last week. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Offensively, there really isn't much to critique here as the Warriors have looked really good on that side of the ball. They are averaging 45 points per game and the offense has been incredibly balanced. In week zero, they put up over 500 yards of total offense and had a very balanced attack. Last week, they put up nearly 400 yards of total offense and once again, there was a nice even balance to the numbers. We got a chance to see Washington in person a few weeks ago at the Carl Albert scrimmage. It was clear that evening that the Warriors were going to be just fine on the offensive side of the ball. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On the other side, the defense has been lights out for the most part as well. They've only given up 23 points on the season and they've also been able to turn teams over. In the season opener against Vian, they only gave up 204 yards of total offense, 13 points and they forced three turnovers in the victory. Last week, they gave up more yardage but less points as Sulphur only managed 10 points and the Warriors once again forced three turnovers in the win. We weren't sure how the defense was going to look this season based on some of the names they lost from last year's title team but this group has answered the call in a big way. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Below, we put a spotlight on four players to keep an eye on this week as the Warriors look to hand Jones their second consecutive loss. Now, these players are a combination of top players and other guys who are enjoying breakout starts to their season. Washington is certainly not lacking talent and there are quite a few other names that could be thrown into this discussion. This spotlight doesn't even feature one of their D1 commits. Washington is an incredibly talented team. Either way, these four players are guys that should have a major impact on the game Friday night.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>PLAYERS TO WATCH</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["311986"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Washington felt confident in junior running back [player_tooltip player_id='311986' first='Hudson' last='Howard'] coming into the 2023 season as he looked to replace Cole Scott from last year's title team. Howard erased any questions we had about the running game in their week zero win over Vian. Howard only carried the ball eight times on the night and half of them went for touchdowns. Howard finished with nearly 200 yards and four touchdowns in the win. He turned around last week and ran for over 100 yards and a touchdown. He does benefit from having a very experienced offensive line in front of him and two division one tight ends on each side of that line opening more running lanes. Howard has definitely impressed so far in the early part of the season and he'll look to continue that Friday against Jones.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["215208"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"There aren't enough positive words to use to describe Washington's senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='215208' first='Major' last='Cantrell'] and the start he has had this season. In the first two games, Cantrell has thrown six touchdown passes and has just four incompletions. Read that stat one more time. And the Warriors were playing ranked teams in both games. He's 21-25 for nearly 400 yards and six touchdowns. Last week, he also added 76 yards and a touchdown on the ground as the Warriors took care of business against Sulphur. We were in person for last week's Jones-Lincoln Christian game and the Bulldogs absolutely torched the Longhorn defense. With the way Cantrell has played so far this season and the balance they've shown offensively, it's hard to think that they are going to slow down anytime soon.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["595681"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"We wrote about Washington 2024 defensive end [player_tooltip player_id='595681' first='Naithen' last='Spaulding'] prior to the games in week zero and it's hard not to come back to him again here. Spaulding was primed for a big senior season and he's leading a defense that has played outstanding so far in the first two games. We got a chance to watch Spaulding in person back in August and he impressed. We watched him again on film from last week's win over Sulphur and the thing that really stood out to us was his ability to open things up for the rest of the defense. There were plenty of plays where Spaulding didn't make the stop but he was taking on two blockers and opening up a lane for someone else to make the play on the ball carrier. Spaulding is one of the best on a Washington defense that has been lights out.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["353411"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"When you're talking about prospects for the next level, there aren't going to be many players in the state that are more sought after than Washington junior [player_tooltip player_id='353411' first='Nate' last='Roberts'] at the tight end position. Roberts is very clearly one of the top prospects in the state and he has played like it so far this season. Roberts is an outstanding pass catcher and there isn't much undersized linebackers and defensive backs can do with his size, speed and overall athleticism. Roberts has had a good start to his junior season and he's looking for even more on Friday night. Like we mentioned earlier, this offense has been clicking from the start of the season and with Roberts, along with fellow tight end [player_tooltip player_id='154210' first='Cooper' last='Alexander'] who is another future D1 player, the Warriors have some great weapons on offense.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":4,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64f79fb20fecd"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->