Warriors Prep For Brandon Valley

The Washington Warriors team bus won't need a GPS to get to the Dakota Dome on Saturday.
For the 6th straight year the Warriors will play for a state championship, looking for their 3rd title.

"It never gets old playing for a championship. Whether it's checkers or a YMCA basketball, it's always fun," Washington Head Coach Brian Hermanson said.

The Warriors have been a dominant team all season long, and they have gotten even stronger in the playoffs.
Washington outscored their opponents 97-3 in their first two postseason games, and they have yet to give up a point in the 1st quarter all year.

"I'll be honest with you this is one of the best teams we've ever had at Washington High School," Hermanson said.

"We still have work to do. We can always correct some things and get better, but we are getting close and we are getting better everyday," Washington Senior QB Jon Hander said.

It will be a battle of unbeatens on Saturday in Vermillion as the Warriors take on an explosive Brandon Valley squad.
Senior safety and Nebraska recruit Nate Gerry knows they'll need to limit the Lynx opportunities.

"We're trying to cut down on the big plays. We can't give up the big plays and hopefully we can get the ball out of their hands and give our offense the ball," Washington Senior Nate Gerry said.

The Warriors hope their experience will give them an edge. Also, the 26 seniors on the Warriors roster are ready to erase the sour taste left over from last years loss to Roosevelt.

"I think it'll always be there in my mind in the back. It hurt alittle bit, it kinda put a chip on my shoulder and I think we all kind of feel it and we all know what we have to do," Hander said.

"Alot of us were on that team last year that lost, alot of us played and we have that chip on our shoulder that we wanted to get back and now that we're here there's no going back so we're going to do double the work we did last year, focus on the little things and hopefully get it done," Gerry said.