Experience, leadership guide Washington football in quarterfinal playoff run

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Aaron Ferguson Journal Star prep sports reporter @sports_aaron

Strong football programs have strong leaders.

For state quarterfinalist Washington, those leaders are captains Mason Diederich, Adam Robison and Tristan Duro.

Weve been here before, Duro said. Its our third time being in the playoffs. Experience helps a lot. We know that the atmosphere is a lot bigger in the playoffs than it is in the regular season.

Washington (9-2) faces Peoria High (10-1) at 7 p.m. Saturday in a Class 5A playoff game at Peoria Stadium.

The trio leads in multiple ways, on and off the field, and they also help younger players along.

Theyre good leaders, sophomore quarterback Caleb Fisher said. They lead by example and lead vocally, too.

On the field, the three are active on defense. Robison plays on the line, Duro is a linebacker and Diederich is all over the field.

A lot of times were competitive," Duro said. "... so were jumping on top of each other all trying to get in on the same tackle."

Robison, Washington"s career leader in tackles for loss, loves playing defense.

I love tackling, getting sacks, TFLs," he said, "and I love rallying around them when they do the same."

The trio also plays in a power package on offense, where Robison and Duro line up as fullbacks and Diederich is the running back. This formation helped Washington control the second half of a 35-14 first-round victory over Notre Dame.

Coach Darrell Crouch praises his captains" work ethic. He says theyre committed in the weight room, but also in the classroom and in the community. Diederich last year was an academic all-stater.

Theyre never an issue, behavior-wise, and thats a common effect not just with our guys, but also on others, Crouch said. When youre in a class, and certain people are acting a certain way, others probably feed off that, too.

When Washington runs onto the field, they are led by these three captains who have played together since flag football. Their bond helps bring the entire team together.

Were all three captains, and I think us being pretty close makes everyone else do the same," Robison said. "Everyone stays pretty close, and were all like brothers."

Aaron Ferguson can be reached at 686-3207 or aferguson@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @Sports_Aaron

Source: http://www.pjstar.com/sports/20161111/experience-leadership-guide-washington-football-in-quarterfinal-playoff-run