CEDAR FALLS - Cedar Rapids Washington has speed to spare and an eye-opening collection of college recruits.

The Cedar Falls Tigers have something else - an air-tight bond that can't be broken.

Those two forces will collide Friday night.

Pat Mitchell likes his chances.

"Our players," said the veteran football coach, "are together. Things have happened to guys on this team - we had a young man who was in a life-threatening situation. These people have been through things.

"They're mature."

The Tigers have transformed from teammates to brothers during the past year while watching defensive back Shane Fuller beat back cancer. The prospects of being underdogs to fourth-ranked Washington (11-1) in Friday's Class 4A state semifinal obviously pale in comparison.

"We'll just go out and play," said Mitchell, who has his Tigers in the playoffs for a fifth straight season.

But make no mistake: the Warriors present a sizeable obstacle in Cedar Falls' path to a state title game.

"They've got a lot of speed across the board," noted Cedar Falls co-head coach Brad Remmert. "They've got a lot of firepower we're gonna have to slow down."

You've probably heard of Keenan Davis, who'll catch passes in Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City soon. You'll hear more from running back Andre Dawson, who has 25 scores this season, at a major-college locale yet to be determined. And the fact quarterback Wyatt Suess is the son of former Hawkeye signal-caller Phil Suess has to be unsettling for Cedar Falls fans.

But sixth-ranked Cedar Falls (11-1) is gathering steam. The Tigers have hung an average of 42.7 points per game on their three postseason victims.

And their defense has teeth, allowing just 8.4 points per game - the fewest in the state this season.

"The main thing that happened is, in the middle of the year (injuries) kept the rhythm from happening," Mitchell noted. "Right now, all parts are firing on all cylinders. Hopefully it stays that way."

The specter of a 28-9 opening-night loss to Washington looms overhead for Cedar Falls as Friday nears.

But the Tigers feel they're a vastly improved and more cohesive club than the one that got tripped up in the opener.

"Whatever happened earlier happened earlier," said Mitchell. "There's only one game that really matters this whole season - the next one."

Contact Kelly Beaton at (319) 291-1456 or kelly.beaton@wcfcourier.com