Chiefs spoil homecoming

A deep fade pass in the end zone threatened to put the game seemingly out of reach.

Up 12-3 in the third quarter, the Washington football team was driving, as Ryan Reighard tossed a jump ball to his favorite target, Jaivonn Willis, in the end zone.

For the second time in the game, Keokuk fell to the ground in possession of the ball, ending a scoring threat.

After that, the Chiefs got their offense rolling.

Keokuk senior Damon Wolter tossed a touchdown pass late in the third quarter, and a Demon fumble on the next possession set up another Chief touchdown, putting Keokuk up for good, as they handed Washington a 16-12 loss on the Demons? homecoming game.

?We are obviously disappointed with this loss,? Washington football head coach Garrison Carter said. ?I think all 7,000-plus people in Washington are disappointed in this loss.  They should be.  This is the culture we have created with this program.  This town expects us to win.  That is why I love it here.?

?A person?s character is revealed far more after a loss than after a win.  I am excited to see what kind of character we have, and how we rebound from this going forward.?

The Demons fall to 4-2 on the season, suffering their second district loss on the season, while Keokuk sits at 4-2 on the year with a pair of district losses on their record.

After making it to the red zone on its first offensive possession, Keokuk was forced to settle for a long field goal attempt, but Washington got a hand on the ball, forcing the attempt to fall short.

The Demons drove down the field, missing a field goal of their own, but the Demon defense forced a quick punt to get the ball back.

The Demon offense quickly capitalized, using sophomore running back Tristin Westphal-Edwards (9 rushes, 61 yards) who broke off a 34-yard run and was tackled just inches from the goal line.

Reighard broke through the plain for a 1-yard score, putting Washington up 6-0.

The Demons threatened again on their next possession, but an interception in the end zone ended the drive, as the Chiefs moved the ball quickly down the field, getting into the red zone, but another Washington blocked field goal, this time by Matt Reighard, kept Keokuk off the scoreboard.

The Demons capitalized on the block, with Ryan Reighard running the ball in from 12 yards out, giving Washington a 12-0 first-half lead.

The Chiefs added a field goal in the first half, but the Demons went into the locker room with a two-possession lead.

Halfway through the second half, the Chiefs snagged their second end zone interception to end a Demons scoring threat. A couple of Chief touchdowns, sandwiched around a Washington fumble, put Keokuk up with 11:53 to play.

?Obviously play calling in the red zone was an issue on Friday,? Carter said. ?We found ourselves in a lot of first-and-20s due to penalties, and that simply can?t happen.  First-and-20 is hard to overcome in the red zone.  I need to do a better job putting our kids in a position to be successful.?

The Demons drove down the field, but turned the ball over on downs at the Keokuk 12-yard line with 8:42 left, and Washington defense responded with a three and out.

?I thought our defense was tremendous again,? Carter said. ?We can?t expect to win games when we only score 12 points.  We can?t expect our defense to stop teams from scoring when we put them in bad situations with turnovers.?

A big run by Reighard (148 rushing yards on the night) put Washington into Keokuk territory, but a holding penalty and a big Keokuk stop forced a Washington punt with 5:31 left in the game.

After that, Keokuk?s offense chewed up the clock, and kept picking up first downs. Washington wouldn?t get the ball back in the game.

?No one has time to hang their heads,? Carter said. ?We lost and it hurts, but now we have to beat West Burlington. I am really proud of how our assistant coaches have handled this loss. By Saturday morning they already had West Burlington film watched, labeled and a game plan ready to go. We need to win each week and there?s no time to worry about last week.?

Running wild

A big bright spot on the night was the play off the running backs, who accounted for 350 yards on the night, with Reighard posting 148 yards and Jack Redlinger posting a career-high 134 yards.

?I was really proud of the way we moved the ball on the ground,? Carter said. ?Jack ran the best he has in a Demon uniform, and Tristin also had arguably his best game. The real credit here goes to our outstanding offensive line, as well as Tanner Murphy at fullback and Bryce Sinn at tight end. They dominated the line of scrimmage.?

The big rushing night was above average for the team, as the Demons are averaging 295.5 yards per game on the ground.

Playoff picture

With the Demons suffering their second district loss of the year, they lost the ability to control their own playoff destiny.

Solon appears all but primed to claim the district title, sitting at 6-0 on the season, with Oskaloosa (5-1, 3-1) currently sitting in a good position for the No. 2 spot in the district.

Keokuk, West Burlington and Washington all have suffered a pair of district losses, but of those squads, the Chiefs have the advantage, with wins over both the Falcons and the Demons.

?(The message is) win this week,? Carter said. ?With losing on Friday, we lost the ability to control our own destiny. That?s OK. These things always work themselves out. All we can do is worry about what we can control. What we can control right now is putting together the best possible game plan for West Burlington.?

Week 7 will go a long way in determining who claims the two automatic playoff berths in the district, as the Chiefs host Oskaloosa and West Burlington comes to Washington.

Washington will then face Oskaloosa on the road in Week 8.

The best-case scenario for the Demons would be an Oskaloosa victory over Keokuk, with Washington winning out the rest of the season. That scenario would put Washington at the No. 2 slot, earning a bid into the playoffs.

Next up

The Demons will face West Burlington (4-2, 2-2 in district play) on Friday night, as the Falcons are reeling with a pair of losses in a row, coming against Keokuk and Mt. Pleasant.

With both teams needing a key victory in the playoff push, the Demons won?t let this past week?s loss to Keokuk be a deterrent.

?Our confidence will be there,? Carter said. ?We have a solid core of leaders on this team that I am confident will lead this group through adversity. You learn a lot more about a person after a loss than you do after a win.?

Kickoff against West Burlington is set for 7:30 p.m. at Case Field.