Demon sweep Part II

FAIRFIELD — One year after a Washington sweep in the 2021 Southeast Conference cross-country championships, the Demons were right back at it on Thursday night in Fairfield.

For the second-straight year, it was all Demons at the top of the team standings, as Washington bested the conference for back-to-back championships on both the girls’ and boys’ side.

The boys’ team race had the spotlight as Washington faced a challenge from Fort Madison for the top spot. The Bloodhounds put four runners in the Top-10 to challenge the Demons at the top, but Washington squeaked by with a three-point win, out-dueling the Bloodhounds 43-46.

“It was nothing short of awesome,” said Washington’s Micah Rees, who won the individual title by 24 seconds. “This whole season has been a blessing.”

Rees finished the race in 16 minutes, 40.06 seconds. It was his first career individual title.

“You can't stop and admire the view yet, but it was awesome,” Rees. said. “(I was) tearing up down the home stretch.”

Washington had three Top-10 runners. Tyler Alderton crossed in seventh, and Lane Schrock took ninth. Andrew Rees finished just outside of the Top 10, in 11th, and Andrew Shepherd was 15th.

Mt. Pleasant’s Ben Carthey had his best conference meet ever. Carthey took second place overall, crossing the tape in 17:04.46.

“It was one of my best races, probably my second-best race,” Carthey said. “The thing that got to me was the cold, but you just have to adapt to it and do what you can.”

The Panthers took fourth overall as a team. Jude Dykstra was eighth individually. Tyler Johnson and Jonathan Hough were 24th and 25th, and Coleman Mowery finished 29th.

Fairfield was fifth overall on the boys’ side. Nate Konczal led the way with a 14th-place finish. Dayton Mauck was 17th. Riley Perkins took 18th. Ben Boatright was 20th, and Gabe Tejada took 45th.

It was all Demons in the girls’ race, aside from SEC-champion Avery Rump of Fort Madison. The Bloodhound freshman won the individual title, crossing in 19:56.05.

Washington’s Iris Dahl made it two freshmen in the Top-2, taking second place in 20:12.13. That paced a Demon girls’ team that absolutely rolled to a 31-point victory.

The Washington girls placed six runners in the Top-10. Alyvia Anderson was third. Quincy Griffis took fourth. Kendall Hinrichsen was eighth. Loran Horak placed ninth, and Angeline Anderson was 10th.

The race for second was won by Fairfield, as the Trojans scored 57 points to finish behind the Demons. Carley Seeley and Malena Bloomquist were sixth and seventh respectively to lead the charge.

“Down that stretch, Coach (Jerrod) Belzer was like, 'you've got to go,” said Seeley after the race. “He was my extra encouragement.”

Fairfield’s Paige Bisgard took 13th. Makenzie Kraemer was 16th, and Caroline Van Pelt rounded out the scorers with a 17th-place finish.

Mt. Pleasant finished in fourth place, led by an 11th-place performance by freshman Emma Welcher. Isabelle Meador took 20th. Audrey Lord was 29th. Aliya Graber finished 33rd. Ella McNamee was 36th.

The Panther girls’ middle school team took home a team championship. Isabella Dodds, Quintrie Lee and Monroe James were second, third and fourth respectively. Washington’s Emma Horak was fifth, and Fairfield’s Alex Jo Steward took sixth.

The Fairfield girls and Washington boys were each third in the middle school standings. Washington’s Parker Tschantz finished fifth in the boys’ race.

BOYS’ TEAM STANDINGS: 1. Washington 43; 2. Fort Madison 46; 3. Burlington 85; 4. Mt. Pleasant 88; 5. Fairfield 114; 6. Keokuk 281.

BOYS’ TOP-10: 1. Micah Rees, Washington, 16:40.06; 2. Ben Carthey, Mt. Pleasant, 17:04.46; 3. Sam Morehead, Burlington, 17:38.95; 4. Joey Jolin, Burlington, 17:42.98; 5. Riley Tripp, Fort Madison, 17:50.00; 6. Jacob Shottenkirk, Fort Madison, 17:50.58; 7. Tyler Alderton, Washington, 17:51.18; 8. Jude Dykstra, Mt. Pleasant, 17:51.70; 9. Lane Schrock, Washington, 17:52.34; 10. Mason McLey, Fort Madison, 17:59.94.

GIRLS’ TEAM STANDINGS: 1. Washington 26; 2. Fairfield 57; 3. Fort Madison 73; 4. Mt. Pleasant 129; 5. Burlington 153; 6. Keokuk 171.

GIRLS’ TOP 10: 1. Avery Rump, Fort Madison, 16:56.05; 2. Iris Dahl, Washington, 20:12.13; 3. Alyvia Anderson, Washington, 20:58.19; 4. Quincy Griffis, Washington, 20:59.41; 5. Addison Rump, Fort Madison, 21:01.23; 6. Carley Seeley, Fairfield, 21:03.43; 7. Malena Bloomquist, Fairfield, 21:09.29; 8. Kendall Hinrichsen, Washington, 21:18.81; 9. Loran Horak, Washington, 21:32.34; 10. Angeline Anderson, Washington, 21:33.36.