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Washington Evening Journal
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Demons bring home the gold
Washington boys cross-country wins SEC; Rees and Dahl take individual titles
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KEOKUK — The now four-year reign of the Washington cross-country teams continued on Thursday night in yet another Southeast Conference championship meet dominated by the orange and black.
The Demon boys won their fourth-straight team title, outlasting Fort Madison by five points to earn gold.
Washington was led by junior Andrew Rees, who followed in the footsteps of older brother Micah, winning the 2024.
Rees made it three-straight individual championships for the family, taking first place, in 16 minutes, 23.1 seconds. He finished just ahead of teammate Tyler Alderton, who crossed in 16:49.2.
“Sometimes it's a little bitter sweet,” said Rees. “He's pushing me all the time, and I'm sure I'm pushing him.”
The duo led the Demon boys to a team score of 28, five ahead of the Bloodhounds.
“It was really nice to see they could perform well under pressure,” Alderton said, noting the youth of the Demon squad. “It gives me confidence heading into districts.”
The Washington boys five runners in the Top-10. Freshman Parker Tschantz finished sixth. Ethan Hotchkiss took ninth, and Sawyer Tschantz ended in 10th.
The Washington girls were unable to knock off the Bloodhounds in the girls’ team race, but junior Iris Dahl pulled out her first conference championship ever.
After finishing second to Fort Madison’s Avery Rump last year, Dahl crossed the tape first in 2024, finishing in 19:32.5, to win the race by over 20 seconds.
“It's kind of sad that it's the last conference race with all my teammates,” Dahl said. “Over half of the team is seniors.”
Dahl said the key to her rise up to first has been her mentality, which helped her battle through the pain.
“When I get tired, I just keep going,” Dahl said. “In the end, it's worth it. No matter how hard I run, I'm going to feel the same after, so I might as well just get it done faster.”
The Demons had four total runners in the Top-10. Lauren Horak finished eighth. Alyvia Anderson was ninth, and Kendall Henrichsen finished 10th.
The only other area runner to finish in the Top-10 was freshman Quintrie Lee of Mt. Pleasant. Lee took sixth, crossing in 20:30.2.
“It was rough, but it felt pretty good.” Lee said.
Mt. Pleasant finished fourth in the girls’ race and fifth in the boys’ race. Fairfield was fifth in the girls’ race and fourth in the boys’.
In the middle school girls’ race, Washington first as a team, scoring 30 points. Mt. Pleasant eighth-grader Avery Fedler was the individual champion.
On the middle school boys’ side, Fort Madison won as a team, but Jack Shepherd of Washington won individually.
GIRLS’ TEAM SCORES
1. Fort Madison 21
2. Washington 42
3. Keokuk 84
4. Mt. Pleasant 109
5. Fairfield 121
TOP-10 INDIVIDUALS: 1. Iris Dahl (11), Washington 19:32.5; 2. Avery Rump (11), Fort Madison 19:55.6; 3. Mara Smith (11), Fort Madison 20:17.8; 4. Addison Rump (11), Fort Madison 20:20.3; 5. Jordyn Marshall (9), Fort Madison 20:21.5; 6. Quintrie Lee (9), Mt. Pleasant; 7. McKayla Schinstock (11), Fort Madison 20:30.4; 8. Lauren Horak (12), Washington 20:34.8; 9. Alyvia Anderson (12), Washington 20:38.2; 10. Kendall Hinrichsen (12), Washington 20:42.6
BOYS’ TEAM SCORES
1. Washington 28
2. Fort Madison 33
3. Burlington 101
4. Fairfield 103
5. Mt. Pleasant 117
6. Keokuk 167
TOP-10 INDIVIDUALS: 1. Andrew Rees (11) 16:23.1; 2. Tyler Alderton (12), Washington 16:49.2; 3. Jacob Shottenkirk (12), Fort Madison; 4. Riley Tripp (11), Fort Madison 17:13.3; 5. Mason McLey (11), Fort Madison 17:18.7; 6. Parker Tshantz (9), Washington 17:19.9; 7. Aaron Morehead (11), Burlington 17:20.9; 8. Peyton Lambert (12), Fort Madison 17:28.6; 9. Ethan Hotchkiss (10), Washington; 10. Sawyer Tschantz (11), Washington 17:39.0.
