Demons fall to Pella

There?s a lot the Washington football team can be pleased with after Friday night.

Despite suffering a season-opening loss (42-24 to the defending state champion and No. 1 ranked Pella Little Dutch), Washington head coach Garrison Carter was pleased with the effort his team gave.

?It?s a loss,? Washington head coach Garrison Carter said. ?I don?t think there?s a moral victory, but there are some positives you can take out of it. We got the first-game jitters out of the way for a lot of guys, and hopefully we can keep playing football and do our job.?

The Demons fell behind quickly to Pella, as it was 22-0 in the middle of the second quarter before Washington sophomore Ryan Reighard helped his team get on the board.

Reighard scored his first varsity touchdown with 4:25 left in the second quarter, but Pella kept their foot on the pedal, scoring on the ensuing drive.

Before halftime, new Washington kicker Kyle Anderson connected on a 29-yard field goal to make it 29-10 Pella at the break.

Pella scored twice in the third quarter, making it 42-10, until the Demons added a score of their own with three minutes left in the game, as Reighard punched in his second touchdown of the game.

The Demons? backup quarterback Matt Roder came in for the final drive of the game, and found Jaivonn Willis for a 68-yard touchdown reception to close out the game.

In his first action as quarterback, Reighard finished the game with 117 rushing yards and 84 passing yards. He completed 50 percent of his passes and threw two picks in the game.

?Ryan is in the same boat as the rest of the sophomores,? Carter said. ?When you start that many sophomores and go up against the No. 1 team in the state, there?s nothing to prepare them. Once he settled down, Ryan did what we expected of him. Considering it was the best defense in the state of Iowa, it was encouraging.?

Senior running back Jack Giardino picked up 22 rushing yards for the Demons on 13 carries, while Willis led the team with three catches for 108 yards.

On special teams, Anderson was strong, making his lone field goal attempt (from 29 yards out) and going 3-for-3 on extra points.

?Kyle did everything we could have asked him to do,? Carter said. ?He was perfect in his field goals and extra points, and all of his kickoffs went where we wanted them to be kicked. He did a fantastic job.?

Defensively, Ethan Hansen had a stellar night, leading the Demons with 11 tackles and three tackles for a loss, including one sack.

?He?s a product of the system,? Carter said. ?He?s extremely bought in, and has put in the time in the weight room. It?s showed. He?s an explosive player and made some big plays.?

Tanner Murphy finished just behind Hansen with 7.5 tackles and a sack.

Washington will look to get in the win column on Friday night when they host Marion at Case Field.

?We are ready to go,? Carter said. ?I think everyone left the field thinking that we are a pretty good football team.?