Demons looking to fill out backfield

The running game was a staple of the Demons? success on the gridiron in 2015.

Highlighted by a strong offensive line and an all-state quarterback who will be looking to make an even bigger impact in 2016, the Washington football team will need the running game to be a constant for continued success in 2016.

The Demons return their quarterback from last year, junior Ryan Reighard, who was among the top rushers in the state a season ago, going for 1,579 yards at a clip of 6.7 yards per carry, notching 21 touchdowns along the way.

Those numbers are certainly attainable for the junior in his second season as the Demons? signal caller.

?Ryan is going to run the ball,? Washington football head coach Garrison Carter said. ?He happens to play quarterback but he?s also one of the best running backs in the state of Iowa, so we are going to use him that way too.?

The Demons will look to Reighard to be a leader as he enters his second varsity season.

?Ryan got baptized pretty quick (last year) when you go into your first time playing quarterback and you are playing the defending state champions at Pella,? Carter said. ?It didn?t take him very long to grow up. This offseason he?s really grown and is a very good vocal leader and is putting people in the right spots.?

However, Reighard?s workload proved to be one too many last season, as he broke his arm on the last play of regulation as the Demons fell in an overtime playoff game at Solon.

While Reighard said the injury is pretty well forgotten, he is excited that the Demon backfield could feature up to six other rushers.

?It?s nice to know I have so many different guys who can run the ball,? Reighard said. ?The more we work at it, the better we are going to get.?

Those competitors for the snaps at running back range from sophomores to seniors, and all will bring different aspects to the running and passing game. That versatility is something Carter is looking forward to using throughout the year.

?We?ve been rotating our running back reps between (multiple) guys with Bryce (Craff), Tristan (Westphal-Edwards) and Jack Redlinger, Trey Van Weelden, David Mares and Tanner Murphy,? Carter said. ?We have six guys who are competing to be in that starting role and we?ll use them all in some capacity.?

The role of main running back last year went to Jack Giardino, who battled a late-season injury to accumulate 737 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground, but with him being graduated, there is only one back who received touches in 2015.

Craff is the only returning back who received a carry last year, toting the ball 19 times for 73 yards, mostly coming in the final few games of the season.

While the Demons saw Reighard rush the ball 237 times last season (30 more than anyone else in the district), they hope to take some pressure off of the junior.

?We are in a unique situation because you want to have that one guy, but for us, our bell cow runner happens to be our quarterback,? Carter said. ?The guys around him have to be able to do a lot of different things well. We were in a similar situation my first year here with Daryn (Sebelius) where we designed the offense around him and then we had Jacob Hennigan establish himself. We expect something like that this year.?

The Demons will get an early look at their running backs during a scrimmage on Friday night at Muscatine.