Demons prepped for rebound

After a setback last Friday, the Demons wasted no time getting back to work on Saturday.

?Nobody was happy, but everyone wanted to move on,? Washington senior John Dillon said. ?We didn?t sit and feel sorry for ourselves. We just wanted to get over it and move on to Fairfield.?

That effort has carried on to a week of practice, as the Demons look to erase the memory of a 36-15 loss to Solon, the first loss of the season for Washington.

?I?m really proud of the focus and effort of our team in practices this week,? Washington head coach Garrison Carter said. ?We have really challenged them, and they have answered tremendously.  I was disappointed in our inability to overcome adversity when it hit during the Solon game.  That is our fault as coaches for not putting our kids in enough adverse situations leading up to that game.  We will not make that mistake again.?

The Demons, now at 3-1 overall and 1-1 in the district, still control their own playoff destiny with five games left in the season. Another loss, however, could prove fatal in the path to the postseason for the Demons.

Washington?s Week 5 opponent, Fairfield, sits in a similar situation with the same record, and that isn?t lost on the Demon head coach.

?As we?ve said each week, every district game is huge,? Carter said. ?We can?t afford to lose another game if we want to reach our goals at the end of the season.  Fairfield is saying the same thing to their kids.  It will be a hard-fought game throughout, because both teams are playing for their postseason lives.?

With the game having big importance, staying loose and ready to play is a key for the Demons. Dillon said the team has done just that.

?It?s upbeat,? Dillon said. ?Sometimes we need a little butt-chewing every once in a while. Practice has been good this week. We are looking to move on to the next game and move on from the loss.?

With a strong week of practice, Carter believes his squad understands what is at stake the rest of the season, and is ready to get things back in the right direction on Friday night.

?I think our team is in a really good place,? Carter said. ?I?m excited to see how they respond to a loss.  Being undefeated, and highly ranked was awesome.  However, it was almost serving as a detractor at times.  It?s not the worst thing in the world to be humbled a little bit.  Our mission now is clear:  Just win.?

Demon-strong defense

Despite giving up a season-high 36 points last week, the Demon defense forced multiple turnovers against Solon, including an interception by Dillon that helped set up a Washington touchdown.

?I was designed to have the middle of the field,? Dillon said. ?I was reading the quarterback the whole way, and I just got underneath the quarterback?s eyes and made a play.?

The 36 points given up is only the fourth time the Demons have given up 30 or more points in a game since the start of the 2014 season (1-3 record in such games), and is easy to write off as an outlier for the defense, which has performed well in the first four weeks of the season.

?It?s incredible,? Dillon, who has 12.5 tackles this year, said. ?The defensive line has been impressive all year and our secondary hasn?t given up too many touchdowns. It?s a blessing to be a part of it.?

Scouting Week 5

Despite its being the midway point of the season, the Demons will hit the road for the third time in five weeks, before closing the year with a big homestand.

The Demons will play their fourth-straight rival, Fairfield, after taking down Mid-Prairie and Mt. Pleasant, and falling to Solon.

This game won?t come easy for the Demons, however, as they will go up against a talented quarterback in senior Cameron Baumann.

The Trojan baseball phenom is also the top athlete offensively for Fairfield, as he has rushed for 460 yards, thrown for 409 yards and accounted for 14 touchdowns on the season. Senior Brandon Smithburg has 326 yards of rushing for the Trojans.

Baumann?s top target so far this season has been sophomore Tristan Waugh, who has 11 catches for 215 yards and a pair of scores.

?Baumann is a really talented football player,? Carter said. ?He?s added an extra level of physicality to his game this season, which makes him even more dangerous.  As anyone who has watched our offense knows, having a QB who is a major threat to run is difficult to defend.  It gives the offense a numbers advantage.  We need to play really assignment-sound football in order to slow him down on Friday.?

Defensively, the Demons will be looking to find where Baumann is on the field, as he has four interceptions through four games.

Kickoff at Trojan Stadium is set for 7:30 p.m.