Demons set for super Sectional

A 29-1 dual record and multiple tournament championships this season have the Washington community buzzing about its wrestling team.

But when it comes to what has made the 2015-16 squad as special as it is, head coach Brent Van Weelden credited the team?s work ethic, as well as some people on the outside of the practice mats.

?A lot of hard work,? Van Weelden said. ?It started many, many years ago with the group of kids we have now in the youth program. We thought they would be competitive when they got to this age. There are a lot of miles that parents drove, a lot of overnight stays in motels. Sleeping in cars. There?s a lot of work that parents had to do when they were young. It?s a huge family commitment.?

On Saturday, the proverbial ?second season? begins for the Demons, as they enter the sectional tournament in Mediapolis.

The top two wrestlers in each bracket advance to the district meet at Clear Creek Amana one week later, with a trip to Des Moines on the line.

It also means a little extra for the Demons, who will look to finish as one of the top two teams at the sectional tournament, to qualify for the regional duals, hosted at Washington, on Feb. 9. If the Demons can win the regional dual, they will qualify for the state duals for the first time in school history.

?We?ve been pretty motivated and will take a whole team effort,? Washington junior Austin Hazelett, who has a 38-4 138-pound record on the season, said. ?We want to finish in that top two, and then make it to state duals this year. It?s never been done before. It would be cool to make it.?

Despite the success so far this season, it won?t mean as much without making noise in the postseason.

?It is one of the better teams to go through as far as dual record,? Van Weelden said ?We still need to make our impact at the state level, so there?s work to be done. There were some teams back in the late ?80s and early ?90s, there were some great teams and great individuals who came through. We aren?t there yet, but maybe this year we?ll get over that hump.?

Hazelett, who finished third at districts last season at 126 pounds, will also be looking to make his first state appearance as an individual and figures to have No. 6 ranked Brennan Swafford from Mediapolis as his top competition.

?Freshman year I didn?t wrestle varsity, and last year I fell short and got third in a tough bracket,? Hazelett said. ?I?m trying to get some work in so I can make state this year. I want to very badly. It would mean a lot to me.?

Last season, the Demons had two wrestlers finish in third at the district tournament, with four others finishing one spot away from advancing out of sectionals.

?The motivation is to move on,? Van Weelden said. ?Internally, they have to have that. If they don?t have that internally, they aren?t going to move on. Hopefully we get 14-out-of-14 (moving on to sectionals). They are doing what we ask, and if they do that to the best of their ability, they will move on.?

Another Demon who is looking to make an impact in the postseason is freshman Walker Ikerd, who has a tough draw in his first sectional tournament.

No. 2 ranked Josh Keller (Columbus) and No. 6 ranked Duncan McCain (Mid-Prairie) will also be looking to advance out of the sectional in that bracket, but Ikerd isn?t letting that affect his approach to the weekend.

?I think if I put my head to it, I can beat either of them, and do really well against them,? Ikerd said. ?I wanted to have a winning record. Now that I?ve done that, I?ve changed my goal to making it to state as a freshman.?

Ikerd won?t look at himself as an underdog when Saturday hits, as he has posted a record of 35-7 in the 113-pound weight class on the season, but with a pair of ranked opponents ahead of him, his path out of Saturday?s tournament won?t be easy.

?I?m pretty proud of the season I?ve had,? Ikerd said. ?It?s been better than I thought I would. As a freshman, I?ve been told I?m doing well. I hope I can just keep progressing.?

With it being his first high school postseason tournament, Ikerd?s head coach doesn?t want to see anything different out of him as he prepares for the test.

?He just needs to keep doing what he?s doing,? Van Weelden said. ?He needs to go in with the mindset that he?s going to get through, and he can?t go in with a defeatist attitude. He?s a tough kid, and he just needs to get going. On paper, he might be the underdog, but I like Walker, and all he can do is go in and battle. I?ll be happy with the outcome if he wrestles hard for six minutes.?

In the other classes, there will be two ranked competitors in the 132-pound weight class with No. 3 ranked Shea Swafford from Mediapolis and Washington?s No. 8 ranked Kyle Anderson.

The 145-pound weight class, which will feature Demon senior Michael Ellingson (34-10), will hold No. 5 ranked Mason Buster from Mediapolis, while the 152-pound weight class will hold Washington?s No. 10 ranked Trey Van Weelden (40-2).

Washington?s Bryce Rickey?s 170-pound bracket will feature Columbus? No. 3 ranked Tucker Morrison, while at 182 pounds, Karlton Skubal will look to get past No. 9 ranked Luke Erickson from Mediapolis.

At 195 pounds, No. 7 ranked Visouth Peterschmidt of Mid-Prairie and Mediapolis? No. 8 ranked Ethan Timmerman will make it a tough bracket to advance from, and at 220 pounds, Mid-Prairie?s No. 6 ranked Levi Duwa will look to fill one of the district advancing slots.

However, as Saturday quickly approaches, these wrestlers know that a ranking is anything but a lock to advance.

?Wrestling is a cruel sport,? Van Weelden said. ?Some kids will get through that shouldn?t, and some won?t that should. That?s the way it works.?

The sectional tournament at Mediapolis will kick off at noon on Saturday