Demons take sixth at State

When the Washington wrestling team took the mats on Wednesday, it was a historic moment.

For the first time as a dual team, the Demons announced their presence as a force in the state of Iowa, wrestling in the State dual tournament.

After facing the eventual state champions in the first round of the tournament, Washington picked up its first-ever dual tournament win in the consolation semis, before being edged out in the fifth-place match, finishing in sixth place, after coming in to the tournament as the No. 7 seed.

?Just winning a dual helps us gain some respect across the state,? Washington head coach Brent Van Weelden said. ?We went in as a 7 seed, and ended up sixth. I?m proud of the guys. They did a nice job. There were some places where we maybe could have done a little better, but overall it was a good experience for everyone.?

Washington?s wrestlers started off the day against a Davenport Assumption team that ended up as the state champions. That challenge showed on the mats, as Assumption jumped out to a 40-18 victory, which included the Knights giving up the final two matches to forfeit.

While the Demons were behind for the entire dual, they were fighting early, as the first six losses were held to one major decision and five decisions.

Washington got on the board first at 195 pounds, when Tanner Murphy earned a takedown in a thrilling 9-7 sudden victory, but Washington was down 19-3 at that point through six matches.

A pair of pins at the 220 and heavyweight classes put the Demons in a hole they couldn?t dig out of, despit a 3-2 decision victory for Walker Ikerd at 113 pounds.

Andrew Waite and Kyle Anderson earned forfeit victories to round out the scoring for Washington.

In the second dual of the day, Washington had to grind it out, as the Demons and Sergeant Bluff-Luton traded matches early to a 9-9 tie through four matches.

A Karlton Skubal pin put Washington back on top, but a pair of victories from the Warriors put them in the lead 17-15

A 47-second pin from Mitchell Huisenga preceded a pair of convincing decision victories from Garrett and Walker Ikerd to put Washington back on top 25-17.

SBL responded with a pair of pin falls to lead 29-25, but Kyle Anderson earned a pin to put Washington back on top for good, with Austin Hazelett icing the dual with a 14-4 major decision.

?There?s a little bit of pressure, obviously,? Van Weelden said. ?I don?t know how much they put on themselves, but they are both pretty good wrestlers, so we were pretty confident going into those last two matches that we should be OK. Anything can happen, but we were pretty confident.?

In the fifth-place dual against Independence, Trey Van Weelden won the first match with a 4-1 decision, but it didn?t stop Washington from falling in an early hole.

Independence rattled off six straight victories, which included three pin falls to take a 27-3 lead.

Garrett Ikerd picked up a 4-0 decision victory, but it was quickly wiped out by a Indee victory at 113.

David Hora earned a 10-5 sudden victory in his match at 120, while Waite wasted no time in getting a 30-second pin at 126, followed by a 4-3 decision victory by Kyle Anderson, before Washington senior Michael Ellingson picked up a pin at 2:36 to wrap up his career, as the Demons fell short.

The day marked the final duals for three Washington seniors in Ellingson (145 pounds), Bryce Rickey (170 pounds) and Oscar German (220 pounds), and their contributions meant a lot to a team that will be remembered in the Washington history books.

?When it was over, we gave them a hug, and we thanked them,? Van Weelden said. ?We appreciated all their efforts, and everything they?ve gone through. They appreciate being able to talk about this the rest of their lives, and being the first team to do it. They have a lot to be proud of.?

In the other 11 weight classes, the Demons figure to have most, if not all, helping the team look to make it back-to-back state appearances as a team, utilizing this big-stage experience.

?Anytime you can wrestled in a big place like that, in front of crowds like that, it helps with your confidence,? Van Weelden said. ?Next year, if we make it back, everyone will know how it works, and understand that we?ll need to be a little more prepared for the first one. Our returners will hopefully get back again, and they?ll learn from this experience.?

The Demons will have four individuals (Hazelett, Waite, Westphal-Edwards and Trey Van Weelden) wrestling in the state individual tournament, which begins at 6 p.m. on Thursday evening.

For those four, the expectation is simple. Keep winning.

?Win,? Brent Van Weelden said. ?They need to go try and win their first match and be done for the day. Our expectation is to go out and win. We aren?t going to go into anything hoping to lose. If you go six minutes, anything can happen.?