Demons turning to leadership

After graduating a hefty senior class, it would have been easy for the Washington football team to enter into a rebuilding mode.

The Class of 2016 knew that?s what people would expect, and this rebuilding year has turned into a reloading year for the Demons.

?A lot of pressure was put on the senior class this year,? Washington senior running back/defensive back Jack Giardino said. ?Nobody really thought that we would have a good season this year, so we emphasized in our senior leadership meetings how we really need to step up and take control of this team. The senior class has done a phenomenal job with that.?

The job the senior class has done has helped the No. 11 ranked Demons to a 4-1 record (2-0 in district play), including a four-game winning streak after falling to No. 1 ranked Pella in the season opener.

?Ever since eighth grade, when we were by ourselves we weren?t the best team and everyone thought we weren?t good, but now most of us start,? senior wide receiver/linebacker Ethan Hansen said. ?We?ve really taken it to heart. Me, Jack and I could name easily five other guys have really taken it to heart and now we are (proving everyone wrong).?

The senior class has been integral in the Demons? success this season, and it all boils down to believing in themselves.

?The big thing with this group is a genuine belief that they are supposed to win,? Washington head football coach Garrison Carter said. ?For a team that was preseason picked to win three games and finish second-to-last in the district, I think the belief in that is commendable. Now we control our own destiny as far as winning the district, and obviously that?s a huge credit to the time in the weight room and the senior leadership.?

Carter noted that the entire senior class goes through a six-week leadership training course in the spring and he has seen the seniors implement lessons learned from the course on the field this season

With a sophomore quarterback at the helm, that made the extra leadership equally important.

?The senior class has been helping me out a lot,? quarterback Ryan Reighard said. ?Every time before games, they are always getting us fired up and they put us in the mood to go play games.?

Washington picked up arguably its best win of the year last week, defeating Solon in a non-district matchup by 14 points. With an unblemished record in district play, Washington controls its own destiny when it looks to accomplish its goal of a district title. Its next three opponents have a combined record of 2-13, before the season finale against No. 10 ranked Assumption, who is the only other district team with a winning record.

?This week we are focusing on Fort Madison,? Hansen said. ?Each step from here it?s focusing on that team, and the goal at hand is beating each team. We are looking forward to seeing Mt. Pleasant and Joe Hess (in two weeks). It?ll be a good time.?

While the upcoming opponents don?t have impressive records, the Demons? head coach said he will be expecting his team to have the same attitude as if they were facing an undefeated squad.

?(A district title) is the focus,? Carter said. ?If you can?t get fired up to win the state or district title, then you have problems. That?s the focus on our kids right now. We split last year (with Clear Creek Amana) and we weren?t happy with that. We want to compete to win it.?

The senior class and the rest of the Demons have bought into that mentality, and plan to keep improving as the season continues.

?We are pretty confident,? Giardino said. ?We just have to keep improving. We can?t get complacent and stay at the same level, we have to keep taking two steps forward each week. These next three games could be considered easy, but the district championship is in the back of our minds, and that?s what we are striving for.?

Washington will kick off its road game against Fort Madison at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.