Demons withstand Hounds

After an emotional win a week ago, the Washington football team found themselves in a dogfight against Fort Madison on Friday night.

The Bloodhounds fought to keep things tied with the Demons late in the third quarter, but a late spark pushed Washington the rest of the way, outscoring Fort Madison 19-0 after that point, and claiming the 54-35 victory.

The win marks the fifth straight for the Demons (5-1, 3-0 in district play), as they prepare for the homecoming against Keokuk this week.

?I say it a lot every week, but we put these kids in adverse situations on a daily basis,? Washington head coach Garrison Carter said. ?It?s by design. When adversity hits, hopefully they can respond and overcome. They are a resilient bunch and made plays when we had to make them.?

Fort Madison claimed an early lead in the game, picking off Washington sophomore quarterback Ryan Reighard, and converting it to points on a 1-yard touchdown run by Austin Brune.

The Demons exploded after the Bloodhounds? score, using a kickoff return touchdown by junior Trey Van Weelden to get on the board, followed by Reighard finding fellow sophomore Jaivonn Willis for a score.

?Our kickoff return has been pretty sound, we just haven?t been able to get to the end zone yet,? Carter said. ?Trey did a great job and it was well blocked. That was a big play in the game.?

Washington senior Jack Giardino also found the end zone in the first quarter, punching the ball in from 1 yard out to give Washington a 21-7 lead after the first 12 minutes of play.

Fort Madison worked its way back with a pair of second-quarter touchdowns to tie the game up, with Brune sprinting 39 yards for a touchdown, and Nolan Pauley punching in a touchdown run.

After the Bloodhounds tied the game up, Reighard found Willis for the second time to give the Demons a 28-21 lead going into halftime.

Washington carried that momentum into the second half, as Reighard found the end zone on a 10-yard rush, before Fort Madison rallied back into the game.

Pauley and Brune each added another touchdown to their game as the Bloodhounds tied the game up at 35 in the third quarter, but the Demons found another spark to close out the game.

A 21-yard touchdown reception by senior Ethan Hansen put the Demons in front, and on the ensuing possession, Giardino picked off a Fort Madison pass and scampered 65 yards for a defensive score.

Washington put the game on ice halfway through the fourth quarter when Reighard punched the ball in from 4 yards out, as they claimed a district victory.

Reighard finished the night with 130 yards passing on 8-of-15 passing, recording three touchdown passes in the game, while adding a pair of rushing touchdowns and a team-high 143 rushing yards.

Giardino had 135 rushing yards on the night, while recording 4.5 tackles and two interceptions in the game.

?Jack is our emotional leader,? Carter said. ?When he has big games, we are going to be successful. He had big plays at big moments where he put the team on his back.?

Willis and Hansen each caught four passes, with Willis recording 73 yards, and Hansen adding 65.

Defensively, sophomore Tanner Murphy had a team-high nine tackles in the contest.

Washington?s homecoming game against Keokuk will be on Friday night at 7:30 p.m.