First hits of the season

If you drove past Case Field over the weekend, the familiar sounds of fall were coming from the football field.

Eight schools attended Washington?s inaugural Southeast Iowa Football Camp over the weekend, as they looked to get a head start on the season.

The camp consisted of multiple full-pad scrimmages, Army Leadership Training and an individual practice with coaches from Iowa Wesleyan.

?I think it was fantastic,? Washington head football coach Garrison Carter said. ?It?s something that we?ve done for a couple of years. We?ve gone up to the Simpson camp where they run things similarly, and to host it is really nice for our kids.?

By hosting the camp this season, the Demons were able to invite schools such as Mt. Pleasant, Ottumwa, Alburnett and Central Lee to participate at Case Field, and Carter hopes it?s something that catches on.

?We are extremely hopeful that we can continue to host this,? Carter said. ?It was a great experience for our kids and a great fundraiser for our program. We are extremely happy with how it went.?

Despite the weekend heat, the Demons were playing with intensity and really impressed the coaching staff with the first full-team look.

?They were excited,? Carter said. ?I can?t stress how proud I am of our kids and how they responded to this weekend. They really rallied together nicely and we feel good about the team after watching them play.?

One of the athletes whom fans kept an eye on during the scrimmages was sophomore quarterback Ryan Reighard, who was taking the snaps with the No. 1 offense.

Regardless of who takes the snaps to open the season, the task will be daunting, as they look to replace three-year starter Daryn Sebelius, who graduated in the spring.

Sebelius threw for 1,832 yards and 16 touchdowns while being a threat with his legs, running for 1,127 yards and 17 touchdowns. With his departure, the Demons will need to find a way to begin replacing the production.

?That was a big question mark: how were we going to try to replace Daryn?? Carter said. ?We are trying to do it with a kid (Reighard) who has never played quarterback in his life. He?s a great football player. I can?t stress enough how well he played (this weekend).?

Overall, the Reighard-led Washington offense looked strong in Sunday?s scrimmage against Central Lee, and Carter said that he is happy with what he?s seen from the team.

?(The offense) did a phenomenal job,? Carter said. ?We had some seniors really step up and show that they can be leaders for us and we had some underclassmen really step up and show that they are going to be able to compete at the varsity level.?

The Demons will open up their team camp on Aug. 3, followed by the opening of official practice on Aug. 10, where they hope to continue developing their talent.

?I think our biggest goal for the preseason is to solidify our depth chart,? Carter said. ?We have a lot of young guys who need to contribute this year and we need to get them up to speed at the varsity level. We just need to grow as a team.?

Washington will open the regular season with a game against the reigning state champions, Pella, on the road on Aug. 28.