On to the quarterfinals

Washington football looked like it was going to be locked in a dogfight on Monday night.

After leaping out to a 15-0 lead in the first quarter, things slowed down for the Demons against the No. 9 ranked team in Class 3A.

Carlisle scored on a 25-yard touchdown run, and both teams traded field goals to make it 18-10 at halftime.

Knowing something needed to be done to regain control of the game, Washington tried to draw something up at halftime.

That's when sophomore offensive lineman Aaron Vittetoe let his voice be heard, and it paid off on the first play of the second half.

?It was a cool deal,? Washington senior running back Jacob Hennigan said. ?That was (an option play senior quarterback Daryn Sebelius) has been reading, and we ran that play five times before and he kept it each time. At halftime, Aaron Vittetoe said 'it's comepletely open out there, just give it to him once.' Coach Carter trusted him and we went out and Aaron and I were in open space with no one to block, so I just followed him.?

Hennigan turned the play into an 80-yard touchdown run to break the game open, one of four 50-plus yard touchdown runs on the night for the Demons, as they cruised to a 46-20 victory in the second round of the playoffs.

?Hennigan, time after time these last couple weeks, has put the team on his back, and its a huge credit for the senior making plays,? first-year Washington head coach Garrison Carter said. ?It's another big win and it's on to the next one.?

In the game, Hennigan broke off touchdown runs of 59-, 69-, and 80-yards, all on option plays that are read by the senior quarterback, Sebelius.

?If I give it to him, I just know I have to carry out my fake,? Sebelius said. ?If I can get three guys, two guys or maybe just one guy to come with me. That makes a little bit of a difference. Then I see him break out and I sprint with him as fast as I can. It's a straight adrenaline rush. I love it.?

Sebelius made sure to leave his mark on the game as well.

After forcing a Carlisle punt on the opening possession of the game, Sebelius took off and turned on the afterburners, outrunning the entire Wildcat defense for a 67-yard touchdown, capped off by a two-point conversion by Hennigan.

?That was huge,? Carter said. ?They say having a quarterback in the playoffs goes a long ways and Daryn showed tonight that he was the man. He said at the start of the game that he wanted the ball in his hands, and that was it.?

Two possessions later, Hennigan broke off a 59-yard touchdown run and the Demons appeared to be in control of the game.

But Carlisle was ranked No. 9 in the state for a reason.

The Wildcats' offense started clicking in the second quarter, and got on the board when Tyrell Erb found the end zone on a 25-yard run, capping off an 8-play, 62-yard drive to make it 15-7, setting up the halftime score of 18-10.

?We knew we couldn't come out and play soft,? Sebelius said. ?The second quarter was kind of a struggle. We drew up some things on the white board and we made things work in the second half.?

After Hennigan scored on his 80-yard touchdown run, the Demons took a 25-10 lead, but Carlisle threatened again, scoring 10 unanswered points to make it 25-20 going into the fourth quarter.

Both teams traded punts, and then it was Hennigan striking once again, with a 69-yard touchdown run.

Sebelius added two more touchdowns on the ground to ice the game, but all that was possible by the play of the offensive line.

?We got our steps,? Washington senior left guard Tommy Peterson said. ?We were focusing on our steps and our techniques and we know we are good if we get those. I can just feel it when something big is going to happen. The blocks land perfect and you can tell it's going to go a long way.?

The victory comes after a hard fought first-round win over Independence on Wednesday, which may have been a blessing in disguise, according to Washington senior Thomas Bump.

?We had a first-round scare which was definitely humbling,? Bump said. ?Going into the second round we knew we were going to have to take it to them and prove that we were just as good as last year. Hopefully we can get back to the Dome.?

The Demons are now one win away from making its second straight appearance at the Dome, but there is a massive obstacle standing in their way: Pella.

The No. 1 ranked Dutch handed Washington it's first loss of the season this year (a 35-0 shutout at Case Field), and have steamrolled everyone in their path this season.

Pella's closest game of the season was against Carlisle, a 17-6 victory, with every other win coming by 24 or more points.

Regardless of the opponent, it doesn't change the mindset of this team.

?We have to keep doing the same things we have been doing,? Sebelius said. ?The offensive line has to keep rolling, and me and Jacob keep running the ball. Defensively, we are one of the best in the state, and our defensive line is probably the best in the state. We've been rolling these last couple games, and we are in good shape.?

While the philosophy is the same, the Demons might be a bit excited about facing Pella again on Friday night.

?Bring it on,? Carter said. ?We've wanted Pella again since week one.?