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Washington Evening Journal
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Washington, IA 52353
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Panthers and Demons go at it
Mt. Pleasant, Washington football teams try to get on right track with rivalry showdown
WASHINGTON — The Washington-Mt. Pleasant football rivalry will be renewed at Case Field on Friday night, and both teams are more than hungry for a win.
Hosting Washington comes into it’s Homecoming game against the rival Panthers with a 1-4 record. The Demons’ lone win was a 32-7 shut down against Burlington, but since then, Washington has hit a three-game slide.
Washington is coming off a tough night in Keokuk, in which the Chiefs shut the Demons down 47-0.
On the other hand, Mt. Pleasant is 0-5, and coming off a loss at its own Homecoming, where state-ranked Mount Vernon rolled 76-14.
The Panthers are looking for their first win against Washington since 2008. That year, Mt. Pleasant rolled to a 50-19 win at Case Field.
Since then, the Demons have rattled off 12-straight wins in the rivalry. That includes four games that were decided by five points or less, but it has been all Washington in the last three years, including a 54-20 Demon win in Mt. Pleasant last fall.
Washington quarterback Logan McDole has thrown for 501 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions this season. He has also scampered for 283 yards and three scores. Kael Williams has run for 321 yards and five touchdowns.
Mason Morgan leads the offense with 14 catches for 275 yards and four scores. So far, Morgan is the only Demon to eclipse 100 yards receiving.
Senior Casen Evans has been a menace on defense for the Demons so far, coming away with 40.5 tackles. Washington has four takeaways on the year, including three fumble recoveries and an interception by Morgan.
Mt. Pleasant’s offense has changed up in the last two weeks, as Payton Walker and Cooper Coleman have both shared time at quarterback.
Coleman started the year under center. Coleman has completed nine passes this year for 89 yards, and has thrown one touchdown but has gotten picked off six times.
Walker has thrown for 313 yards, three touchdowns and five interceptions this year. He has also rushed for a team-leading 347 yards and three scores.
Jurha Turner was a top player for the Panthers early in the season, but hasn’t played since the first play of Week 3. Turner still is the team’s second-leading rusher, with 207 yards.
Payson Coleman has caught eight passes for 203 yards for Mt. Pleasant. He scored twice last week, which puts him in a tie with Turner (102 yards, 2 TDs) for most receiving scores on the team.
Walker leads the Mt. Pleasant defense with 37 tackles. The defense has two fumble recoveries on the year, including a 42-yard fumble return by Turner.
Mt. Pleasant also has two kick return touchdowns. Turner and Jackson Newman have both taken a kick back to the end zone.
The two teams will clash at 7 p.m. There is no freshman game before the varsity.
