?Swarming? to a win streak

Aside from two plays, it?s been a series of weeks to write home about for the Washington football defense.

A 65-yard pass and a 17-yard pass (set up by a long kick return) are the only two red marks that reside on the Demon?s defense book over the past three weeks, as they have led a three-game winning streak.

Washington, who is currently ranked No. 16 in Class 3A, sits 3-1 (2-0 in district play), and the defense has given up an average of four points per game in victories over Marion, Clear Creek-Amana and Fairfield, with all 12 points coming against Marion.

Clear Creek found the end zone against Washington, but it came on a punt block which was returned for a score.

This stretch comes after giving up 42 points in the season-opener against No. 1 ranked Pella, the only blemish on the 2015 record.

?After that Pella game, we felt like we didn?t do enough,? senior linebacker Michael Ellingson said. ?That got us going, and we stepped up in these last few games. I think if we carry that on, we?ll have success in the future.?

While the players are using the game against Pella as motivation, Demons head coach Garrison Carter said the 42-24 loss to the No. 1 team in the state was nothing to get overly discouraged about.

?Pella is a whole other animal, because they are the No. 1 team in the state for a reason,? Carter said. ?After that, I don?t think we?ve let any team put together a legitimate touchdown drive against us. It?s a credit to these kids and a credit to the work they put in the offseason.?

That offseason work began quickly after the season, as the Demon defense graduated seven of its top nine tacklers from 2014.

This year, it?s been a crop of newcomers jumping into key roles for the team, as the two top returning tacklers (senior Jack Giardino and junior Karlton Skubal) find themselves ranked fourth and sixth on the team in tackles in 2015.

Ellingson has established himself as a force on the outside of the linebacker corps, exploding for 11.5 tackles (7 for a loss) and two sacks in last week?s district victory over Fairfield, and currently leads the team with 27 tackles and three sacks.

?It started after last season, because we knew we?d have some big shoes to fill,? Ellingson said. ?We were all in the weight room all summer, and we knew we had to be as big as we can. That?s really helped our success.?

After Ellingson, the infusion of young talent starts to show itself in the stat sheet, as three of the top five tacklers are juniors or sophomores who are providing a boost to the strong defense.

?We have been watching last year?s seniors play and seeing what they did right,? Washington junior Bryce Sinn said. ?I learned what they did right and what they did in the weight room and tried to model after them.?

Sinn, who has 19 tackles on the season, including three going for a loss, said the senior class has been a big help to the entire team this year.

?They?ve been huge leaders on the field,? Sinn said. ?If you are on the ground, you can almost guarantee that there is a senior there to pick you up. Even in the weight room, they are always there.?

One reason the Demons are able to be successful as they have been in what they call a ?swarm? mentality.

?A lot of times when you watch football games, the first guy isn?t the one who brings the (ballcarrier) down,? Carter said. ?It takes a second, third or fourth guy and we?ve done a tremendous job of getting there. The results speak for themselves.?

With the speed Washington has on the field, the swarming has worked out for the Demons, as they have limited opposing offenses to 136.6 total yards per game over the past three games.

?Every game we come in with the swarm mentality,? Ellingson said. ?If everyone swarms to the ball, they won?t get many yards. If we do that, they won?t score on us.?

Over the win streak, Washington defeated opponents with a combined record of 2-10, but on Friday, they will host a team that should produce much stiffer competition: No. 11 Solon.

The Demons are looking at this game as an opportunity to prove themselves against a perennial state powerhouse, and hopefully open even more eyes across the state.

?After we win this game, people will be talking about us,? Ellingson said. ?We had a lot of people hating on us at the beginning of the season, but it?ll be better when we win.?

With the big name coming to Case Field for non-district competition, the Demons aren?t going to be backing down.

?It?s huge,? Sinn said. ?We can?t wait for it.?

Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.