Washington holds off Burlington

Kael Williams jogged to the sideline during Washington’s second drive of the third quarter against Burlington. The Demons quarterback picked up a cramp after a short run on second down.

The solution: A bottle of mustard on the sideline from which Williams reluctantly took a couple of shots.

“I’m a picky eater and I don’t eat mustard,” Williams said. “I’ll throw it away. I usually drink pickle juice (for cramps), but I guess that’s supposed to slow it down. It worked, but I just wanted to puke.”

The mustard-fueled Williams returned for the Demons next play. He picked up 12 yards on third-and-4, then capped off a 99-yard drive with a 13-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-1 to give the Demons a 16-7 lead.

Washington hung on to win 16-14. The Demons (1-2) bounced back in their first home game after road losses to Mid-Prairie and Independence.

“It’s a testament to the players,” coach Kelly Williams said. “They put in a lot of work the past two weeks. It wasn’t easy at times, but they didn’t point any fingers. They just came back to work every day and I want to thank them for that.”

Kael Williams finished the game with 157 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries. Along with the mustard, Washington was also powered by strong defense, which forced two turnovers and made a goal line stand to keep a 10-7 advantage and set up the lengthy 99-yard touchdown drive that extended into the fourth quarter.

The Demons needed one final stop after Burlington found the end zone on its next drive and made it 16-14. The Grayhounds got the ball back on the Washington 48 after a 38-yard punt return by Javion Watts.

After crossing into Washington territory, Burlington attempted an option play on third-and-1. Washington sniffed it out, and Grayhounds running back Keshawn Wyldon mishandled the pitch from quarterback Caden Zaugg. Burlington fell on the fumble but lost nine yards on the play.

Zaugg was unable to find a receiver on a last-gasp fourth down pass. Washington took over and knelt out the win.

Zaugg and Wyldon scored both of Burlington’s touchdowns on the ground, but Washington help up well against both players. Wyldon finished with 100 yards and a score. But the Burlington senior was unable to replicate his performance in Week 2 against Oskaloosa, when he has 338 yards and four TD’s on just 16 carries.

“We challenged the defense,” Kelly Williams said. “We told them right away on Monday that we’re going to stop the run. We’re going to put as many guys in the box (as possible). We’re going to force them to pass the ball, and I think you saw that.”

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Zaugg completed 6 of 15 passes for 108 yards and two interceptions. He thew his second pick in end zone when Washington’s Liam Roberts jumped in front of the intended Greyhounds receiver.

Washington relied almost exclusively on the ground itself to generate offense. The Demons racked up 187 rushing yards and Williams attempted just eight passes.

The Demons attack still cashed in thanks to consistent offensive line play. Washington went up 10-0 in the first quarter after a 57-yard touchdown run by Williams.

“Our guys knew they’re going to be beat up, they’re going to be tired,” Kael Williams said. “But they did not give up and we spread them out and our O-line, I mean, there was times they had guys pushed back five yards and I didn’t get touched on that one big one. That’s all them.”

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Williams also got in on the action defensively. The Grayhounds started the game with the ball, but instead of silencing the Washington crowd early, Zaugg was hit as he threw the ball by Rudy Wolfe, and Williams dove to pick it off. Washington turned the takeaway into a 33-yard field goal by Braedon Tappan to go up 3-0.

Washington will look to keep its home momentum going when it faces Oskaloosa in its next game. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at Case Field. The game will be streamed on the Southeast Iowa Live YouTube and Facebook pages.