Demons trounce Osky

Washington showed off its offensive explosiveness Friday. The Demons followed up a 16-14 rock fight win over Burlington in Week 3 with a 42-7 demolition of Oskaloosa on Senior Night at Case Field.

Quarterback Kael Williams made it back-to-back games with explosive run plays. Williams knifed through the Oskaloosa defense for a 63-yard touchdown to make it 13-0 Washington and break the game open in the second quarter.

One of nine Washington seniors honored before kickoff, Williams capped off a Senior Night to remember with 175 rushing yards and four touchdowns in the win. His fourth score was a 31-yard run where he fooled the Indians defense with a fake sweep.

“(Oskaloosa) showed a lot of fronts on film and they did today, too, and I just knew that I had to keep my eye on my read guy and make the defense wrong,” Williams said. “And the O-Line just paved the way for me all night.”

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As a team, Washington out gained Oskaloosa 327-88. The Demons younger players also ensured Senior Night didn’t come with any scares for Williams and his fellow upperclassmen.

Sophomore Liam Roberts scored a 11-yard touchdown on a jet sweep in the third quarter. Junior Nic Stone added a seven-yard touchdown run after he replaced Williams at quarterback in the fourth. For a second straight game, the Demons offensive line won the battle at the line of scrimmage.

“We set some goals at the start of the game to do it for the seniors, and I feel like we really capitalized on that and went and did it for them,” junior offensive lineman Greyson Hartman said, “It’s great to have these seniors here. They’re friends and they’re good. There’s nobody else I want to fight for.”

Oskaloosa’s only scoring drive included back-to-back personal foul and face mask calls on the Demons. Indians starting quarterback Tyler Edgar scored with a 14-yard run one play later.

Despite the penalties, Washington’s defense still played a big part in the victory. Senior Rudy Wolfe fell on a fumble in the second quarter that set up Williams’ third touchdown of the first half. Washington held Edgar to just 2 of 10 passing and Caden Greiner picked off backup Coleton Fawcett’s first pass attempt in the fourth quarter.

“We'll challenge our guys,” coach Kelly Williams said. “That's the part of it. I told them that in my 12 years of watching football, I've never watched a perfect film yet. So there's always something that we can correct, and we can clean that up. But it's just a testament to the seniors and the leadership that they have coming to work every day, and we're getting better each week and at the right time.”

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A flag-filled game didn’t hold Washington back on offense, either. Oskaloosa was unable to capitalize on a Williams fumble that ended a Demons opening drive that two plays earlier saw a Roberts 41-yard run called back for holding.

A bobbled snap on an Oskaloosa punt set Washington up at the Indians’ 32-yard line in the dying seconds of the first quarter. Three players later, Williams found the end zone from nine yards out to begin the second period.

Washington nearly scored with its first snap of the drive. Roberts took a reverse, flipped the ball to Stone, who lofted a pass to a wide open Williams. The trick play didn’t pay off as Williams wasn’t able to haul it in, but Kelly Williams teased that it won’t be the last time Washington incorporates some flair in its offensive play calls.

“So we we had the offense, they can draw up a play,” Williams said. “They drew up, I think two or three of them, and then the offensive coaching staff gets to look at it and then we'll implement it.”

The Demons will now look ahead to a district bout against rival Mount Pleasant. The Panthers (3-1) suffered their first defeat of the season 49-27 to Central DeWitt on Friday.

Mount Pleasant’s matchup with Washington is the Panthers homecoming game. Kickoff between the two rivals is set for 7:30 p.m. Friday at Mapleleaf Athletic Complex. The game will be streamed on the Mount Pleasant Live YouTube channel.