After losing by 10 on the road last Friday, the Washington Demon football team is back at home tonight and looking for their first win of the year, taking on Iowa City Liberty.
Last week, the Demons played an ultimately tight game in Oskaloosa, losing 30-20. After being down 24-7 at halftime, the Demon defense turned it on in the second half, allowing only one score and picking off Osky’s Cole Henry twice in two possessions.
The offense scored two touchdowns in the second half as well, both of which came from the arm of Luke Turner; a 21-yard pass to Brady Knutson and a 25-yard bomb to Cade Hennigan. The Hennigan touchdown came with about 1:20 left on the clock, leaving plenty of time to score again if an onside kick was recovered. The touchdown itself made the score 30-20, but a failed two-point conversion sealed the Demons’ fate and the Osky victory.
It’s safe to say the change in the Demons’ play between the first and second half was drastic. It was certainly a tale of two halves last week, with Oskaloosa’s first drive of the game charging down the field on big run after big run. While the second half adjustments were remarkable, head coach James Harris says the play from his guys has got to show more consistency between halves, and takes responsibility for the lack of it.
“Our kids fought their butts off in the second half. Our kids have no quit; our kids keep working hard and they’re bought into what we’re doing, so I love them for that,” Harris said. “But we’ve got to execute better in the first half. We can’t give away free plays; we’ve got free runners running, and people don’t know their jobs. It comes down to coaching and execution, so I’ve gotta get these guys ready to go.”
Despite the loss, the performance was a step up from week up in all facets of the game; especially on the offensive side. After throwing for just 65 yards and an interception against Marion, Luke Turner looked like a whole new quarterback last week, going 11 for 24 for 196 yards and two touchdowns. He also showed off his mobility, running it 22 times for 137 yards and a score. Coach Harris praised his quarterback after the game.
“He was sensational last year as a sophomore. He’s as smart and as cool of a quarterback as you can have,” Harris said. “He was dynamic in the open field tonight. Just smart, consistent; a high-quality young man who shows up every day and knows how to work, knows how to lead. We’re just very fortunate to have him on our team.”
It’s back home this week, with the Demons taking on Iowa City Liberty. It’s Hero Night at Case Field tonight, which means the game will be played in honor of those who have served; policemen, firefighters, and both veterans and active members of the military. Coach Harris says he’s honored have his team play for such a great crowd.
“There’s a lot to say. First of all, I’m just thankful for our service men and women that are all over, from our armed forces to the fire department, police officers, and all those people that do so much for us and keep our lives safe so we can go about our pedestrian lives,” Harris said.
“I’m very fortunate to have two active firefighters on my coaching staff in the Williams brothers. I feel blessed to be an American citizen, so our servicemen that provide us the freedom that we have, I’m very grateful to them for all their service. So to honor them is important to us, and I think it’s important to our community.”
Tonight’s festivities bring in an Iowa City Liberty team in their first season as a varsity program. Liberty High School opened just last year, so athletics are on the up and up. Just because they’re a new program, though, doesn’t mean they don’t have their fair share of talent.
Most of the kids in the initial zoning of Liberty High were either already attending or going to attend Iowa City West High School, who has a rich football tradition. West has been to the 4A state championship game in the UNI Dome each of the last two seasons, and it currently ranked eighth in class 4A in the most recent Associated Press rankings.
Liberty is 1-1 in its first varsity football season so far, with the Lightning playing Iowa City, City High fairly closely in week one and beating Waterloo East in week two. So even with as new as this program is, Washington can’t underestimate them.
“From what I’ve seen from on the film and the scout, they wanna play smash mouth football,” Harris said. “That being said, we need to split out in some spread formations. You never know; we’ll have to be ready. They’ve played two 4A schools, so we’ll just have to be prepared and play our best game.”
Tonight’s action can be found on FM 106.1 KCII starting at 7:00 with the Washington HyVee Pregame Show, kickoff at 7:30.