Fans at Case Field experienced an emotional rollercoaster on both sides last night and in the end it was a tough pill to swallow for the Washington football team when they were one big play short falling to Fort Madison 23-19 to close out non-district play.
As heard on KCII, after both teams traded punts the Demons got on the board late in the first when Ethan Patterson found Lucas Kroll on a 57-yard pitch and catch for a touchdown. The lead lasted two plays with the Bloodhounds’ Kane Williams racing 52 yards to pay dirt. A Washington turnover resulted in a Fort Madison (4-0) field goal to make it 10-6 and they threatened to make it a two score game right before half, but the Demons punched the ball out near the end zone. The orange and black rode that momentum into the second half when Bryce DeWolf’s blocked punt set up an explosive pass play to Kroll and was capped off by a one yard touchdown run by Patterson. The theme of answering right back continued for the road squad when they scored two minutes later to make it 17-13. The Demons got one more tally on an athletic receiving grab by Ethan Zieglowsky for a 57-yard touchdown, but Landes Williams delivered the back breaker with five minutes left when he avoided a sack and chucked the ball 40 yards to Kane Williams who did the rest to take the 23-19 lead. Washington had a pair of chances in the redzone in the final three minutes, but a fumble and interception ended the threats. The game had five lead changes with Washington holding three different advantages that totaled just four minutes. The offensive numbers could not have been more similar with Fort Madison winning the total yards battle 361-360, 14-12 in the first down department, and the Bloodhounds had 57 plays to Washington’s 54. Patterson finished 11 of 22 through the air for 285 yards and two scores with two interceptions. Kroll hauled in four passes for 126 yards and the score. The rushing game managed 75 yards on 32 carries.
Demon Head Coach Nick Ehret knows his guys are really close to breaking out. “We had some momentum plays and got some big stops. We just have to capitalize in the redzone with six and defensively we are stout, but we give up big plays that end up being the difference. It is not for a lack of effort, we just have to clean those things up and hopefully it will all come together in district play.” Fort Madison snaps at least a nine game losing skid to the Demons dating back to 2008 when varsity bound stats were available. .
Washington drops to 1-3 and the new season starts next week when they travel to Grinnell for the district opener.