The fall sports season hits high gear Saturday for the Washington Demons as the cross country teams see their first action. The Demon runners travel to Anamosa. Washington is coming off of a big year for the program in 2024. The Demon boys finished the regular season ranked 11th in Class 3A, winning five meets, including their fourth straight Southeast Conference championship, led by individual SEC champ Andrew Rees. Tyler Alderton had three race wins for Washington during the year. Alderton, Rees and Parker Tschantz were All-Conference. The Demons kept it rolling at the State Qualifier at Pella, finishing as runners-up to advance to state for the second time in school history. In Fort Dodge, Washington was seventh in the team race, highlighted by a medal for Rees in 13th.
The Washington girls had a regular season with three team championships in 2024. The Demons were Southeast Conference runners-up, but Iris Dahl beat the field for the individual title, making it a three-peat. Dahl, Lauren Horak, Alyvia Anderson and Kendall Hinrichsen were All-Conference. At the qualifier, Washington got third and a bid to state. At Kennedy Park, the Demons were seventh as a group with Dahl’s medalist 13th place run the top performance. It was the first time in school history the boys and girls full teams qualified for state in the same season. This week, head coach Stephanie Haworth joined KCII on Demon media night to talk about what has her most excited for this year’s team. Haworth said, “I think everyone has put in a lot more work this summer than I have seen in the past. Just having some of the new kids that don’t have the experience coming in and pushing the older kids helps, but the boys putting in the miles, there’s definitely a difference this year. They have some big goals this year. They want to get to state and they want to place high at state. I’m excited to see where everyone is going to be!”
The Demons return Rees, Ethan Hotchkiss and Parker and Sawyer Tschantz on the varsity boys side, for the girls it’s Angeline Anderson, Maya Bruty, Iris Dahl, Emma Horak and Isobel Murphy. In the preseason team rankings from the Iowa Association of Track Coaches, the Demon boys are No. 7 in 3A and the girls 18th. In the individual 3A poll, Rees is ninth for the boys and Sawyer Tschantz 26th. For the girls, Iris Dahl is 28th. Washington will face a field today at Anamosa that includes the No. 14 in 4A Cedar Rapids Kennedy boys and their girls, Cedar Ridge Christian, the No. 18 in 1A Louisa-Muscatine boys and their girls, the No. 4 in 3A Solon girls and their boys, the No. 8 in 1A Springville boys and their girls, the No. 7 in 1A Sumner-Fredericksburg girls and their boys, the No. 18 in 2A Tipton boys and girls, Union and the home No. 9 in 2A Blue Raider boys and their girls. Action starts at 9a.m. And continues throughout the day at Anamosa.