Washington freshman Garrett Ikerd works an ankle in the Demons’ regional championship dual versus the Williamsburg Raiders. Photo by KCII’s Sally Hart.

After four straight years of coming up short, the No. 7 Washington Demon wrestling team jumped over a milestone hurdle Tuesday. The Demons were one of eight host schools for the Class 2A Regional Dual tournament, welcoming No. 10 Mediapolis (17-5 overall), No. 11 Williamsburg (18-5 overall), and the West Liberty Comets (19-6 overall) to Washington High School for the state qualifying event. For the first time in program history, Washington wrestling has clinched a spot in the state dual tournament, defeating West Liberty 55-21 in the semifinal round and conquering the Williamsburg Raiders in the title bout, 39-19.

The semifinal round saw the Demons win seven matches by fall, one by major decision, one by decision, and one by forfeit. Twelve of the 21 points by the Comets came on forfeited matches by Washington.

The regional championship round saw the Demons score the final 31 points of the dual, overcoming an 11-point deficit for a 39-19 victory to the Williamsburg Raiders. Williamsburg was the only team to beat Washington in a dual meet this season, defeating the Demons 43-27 on January 28. Washington had three wrestlers pin both of their regional dual opponents, including David Hora (120), Andrew Waite (126), and Michael Ellingson (145).

The Demons advance to the state dual tournament next Wednesday at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, where they will face the Davenport Assumption Knights (17-1 overall) in the quarterfinal round. The Knights have won 17 of their 18 duals they have competed in this season and are seeded No. 2 in the state dual bracket. Play-by-play coverage of Washington’s regional duals can be found OnDemand at KCIIRadio.com and photos are on the KCII Radio Facebook page.