The Washington wrestling team went 3-1 in Southeast Conference duals this season, which was good for second in the conference. Despite finishing behind Fort Madison in the dual season, though, Washington easily had the most success when all was said and done.
First of all, the Demons had the same amount of state qualifiers as Fort Madison and Mount Pleasant put together. At the state tournament, they finished with more points than the other three SEC schools that sent anyone (Fort Madison, Keokuk and Mount Pleasant) put together, mainly thanks to Tristin Westphal’s state title run.
The Demons also ran away with their sectional to secure their place in the regional duals round, a feat which Fort Madison also accomplished. The Demons got the worse draw by far, losing to the eventual state champions in West Delaware compared to Fort Madison’s draw of North Scott, who beat the Bloodhounds but didn’t make it to state. Washington took a goose egg on the scoreboard in their regional dual, but that was more due to coach Van Weelden’s strategy than anything else.
So even though they didn’t win the conference outright this season, the Demon wrestling team still has plenty to brag about. This year’s team will say goodbye to seven of their usual 12 wrestlers and bring back the remaining five, including state qualifier Dillan Sanders.