The Washington Demons picked up their first victory of the 2023 football season by defeating conference rival Burlington 32-7 Friday night in the home opener. It was actually Burlington who got off to the fast start at Case Field, using a 33-yard pass completion on fourth down to set up first and goal, and two plays later, quarterback Gabe Robinson scored on a three-yard rushing touchdown.

But after a three-and-out on their opening offensive possession, the Demons came to life. Quarterback Logan McDole followed up a defensive stop by making big plays with his legs, including a five-yard rushing TD and two-point conversion that gave Washington an 8-7 lead by the end of the first quarter.

After another stop, McDole connected with junior wide receiver Mason Morgan for a 21-yard touchdown pass before running in another conversion to build the lead to 16-7. Late in the first half, facing third and 10 at his own 28, McDole lifted a jump-ball pass that Morgan hauled in and raced the remaining way to finish off a 72-yard catch-and-run. McDole completed a pass on the two-point attempt that gave Washington a 24-7 lead heading into halftime.

From there, the Demon defense dominated. Washington held Burlington to 200 total yards and made four fourth-down stops, shutting the Greyhounds down. A rushing TD from sophomore Kael Williams late in the third quarter capped the scoring for the Demons.

McDole led the Demon offense with 108 yards passing and also rushed for a team-high 82 yards on 19 carries. In addition to starting Southeast Conference play with a victory, Washington bounces back from a Week One loss to Oskaloosa. The Demons will try to keep it rolling this Friday night when they visit Fairfield, a game you can hear starting at 6:30 on 106.1 FM KCII.