The Washington Demons survived another close call with a conference foe to start the football season 3-0 for the first time in four years, defeating Fairfield 34-26 Friday night at Case Field.
Washington couldn’t have asked for a better start, as they marched 78 yards in nine plays on the opening possession of the game. Even without senior starting quarterback Logan McDole, junior Kael Williams guided the Demons down the field and finished off a run-heavy first drive with a four-yard touchdown carry.
Fairfield answered by moving the ball 60-plus yards in eight run plays and scoring on a 30-yard TD scamper by senior Luke Konczal, but the Trojans missed the tying extra-point kick.
The game stayed 7-6 until late in the first half. A botched snap on a Fairfield punt attempt set up Washington near midfield in the final 30 seconds of the second quarter, and Williams managed to turn what looked like a sure sack into a 56-yard scramble for a score that would put the Demons ahead 14-6 at halftime.
The Trojans started the third quarter strong by taking the first possession of the second half right down the field. Washington got them to a fourth-and-goal, but quarterback Voss Richardson completed a four-yard pass to tight end Spencer McCready for a touchdown.
The Demons would stop the potential tying two-point conversion to stay in front, and they would build on their lead early in the fourth quarter. A long drive that included a 21-yard scramble by Williams and a 45-yard pass from Williams to senior Mason Morgan would set up junior Caden Grenier to rush 16 yards for a TD and a 21-12 lead.
Fairfield responded by using their pass game to move downfield, with long completions setting up a red-zone opportunity and sophomore Ethan Bisgard catching a screen pass on third and goal that he took 16 yards to the end zone to ultimately make it a two-point game again.
Washington got another long scoring run of 53 yards from Williams on their next possession to push the lead out to 28-19, but Bisgard returned the ensuing kickoff more than 80 yards to the house to again pull the Trojans within two points.
The Demons looked like they might put the game out of reach after getting the ball back with seven minutes to play, using a long drive to set up a one-yard plunge by Williams for his fourth touchdown of the game with just over two minutes to go.
But the extra-point attempt was missed, keeping Fairfield only down one possession. The Trojans were able to get into the red zone in the final minute, but Washington forced them into third and goal, and after Richardson was pressured, his attempt at a pass was intercepted by senior Jude Carter to put away the Demon win.
Williams had a huge night running the ball for Washington, piling up a career-high 234 yards on 22 carries. The junior also completed five out of eight pass attempts for 116 yards in his first career start at quarterback.
Morgan caught two of those passes for a total of 98 yards, while Grenier added 56 rushing yards on eight attempts. In addition to his game-sealing pick, Carter led the Demon defense with eight tackles.
Fellow senior Keider Gomez-Valdez added six tackles and a sack on the line, while Greiner and Williams had six-and-a-half stops each. After the game, Washington head coach Kelly Williams told KCII Sports that his team rose up once again to tackle the challenge placed in front of them.
“I challenged our kids at our pregame meal,” Williams said, “and I said that we’re going to hit some adversity, and we got some before the game even started. And so I just challenged them, and they just kept bowing their back.”
The Demons not only remain unbeaten on the season but also move to 2-0 in the Southeast Conference. Washington will try keep up their perfect start when they next travel to take on Grinnell this coming Friday. You can tune in for Demon football on KCII starting with pregame coverage this Friday evening at 7 o’clock on 106.1 FM.