Bloodhounds already looking forward to next season

FORT MADISON – Locked arm in arm 16 seniors and Head Coach Derek Doherty walked the length of Jim Youel Field Friday night after wrapping up the season without a win for the first time in eight years.
The Hounds (0-9) fell to Washington (6-3) 41-21 Friday night at Richmond Stadium in Fort Madison on senior night.
The frustration of a season where the Bloodhounds just couldn’t seem to figure out their identity, boiled over in the second half when an assistant coach was ejected after making contact with an official at the sidelines.
The Hounds’ Noah Swigart had just picked off a pass and ran about 25 yards back and forth between the sidelines trying to find an opening. The Demons then stripped the ball out of Swigart's hands and recovered it. A flag was thrown for holding on Fort Madison after the interception and the ball was given back to the Demons’ with a 10-yard advancement and 1st and 10. The call set the Hounds' sideline off in a frenzy fueled by yet another loss, an 0-9 season, and some visceral interactions with the officials from the opening kick.
But Doherty focused on his seniors after the game.
“These are phenomenal young men. Guys that fight. Guys that don’t quit. They didn’t quit once this season even when we were playing bad football and couldn’t figure it out. They came to practice and they would work hard,” he said.
“They’re going to be successful in the future and that’s what I told them in the endzone. 'Yeah, this football season sucked, but it’s a small part of your life. And if you fight like that through life you’re going to be successful.”
Fort Madison came within a sniff of getting their first win of the season last week with Mt. Pleasant winning by a field goal in the final seconds.
This week the Hounds were tied 7-7 after Swigart jumped a route on the visitor's side of the field and raced 13 yards for the score in the first quarter..
The Hound defense held on the next Washington possession and forced a three and out.  Fort Madison then marched 73 yards to the 23 and sent in senior kicker Henry Graham to try a 38-yard field goal. A bad snap kept Graham from getting a kick off and Fort Madison came away with no points.

Washington would score four plays later on a 49-yard catch and run from Logan McDole to to Kael Williams for a 14-7 Washington lead they would never give up.
Washington would push the lead to 21-7 at the half off another McDole scoring strike this time to Mason Morgan in the middle of the endzone from 25 yards out on 2nd and 7. They would extend the lead to 41-7 before Fort Madison could stop the bleeding.
Guzman got the first Bloodhound touchdown of the night with an 8-yard run and then Fort Madison’s defense would hold. Guzman would score again on the next Bloodhound possession finding Brody Cashman on crossing pattern to the Fort Madison 4-yard line where Guzman would punch it in and then score the  2-point conversion for the final 41-21 score.
Doherty said no one likes season such as this one and he has work to do.
“I’ve got to get to work. I’ve got a lot of things to figure out. I’m going to work myself into the ground to figure this out. These kids deserve a better season, and I want to produce that for them. It’s hard. It’s really hard.”
But he said there were some flashes of the future for the program. For example, freshman Mo Thacher gained 91 yards on 11 carries and almost broke away for a score in the 4th quarter. Stefan Berlett had flashes during the season at quarterback, and there is potential in the interior on offense and defense.
Guzman ended up with 25 yards on 12 carries and two touchdowns.  He was also 11 of 23 for 89 yards through the air. Guzman looked deep to Cashman multiple times. Cashman caught four of 12 targets for 49 yards. Guzman led the Hounds in tackles as well with 4.5.
Doherty said despite the rough year, there are lessons to learn and messages to send.
“I love them, and I don’t do a great job of expressing my feelings all the time. I’m a demanding guy and I don’t do the best job of telling them that and showing them, but I’m always here. This is lifelong for me. We talked family. That’s not for these four years, that’s for life,” Doherty said.
“I’m excited for the future. If our young guys do the right things we’re going to be OK. That’s got to be the plan, and I know the staff and the kids are going to take a little break from football. But then we have to start thinking and that’s playing multiple sports, getting in the weight room, doing all the right things."
“Effort attitude and toughness. That’s been our message as we came together as a staff six years ago. In the good seasons and now the bad season, the message has been the same about the standard of football. I know people are getting tired of hearing that from us, but that’s what it is. That’s the only thing we’ve ever asked of our kids.”