The Washington Hatchets, like most high school football teams in the state of Indiana, are probably sick and tired of playing in the rain on muddy fields every Friday night.

But one thing the Hatchets aren’t tired of is winning sectional games.

For the second straight season, Washington will play for the Sectional 24 championship after defeating Gibson Southern 40-13 in semifinal action on Friday.

Day-long rains which continued through much of the game turned Hatchet Hollow into a muddy mess, but the conditions didn’t bother Hatchet junior halfback Joe McCormick and the Hatchet offensive line. McCormick ran for 266 yards (the second highest single game total in Hatchet history to Bud Garland’s 305 in 1957) on 25 carries and scored five touchdowns, tying McCormick with former Hatchet greats Mark Myers and Derek Graber for the school record in that category. McCormick broke tackles when the holes weren’t there, but also took advantage of superb blocking from the Hatchet offensive line — center Heath Hedrick, guards Brad Thornton and Jalen Hyde, tackles Jesus Ibarra and Aaron Kennedy, and tight end Robert Miles.

Washington coach Kelly Brashear, who credited his coaching staff for their efforts this week after he missed three days of practice due to illness, was impressed with McCormick’s record setting game.

“What a night for him (McCormick). He ran so hard, he read his blocks. His yardage after contact is what really impressed me tonight. He had that spin move after contact going tonight and he kept those feet moving and churning on these nasty field conditions. It didn’t seem to bother him” said Brashear. “And I thought our offensive line did a tremendous job tonight too.”

McCormick ran for 165 yards on 17 carries in the first half and scored three times as Washington (7-4) fronted 20-13 entering the locker room. After Gibson Southern (4-7) quarterback Jordan Scheller capped the Titans’ opening drive with an eight-yard touchdown run, followed by an extra point from Logan Deweese for a 7-0 lead exactly midway through the first quarter, McCormick and the Hatchet offense went to work.

Starting at his own 44, Washington quarterback Kurtis Anthony drove the Hatchets 56 yards in 14 plays — all on the ground — with McCormick gaining 39 yards of those yards, the last yard coming on a one-yard run on the first play of the second quarter. Tanner Fritschle’s point after tied the game at 7-7.

An end zone interception by Casey Stafford on a Scheller pass — a throw that was tipped by WHS linebacker Logan Hawthorne — stopped the Titans’ next possession and set WHS up on its own 20, but the Hatchets immediately fumbled the ball back to Gibson Southern, which turned the mistake into points shortly thereafter when Scheller hit Cameron Holzmeyer with a 10-yard pass to end a three-play scoring drive for the Titans. The extra point was wide, leaving the Titans up 13-7 with 8:16 to play in the half.

But the lead was short lived. Three plays later, McCormick, breaking several tackles, got loose in the Gibson Southern defense for a 63-yard run and a touchdown. Fritschle’s extra point was wide, leaving the game tied at 13-13.

Washington missed a golden opportunity to extend the lead when the Titans fumbled the ensuing kickoff, allowing the Hatchets to recover at the Gibson Southern 32. But that Hatchet drive would eventually be stopped on downs.

Washington forced a Titan punt, however, and it took just one play for McCormick to reach pay dirt again. This time it was from 47 yards out, and Fritschle’s extra point gave WHS a 20-13 lead 2:03 from halftime.

McCormick kept going after the half. A blocked punt by Thornton set up the Hatchets with a first down at the Titan 28. One play later it was McCormick in the end zone again. Fritschle’s boot gave WHS a 27-13 lead midway through the third quarter.

Washington moved the lead to 34-13 early in the fourth quarter on a McCormick one-yard run, which was set up by a 47-yard McCormick run.

The Hatchet defense, after a rocky start, began to dominate midway through the second quarter behind linebackers Thornton, Hawthorne and Dylan Ervin. They maintained that dominance throughout the remainder of the contest.

Ervin added a three-yard rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter for WHS.

The win was Washington’s third straight on the season, and the Hatchets appear to be peaking heading into the season’s most important game.

“This is definitely the best three-game stretch we’ve had here, starting with North Knox, then last week against Princeton and tonight with Gibson Southern,” said Brashear, whose team has now won five of its last seven sectional games dating to the 2007 tourney.

Washington will play at Evansville Memorial next Friday.