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Wash High ready to state its case

4 min read
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Reaching this stage of the season has been a topic of conversation for quite some time inside the Washington High School football team’s locker room.

Head coach Mike Bosnic hasn’t denied it.

The players, especially the seniors, haven’t shied away from saying that playing in December wasn’t an inspiration but rather an expectation.

The Prexies (13-0) will get that opportunity tonight when they face District 10 champion Wilmington (13-0) in a PIAA Class 2A semifinal game at 7 p.m. at Slippery Rock University’s Mihalik-Thompson Stadium.

The winner advances to the state championship Dec. 8 against either Southern Columbia or Dunmore at Hersheypark Stadium.

“It’s been talked about, but the kids have done such a great job with leadership this year,” Bosnic said. “Being in this position is something we’ve strived for all year. It’s a great feeling to be where we are right now.”

But Washington is where Wilmington (13-0) has frequently been.

The Greyhounds are making their sixth semifinal appearance in 12 seasons, and are one year removed from a 49-13 loss to eventual state champion Steel Valley.

“(Wilmington) is a great program,” Bosnic said. “(Coach Terry Verrelli) has been very successful for a long time. They are a well-coached team. It’s going to be quite a challenge for us.”

The biggest challenge for the Prexies will be stopping Wilmington’s Wing-T offense. The Prexies’ aggressive, attacking defense will have to show self-discipline against an offense it rarely sees.

“It’s not familiar to us,” Bosnic said. “It’s something we’ve had to focus on because it’s going to be different. We’re going to have to play square and disciplined. We can’t be overpursuing things. Hopefully, that will allow us to be successful.”

Wilmington’s defense has been accustomed to seeing opponents similar to Washington — offenses that spread the football around and try to take advantage of matchups.

What Verrelli admitted Wilmington hasn’t seen this season is the raw talent the Prexies possess.

“They definitely have the skill, that’s for sure,” Verrelli said with a chuckle. “That’s where good teams start. You have to have speed and skilled people. There might have been one team all year that we played that didn’t run their offense out of the shotgun. But nobody is going to pass if they don’t have to. You have to stop the run, and so far this season we’ve been very effective at doing that.”

Wilmington might see the most talented running back it has faced all season in Wash High senior Nick Welsh, who eclipsed the 2,000-yard mark last Saturday in the Prexies’ 37-10 victory over Steel Valley in the WPIAL championship. Welsh has 2,083 yards and 28 touchdowns.

That’s why the grind-it-out approach — gaining three or four yards per carry — will be important for the Greyhounds. Not only would it allow them to put together scoring drives, it also will keep the high-scoring Washington offense off the field.

“When a team has the skill and athletes like Washington, the key is moving the football,” Verrelli said. “(Washington) has a huge defensive line. If we can’t move them and run the ball, then it’s simple, we can’t win the game.”

What to watch:

Halftime adjustments - The sign of a good team is correcting mistakes in the little time between halves. Washington hasn’t let that time go to waste. In the eight games the Prexies have played against teams with winning records, they have outscored their opponents 118-23 in the second half.

Starting slow - There aren’t many similarities to draw between the two teams other than the 13-0 records. But one thing that stands out is both have been sluggish early in games. Washington scored a combined 25 first-half points against WPIAL-playoff teams Charleroi, Frazier and Burgettstown. The Prexies’ offense sputtered in the first two quarters of the WPIAL final before turning it on in the final 24 minutes. Wilmington, meanwhile, has been down two scores early in two games. The Greyhounds rallied to win both, but how the first quarter plays out will be important.

Short week - Both teams played last Saturday. Don’t think the aches and pains aren’t there. A short week means less time to prepare. The message Bosnic has stressed to his team is that last week, no matter how emotionally uplifting it was to win the WPIAL title, is over. Not that it is forgotten, but it has to be if the Prexies want to raise another trophy next week.

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