Wells keys Prexies’ blowout of Derry
Wash High’s Dequay Isbell (23) bolted through Derry’s line and returned the kickoff for a touchdown in the 2nd quarter at Wash High stadium Friday night.
While Derry quarterback, Sonny Stevens (11) loses the football Wash High’s Kenya Davis (25) gets past Derry’s Tyler Balega (27) and Levi Hummburger (68) to recover the fumble in the 2nd quarter at Wash High stadium Friday night.
Wash High’s Malik Wells (24) busts past Derry’s TJ Balega (23, Trey Friedline (17) and Alex Medina (75) to score a touchdown in the 2nd quarter at Wash High stadium Friday night.
Derry’s Jaymie Howe (81) appears to have an interception but Wash High’s Dequay Isbell (23) took the ball away from Howe on the way to the ground for a touchdown in the 2nd quarter at Wash High stadium Friday night.
Malik Wells figures that while the broken hand of teammate Jordan West heals, he should take advantage of the situation.
That’s what Wells, a lightning-quick, 5-9, 175-pound senior, did Friday night at Wash High Stadium.
Wells rushed for a career-high 133 yards on 12 carries and scored three touchdowns to lead Washington High School to a 48-6 rout of Derry in its Interstate Conference opener.
“I think I could have done better,” said Wells. “I think we started out slow, but we turned it up in the second quarter.”
Wells scored on a four-yard run in the second quarter and had nearly identical runs of 34 and 41 yards in the third quarter as the Prexies scored the final 41 points of the game.
“Malik has a ton of ability,” said Wash High head coach Mike Bosnic, who moved into third place on the school’s career list of winning percentage (39-16-0, .722) with the victory. “I’m happy for him that he had this success, and we think he can build off that success.”
West, who averaged 6.6 yards per carry last year in the Prexies’ rotating backfield, played the game with his left hand in a cast after injuring it last week. He had 13 yards on three carries.
Wells paced a Prexies’ offense that had an unofficial 372 yards. Quarterback Jonathan Spina threw for 138 yards and accounted for two touchdowns and Dequay Isbell had a return for a touchdown. Kurt Adkins rushed for 61 yards on four carries and also scored a touchdown.
“Jonathan is a nice athlete,” said Bosnic. “He has a good grasp of the game and will only get better and better. He’s a special athlete.”
The Prexies used their speed and passing game to build a 27-6 lead at halftime. Spina completed 6 of 9 passes for 104 yards and produced two touchdowns. He snuck over from the one-yard line with five seconds remaining in the first quarter to give Wash High a 7-0 lead. The play was set up by a 42-yard completion to tight end Nate swart.
Spina hit Kenya Davis with a 30-yard pass near the end of the half to make it 27-6. That score was set up by a fumble recovery by Davis.
Derry was able to match the Prexies’ first score, driving down the field and getting to the end zone when quarterback Trey Friedline hit Jaymie Howe with a 7-yard touchdown on a fade pattern to make it 7-6.
But Isbell returned the ensuing kickoff 72 yards for a touchdown that gave Washington a 14-6 lead. Wells capped the next Wash High drive with the four-yard run that made it 21-6.
“Washington is a well-coached team and (head coach Mike Bosnic) does a good job with them,” said Derry head coach Tim Sweeney. “They are experienced and have a lot of playmakers.”
The victory was the 39th in Mike Bosnic’s career at Washington. His 39-16-0 record gives him a winning percentage of .722, which moved him ahead of Hank Day (99-37-10) and into third place on the school’s all-time list.
Guy Montecalvo, who leads the school with 192 victories, is second at 192-71-2, .728) and Emil Dupke (59-19-3, .747) is first.
Wash High’s defense held Derry to just 101 total yards and produced two turnovers. The Trojans rushed for minus-4 yards. Friedline had a nice game, finishing with 99 yards and a touchdown that cut Washington’s lead to 7-6 in the first quarter.
“It was important we get this win,” said Wells. “We can’t be bad at anything if we expect to win games.”
Wash High’s offense set the mercy rule in place with 7:14 left in the third quarter when Wells scored one of his two touchdowns in that period.
“We were a little sloppy at times, especially early in the game,” said Bosnic. “We didn’t play our best game, we didn’t play fast, but we still won 48-6.”