Aliquippa repels spirited Wash High charge
Katie Roupe/ Observer-Reporter Aliquippa's Kaezon Pugh runs the ball for 70 yards and Wash High's Isaiah Pitts-Wallace and Kenya Davis fail to tackle during the first half of the game.
Katie Roupe/ Observer-Reporter Wash High's Kurt Adkins runs the ball past Aliquippa's Jassir Jordan for a touchdown during the first half of the game on Friday, November 14.
Katie Roupe/ Observer-Reporter Wash High's Dequay Isbell runs the ball down the field for the team's first touchdown of the night against Aliquippa on Friday, November 14.
Katie Roupe/ Observer-Reporter Wash High's Keirs Gloady breaks through the banner leading the team out on the field to compete against Aliquippa during the WPIAL playoff game on Friday, November 14.
IMPERIAL – Washington head coach Mike Bosnic wiped tears from his eyes as he passed out hugs to the players. His speech to a group of disappointed players was impactful, citing the team’s hard work over the past 12 weeks.
Despite the Prexies missing several key players because of injuries, they led Aliquippa late in the first half by causing three turnovers and making opportunistic plays on offense.
A second-half team all season with come-from-behind victories over Mt. Pleasant, Waynesburg and McGuffey, Wash High did not have one more comeback left in them.
Behind junior running back Kaezon Pugh’s 285 rushing yards and four touchdowns, Aliquippa outscored Wash High by 16 points in the second half to take a 44-26 victory to advance to the WPIAL Class AA title game at Heinz Field for a record seventh consecutive season.
The Prexies’ season ends with an 11-1 record, while Aliquippa will face South Fayette in a battle of 12-0 teams for the WPIAL Class AA championship next Friday at 5 p.m.
“I’m really proud of our kids. We came in shorthanded,” Bosnic said. “We had to make some adjustments and some young guys had to step up. It just wasn’t quite enough to win.”
Pugh, a bruising 205-pound tailback with Division I offers from West Virginia and Pitt, exploited a decimated Wash High defense, which was missing Jordan West and Matt Popeck. He rushed for touchdowns of one, nine, 12 and 12 yards to push the Quips into the title game.
He also set up the Quips’ two other touchdowns with long runs.
“Washington made enough plays to win that game, but we buckled down when we had to,” Aliquippa head coach Mike Zmijanac said. “Kaezon was incredible tonight. He really benefitted from sitting behind the seniors last year and the results are showing.”
While the score does not indicate it, the win did not come easy for the Quips. After Pugh gave them an early lead, Wash High senior quarterback Jonathan Spina turned a play broken because of a high snap into a 60-yard touchdown pass to DeQuay Isbell.
Aliquippa regained the lead late in the first quarter after a 40-yard run by Pugh put Aliquippa at the goal line and quarterback Darrien Fields ran it in for a one-yard touchdown.
The Prexies quickly answered with touchdowns on back-to-back drives. First it was Spina’s one-yard touchdown run and they took the lead on the first play of Wash High’s next drive when junior running back Kurt Adkins, who finished with 145 rushing yards, cut right and wove his way around defenders for a 67-yard, go-ahead touchdown with 9:27 to play in the first half.
“We kept pushing and kept our heads up,” Pugh said. “We were scared at first when they took the lead, but it’s a long game and we knew we had a lot of time to work with. At practice, all we do is run so when the fourth quarter comes, there’s no stopping us.”
Fields was intercepted by Isaiah Pitts-Wallace on the ensuing drive, but the Prexies could not capitalize. Pugh’s second touchdown gave Aliquippa the 22-20 lead before halftime and the Quips never looked back.
“We’ve been a second half team all year long,” Bosnic said. “We were able to play with a great team and put ourselves in a position to win, but we just didn’t have the pieces to be able to get it done. I can’t begin to express how proud I am of these seniors. Every single one of them played a major part in us getting here.”
Pugh and senior running back Anthony Barton paced the Quips’ offense, which rushed for 389 yards in the victory. Barton’s six-yard touchdown in the third quarter increased Aliquippa’s lead to eight points before Wells scored on a one-yard run, but Pugh finished it off with two fourth-quarter touchdowns.
Aliquippa forced three turnovers to return to Heinz Field and have another shot at South Fayette.
“I can’t wait to line up and hit those green jerseys,” Pugh said.