At Washington, it’s winning made simple
Wash High’s Isaiah Robinson intercepts a pass intended for McGuffey’s Connor Thompson Friday.
Katie Roupe/Observer-Reporter Wash High’s Nathan Swart celebrates with Markel Pulliam after Swart catches a pass from Jordan West for a two-point conversion during the first quarter of Friday night’s game.
Wash High’s Jordan West runs the ball for a 29-yard, third-quarter touchdown Friday against McGuffey.
Wash High’s Tommy Nicolella (45) celebrates Friday night after Jordan West (26) intercepted a first-half pass intended for McGuffey’s Shaun Sanders.
Stopping Washington High School’s offense might seem simple enough. The Prexies have not passed much all season and much of their success has come running between the tackles, but football does not always adhere to logic. In an era of spread, pass-happy offenses, head coach Mike Bosnic is taking a page out of an old playbook and has an offense line that turns what some people might call simple into a nightmare for defenses. McGuffey can attest to that.
Senior running backs Jordan West and Kurt Adkins combined for 491 rushing yards and six touchdowns as the Prexies rolled to a 42-7 win over the Highlanders on Senior Night at Wash High Stadium.
Wash High (8-0, 9-0) clinched its third undefeated regular season in the last four years and the Interstate Conference champions clinched one of the top seeds in the Class AA playoffs. Despite the loss, the Highlanders (5-3, 6-3) finished third in the conference and will have a road playoff game next Friday.
“They just outmanned us up front,” McGuffey head coach Ed Dalton said. “I’ll have to watch the film to see what really happened, but to break a wingback counter, that’s the Jack Dalton, 1950 Notre Dame box offense and it’s nothing magical. They have a player that leads you to every play. It’s not like we didn’t know where it was going. We didn’t stop it. That said, hats off to them for what they did.”
Tackling West and Adkins is another story. With Wash High’s linemen creating gaping holes, the two seniors sped through the Highlanders’ linebackers and wove their way around defensive backs with 13 runs of 10 yards or more.
West finished with 306 yards on only 12 carries with touchdown runs of 16, 71, 73, 29 and five yards. Adkins had 185 yards on 15 carries and his 42-yard score just over a minute into the first quarter gave the Prexies a 7-0 lead.
“Football is a simple game. It’s simple, yet complicated,” Bosnic said. “We want our kids to be aggressive, play fast and to know the basics of the game with a great technique. In that sense, we probably are simple, but that’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to be physical and attack.”
A physical offensive line and a stout defense helped Wash High produce at least 40 points in every game during the regular season. On their seven drives in the first half, the Prexies, who finished with 521 total yards, had an average starting field position at their own 48-yard line. Wash High had two turnovers in the first half and got no points out of two trips deep into McGuffey territory. West’s two touchdowns helped Wash High take a 21-point lead at halftime.
“It’s tough to stop me and Jordan when we get to that second level,” Adkins said. “Our linemen were opening huge holes and that let us get to where McGuffey was weak. We made them miss. I can’t believe the plays we were able to make because of those linemen.”
McGuffey, which had just 111 yards in the first half, drove into Wash High territory twice, where it threw two interceptions. The Highlanders advanced to the Prexies’ 43-yard line to start the second half, but turned it over on downs and two plays later, West juked a linebacker and outran a defensive back for a 73-yard touchdown.
Led by junior quarterback Marcus Czulewicz, the Highlanders found some success on offense in the second half, but they were called for four personal fouls on chop blocks. The same happened in McGuffey’s match up with Wash High a year ago. McGuffey was called for nine penalties totaling 90 yards.
“I think (the officials) are interpreting the rule wrong,” Dalton said. “(Bosnic) is always concerned about chop bocks and they’re legal as long as they’re inside the tackle box. Our defensive end was a five-technique shaded to the outside of our tackle and he’s game to be chopped. We got 215-pound linemen and he has 315-pound linemen.”
The Highlanders got their lone touchdown with 11 seconds, when Czulewicz threw a 14-yard touchdown to Ty Bedillion, but they were trailing 42-0. Czulewicz was under duress for much of the night, but completed 13 of 33 passes for 138 yards and ran for 83, despite being sacked four times.
“This is always going to be a night to remember, especially on senior night,” West, who also had an interception, said. “We have a home playoff game, but to come out here on our last regular season game will be in my mind forever. This is was a great game. I have to give the glory to the line. They’re the reason I ran for those yards and those touchdowns. It’s all them.”
NOTES: Wash High junior Isaiah Robinson and McGuffey junior Spencer Gillispie also had interceptions. … Wash High’s Kenya Davis and Nate Swart each had two sacks. … The Prexies attempted only two passes. … Adkins eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards for the season. … The Prexies now have 2,795 rushing yards this season. … They were penalized nine times for 85 yards. … Wash High had 15 first downs and McGuffey had 16.