Wash High blanks Derry in opener
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DERRY – For nearly two quarters, Derry’s football team was able to stop Washington’s talented ground game.
Then, the host Trojans had trouble stopping much of anything.
Washington busted open a close game with two quick scores to close the first half and rolled to a 48-0 non-conference win at Derry Stadium.
The Prexies rolled up 360 rushing yards, including 255 after halftime, and the passing game helped turn a nail-biter into a laugher.
Holding a 7-0 lead with less than five minutes in the second quarter, the Prexies scored twice in a span of 1:50, ending the first half on a pair of Markel Pulliam touchdown passes. One went to Isaiah Robinson from 42 yards and the other to University of Toledo recruit Nate Swart from nine yards.
That gave Washington a 21-0 lead at halftime.
“I think Markel’s athleticism kind of took over. He made some big plays and it kind of trickled down (to) some other guys,” Washington head coach Mike Bosnic said.
Pulliam completed all seven passes for 105 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran nine times for a team-high 96 yards, including a 29-yard third-quarter scamper that saw him elude three defenders en route to the end zone.
In the third quarter, the Prexies scored three times in span of 3:18, getting touchdown runs from Kurt Adkins from 29 yards, Jordan West from 21 and Pulliam from 29. Backup running back Zyan Wallace added a 68-yard scoring run late in the third quarter. Adkins scored the game’s first TD on a five-yard run in the first quarter.
“They wanted to get their ground game going and showed us something we hadn’t seen before,” Derry coach Tim Sweeney said. “We weren’t ready for it and that’s my fault. We have to be able to recognize some things and adjust better.”
On defense, Washington held Derry to three first downs and 33 total yards, including three on the ground. The Prexies also intercepted four passes but fumbled seven times, losing two.
“I knew it was going to be ugly,” Bosnic said. “We have some inexperienced guys in some pretty big spots, but I think we’re going to be a team that gets better every week.”