Wash High gets it in gear, rings Freedom
Washington’s Nick Welsh carries the ball during the first half Friday against Freedom.
Washington’s Isaiah Schoonmaker jumps over Zahmere Robinson, center, and Freedom’s Jason Norman to make an interception Friday night
Washington’s Isaiah Schoonmaker jumps over Zahmere Robinson, center, and Freedom’s Jason Norman to intercept a pass Friday night.
Washington’s Andre Jennings eludes the tackle of Freedom’s Seth Weismantle Friday night.
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Washington’s Dan Walker has caught 23 passes for 494 yards and seven touchdowns in just seven games for the Prexies.
If the Washington High School Prexies want to make their dreams of a WPIAL Class AA football title a reality, then they will need to make slow starts a thing of the past.
Coach Mike Bosnic’s squad looked drowsy getting out of the gates Friday night in their first round playoff game against Freedom Area at Wash High Stadium. But their superior firepower proved to be too much for the Bulldogs as Washington took a 42-9 decision before its home fans.
Washington moves on to round two of the playoffs with a 10-0 record while Freedom’s season ends at 5-6.
Prexies running back Nick Welsh finished with 161 yards rushing on 16 carries. Quarterback Zack Swartz threw for 69 yards on four completions.
Coel Beck was able to keep the chains moving for the underdog Bulldogs as he completed 11 passes in 23 attempts for 108 yards. But the Bulldogs’ ground game was non-existent as Washington limited Freedom to six yards rushing for the game.
“We did start slow and did not play particularly well in the first half,” Bosnic said. “But we got it rolling as the game went along.”
Bosnic added that the Prexies do have some issues to clean up before their second round playoff game.
“We need to get rid of the penalties, play better in the secondary and definitely get off to a better start if we want to move forward,” the Prexies coach said.
Washington enacted the mercy rule and a continuous running clock when Swartz hooked up with Dan Walker for an 18-yard touchdown reception early in the third quarter. Lilly Christy’s kick was true, earning the Prexies a 35-point lead and shortening the game via the running clock.
Freedom did eventually dent the scoreboard late in the third quarter when Carson Gilarno made a 31-yard field goal, trimming the Prexies lead to 35-3. The score was set up by a 35-yard Jason Norman to Noah Yeck connection to the Washington 15. Norman made the completion after receiving a sideways toss from Beck.
Curtis Gardner etched his name onto the score sheet with a 1-yard touchdown plunge at the nine minute mark of the fourth quarter, pushing the Prexies past the 40-point mark.
Beck did get the Bulldogs into the end zone late in the contest as he hooked up with Yeck from seven yards out with 20 seconds remaining in the game.
The Prexies’ slow start included a three and out as they failed to move the chains on the their first possession of the evening. After punting the ball to the Bulldogs, they allowed two first down completions by Beck, moving the ball to the Freedom 44.
However, Beck misfired on a sideways toss to Michael Muron. Myckel Brown scooped up the ball and returned it for the Prexies to the Freedom 4-yard line. One play later, Welsh grinded his way into the end zone for a 7-0 lead.
“He’s been terrific all season long,” Bosnic said in reference to Welsh. “He was good again tonight and was just so hard to stop.”
Freedom caught a break two possessions later when Tanner Boyer recovered a mishandled exchange between Welsh and Swartz on the Prexies’ 35. But the threat was squelched when Isaiah Schoonmaker intercepted Beck deep in Prexies real estate and returned it to the Washington 44.
It appeared the Prexies were about to take a two-score lead early in the second quarter as they moved to the Bulldog 11 after the Schoonmaker interception. But Swartz’s second-down pass was intercepted of a deflection by Freedom’s Seth Weismantle, giving the visitors possession of the ball on their own 2.
But the Bulldogs could not move the ball out of the shadow of their own goal posts and were forced to punt three plays later. Walker made Freedom pay when he fielded he punt on the Bulldogs’ 33, sprinted to his right, found a wall of blockers and raced into the end zone. Christy converted the point after, giving the Prexies a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter.
Freedom again mustered some offense as they drove to the Prexie 45, but were forced to punt from there. Zahmere Robinson allowed the punt to roll out of bounds on the Washington 1, seemingly pinning the Prexies deep and lessening the odds of a long scoring drive.
But the Prexies simply shrugged and marched 99 yards in 11 plays. Welsh capped the march with a two-yard touchdown late in the half, extending the Prexies’ lead to 21-0. Washington could have had their third score nine plays before Welsh’s run, but a 95-yard Swartz to Schoonmaker touchdown connection was nullified after Schoonmaker was called for a facemask peanlty when breaking a tackle.
“That was a tough one,” Bosnic said. “Nothing you can do about it though. We did score on that drive.”
Washington effectively put the pesky Bulldogs away when Isaiah Walton snagged a Beck pass and raced 46 yards into the end zone to close the first half scoring.