Wash High: The other Fuse ready to step up
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
Senior Wyatt Young holds the bag as sophomore teammate Semaj Fuse launches into a blocking drill with encouragement from head coach Mike Bosnic during preseason practice.
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
With encouragement from head coach Mike Bosnic, Washington’s Alex Green (62) squares up for a blocking drill with teammate Joe Wilson.
Mark Marietta
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
Junior linebacker Zach Welsh leaps through a strength and conditioning drill. The Prexies hope to extend their postseason stay by leaps and bounds this year.
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
Senior quarterback Davoun Fuse leads teammates through a warmup sprint as the Prexies condition for the 2022 season.
By Joe Tuscano
Staff writer
jtuscano@observer-reporter.com
For the past three seasons around the Washington High School locker room, mention the name of Fuse and everyone thought you were talking about Davoun.
And why not?
The 6-4, 200-pounder has the arm, legs and size to play a number of different positions. Head coach Mike Bosnic was smart enough to put him at quarterback.
Fuse, who plays quarterback and linebacker for the Prexies, is projected as an outside linebacker at Rutgers.
The past season, whenever you said the name Fuse, you needed to use the first name. That’s because Davoun’s brother, Samej, has burst upon the scene.
Another in a long line of Division I prospects at Wash High, Samej Fuse might play a position that doesn’t draw the comments that his brother plays, but it hasn’t gotten past the recruiters.
Samej Fuse is an offensive tackle and defensive end. He has the size 6-2 and 250 pounds recruiters drool over and the speed – 12.6 in the 100-meter dash – that makes recruiters check to make sure their stop watches are working properly.
“He has an offer from Akron and Rutgers as well and he’s only a sophomore,” said Bosnic. “He already has some Division I offers and he does some things naturally you just can’t teach. He’s very strong and very explosive.”
And the best part, at least according to Bosnic and the rest of his staff, is that Samej Fuse will be a mainstay on the line for the next three seasons.
While being interviewed, his cousin, Brayce Patterson, strolls out of the locker room and the two exchange hellos. Patterson is a 6-5 and 170-pound wide receiver.
Hey, what can you say? They grow them big in the family tree.
What makes Samej Fuse so potentially great is he doesn’t like to talk about what he does well. He likes to point out his weaknesses and what he has the do to get better.
“I’m working on trying not to get upfield as much from my defensive end position,” he said. “Last year, when I went up the field, I didn’t touch anybody. This year, I’m working on keeping the quarterback inside, so it’s better contained.”
The Prexies went 6-0 in the Century Conference.
“In October, we played only one game,” Bosnic said. “That really hurt us.”
Last year was a strange one for the Prexies. They went 9-1 overall, the loss coming in the first round of the WPIAL Class AA playoffs, 21-20, to New Brighton.
In Week 7, the Prexies didn’t play a game against Uniontown because of COVID-19 concerns at Washington.
The week before, Beth-Center was forced to forfeit to Wash High because of COVID-19 concerns within the Bulldogs’ program.
Two weeks later, Washington decimated Charleroi, 55-0, in a game most starters played only a half so as not to risk injury in a blowout. The following week, Frazier canceled, leaving Wash High with another 1-0 victory but no playing time. Two weeks later, the surprising loss to New Brighton happened.
“The expectations here are always high,” said Bosnic. “Anytime you have expectations, you’re going to have pressure.”
Top running back Tayshawn Levy graduated but Carlos Harper (6-2, 210) has the power and speed to replace him in the backfield. He averaged a tick more than 12 yards per carry and caught eight passes for an average of 20.6 yards per catch.
Reuben Gordon (6-2, 200) is back at wide receiver after a six-catch, 21.2 yard average. And Logan Carlisle (5-10, 165), a sophomore running back-quarterback, transferred in from McGuffey.
Seniors Wyatt Young (6-4, 300), Phillip Patterson (6-2, 315) and Isaiah Walter (6-5, 250) could join Samej on either side of the football.
“We have a lot of talent, a lot of guys back,” Bosnic said. “I think the most important thing is going to be our attitude.”
Washington will compete in the Class 2A Century Conference along with Brentwood, Charleroi, Keystone Oaks, McGuffey, Sto-Rox and Waynesburg.