Oct 19, 2014 4 min read

Notice: Undefined offset: 0 in /usr/web/cs-washington.ogdennews.com/wp-content/themes/News_Core_2023_WashCluster/includes/single/strategically_placed_photos_article.php on line 412

Notice: Trying to get property 'term_id' of non-object in /usr/web/cs-washington.ogdennews.com/wp-content/themes/News_Core_2023_WashCluster/includes/single/strategically_placed_photos_article.php on line 412

Week 9 is upon us and low and behold, the most anticipated matchup of the season will live up to its billing.

Wash High will travel to Claysville Friday night to reignite the rivalry with McGuffey. When the WPIAL realigned conferences last winter, the biggest move was the Highlanders relocating from the Century Conference to the Interstate. People have been discussing the game since basketball season last year.

Not only did it make sense geographically, but everyone has wanted this game to happen. The community, the students and the coaches wanted a chance to see how they stacked up.

The McGuffey players have grown up hearing about the illustrious history of Wash High football. Previous meetings between the two schools usually ended with the Prexies winning, which only reinforced pundits saying that the powerhouse in Washington would always hold the advantage.

This season is different. This McGuffey team is different. The Highlanders are massive up front and not only is the group big, but it’s athletic. They’re an incredible run blocking team and have one of the most bruising runners in the WPIAL – James Duchi.

The senior tailback has 1,170 rushing yards and 21 total touchdowns.

The passing game has three weapons that can make a big play at any time – Adam Narigon, Shaun Sanders and Steven Clemens. The Highlanders also have a quarterback who can get it done.

Nate Whipkey was slowed by injuries last season, but his impact in 2014 cannot be understated. The senior has completed 58 percent of his passes for 1,041 yards and nine touchdowns. He has also rushed for 489 yards and 10 touchdowns.

I don’t have to go into explaining how big he is for McGuffey’s offense because the numbers tell the story. The Highlanders have one of the most effective offenses in the WPIAL in terms of total yards. They have not scored less than 34 points in any game this season and that came last week against Waynesburg.

This is a team that can easily win a playoff game, but does it will translate to beating Wash High?

I’ve said this before, but like McGuffey, this is a different Wash High team than in recent years. Along with the school’s usually strong running game, the Prexies have a quarterback who can make plays and there are weapons on the outside that can get it done.

Senior Jonathan Spina has been extremely effective this season with 15 touchdown passes. Senior DeQuay Isbell has 10 receiving touchdowns and is one of the biggest weapons in Class AA with his playmaking ability on offense, defense and special teams. Wash High has used him on sweeps, screens and on the deep ball.

He’s been a revelation in 2014. Couple that with junior Nate Swart at tight end, who at 6-5 is tough for linebackers to matchup with, and you get an offense that is tough to stop. It will likely require Duchi covering Swart, which will be something to look out for. Putting a safety on Swart leaves you exposed to the deep ball and it’s risky matching Isbell’s speed against a corner with no safety help.

The running game has been incredible with Malik Wells and Jordan West. Wells receives the bulk of the carries with 92 for 974 yards and 12 touchdowns, but West has been great lining up as a fullback. He makes teams account for the inside run, which causes issues with Wells’ speed to the outside.

The Prexies are averaging more than 47 points per game since West’s return to backfield in the Week 5 win over Mt. Pleasant.

The offensive line has lived up to its reputation. Khalid Blount and Zack Blystone are the anchors, but the rest of the group has been solid. The rushing defense has also given teams issues with the exception of last week against Southmoreland and the Vikings last month. The pass defense is a work in progress, but the secondary has gotten plenty of help with the defensive line presurring quarterbacks regularly.

Just like its offensive counterpart, the defensive line has been every bit as good as people expected.

As you can see, both teams are loaded with talent and their strengths make them both top-10 teams in WPIAL Class AA this season. It all adds up to being the biggest football game in Washington County in years.

I’ll do a few more blog posts leading up to Thursday when the weekly picks are revealed. I’m not going to give that away just yet. One thing is for sure: the “Border War” is going to live up to the anticipation that has built for the past 10 months.