Sep 6, 2013 4 min read

Coming into a WPIAL Interstate Conference matchup against Southmoreland, all eyes were on Wash High running back Shai McKenzie to see what he had in store for an encore after his 21-carry, 234-yard performance to open the season.

McKenzie didn’t disappoint.

In fact, his performance against the Scotties was historic and helped the Prexies to a 48-20 victory Friday night at Wash High Stadium.

The senior took his first carry of the game and went 70 yards down the left sideline to not only put the Prexies up 7-0, but also put his name in the Wash High record book.

With the run, McKenzie passed the legendary Brian Davis to become the all-time leading rusher in Wash High history. Davis had held the mark since 1984 with 4,480 yards, a number that McKenzie fell just 40 yards short of eclipsing a week ago.

With all the great running backs that have donned the Wash High uniform throughout the years, McKenzie now stands alone at the top of the list with 4,658 yards.

“It’s a tremendous honor. I’m extremely proud,” said McKenzie. “I have worked extremely hard since I was a freshman and I think this speaks to the work I have put in. I’ve had a lot of great teammates and we have gone through a lot of ups and downs, but I couldn’t be happier right now.”

Once he got the record-breaking business out of the way, McKenzie still had plenty of big plays left.

Southmoreland (0-2, 0-2) moved the chains a few times on its opening drive but Quorteze Levy picked off Scotties quarterback Brennan Coles and returned it 57-yards to set up a first-and-goal situation.

McKenzie made it a 14-0 game when he punched it in on a sweep from two yards out, but there was a lot more to come as he found the end zone three more times on runs of 25, 25 and 60 yards, en route to another big night that saw him rush for 218 yards on only nine carries with five touchdowns.

It may have been a bigger night for McKenzie had he been on the field more often.

Thanks to an 80-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jonathan Spina to Levy, and an 80-yard punt return for a touchdown by Chase Caldwell, the Prexies (2-0, 2-0) took a 27-0 lead despite running a total of only six offensive plays.

By halftime Wash High’s lead grew to 41-7 after to a pair of McKenzie touchdown runs, yet the Prexies had a total of 11 offensive snaps.

“We played very well early,” said Wash High head coach Mike Bosnic. “We didn’t finish the way we wanted, and we will have to go look at the film and find out why, but we did a lot of good things.”

In between all the big plays from the Prexies, the Scotties were able to put together a few lengthy drives that ended with a pair of two-yard touchdown runs by Coles, including one on the opening drive of the third quarter that ran more than six minutes off the clock.

While Wash High’s offense was certainly explosive, the Prexies had their struggles defensively, especially when it came to stopping Scotties running back Jake Pisula, who had a very nice night, carrying the ball 30 times for 204 yards and a touchdown.

The night however belonged to McKenzie as he added another great performance to his impressive high school career.

“Oh my goodness,” said Southmoreland head coach Mark Adams. “He is what he is, and that’s a great running back. He could start at any major college next year. I commend him. I have heard a lot about him but watching him is a different story. He does it the right way. He puts the work in and doesn’t taunt you. He punches in and gets his work done and punches out. He’s the type of player you like to watch.”

Wash High, who has now won 17 consecutive regular season games, takes to the road for the first time next Friday when they travel to Charleroi, where McKenzie will look to build on a start that has seen him rack up 452 yards on the ground in just two games.

“It’s been a lot of fun coaching an athlete like Shai,” said Bosnic. “His speed and talent are amazing. He is a man among boys out there.”