Wash High runs down East Allegheny
ELIZABETH – Coming into Friday night’s WPIAL playoff game, Washington’s football team was poised to face, statistically, the best quarterback in Class AA.
Don’t tell Zack Swartz that.
The 6-3, 200-pound sophomore quarterback passed rings around his counterpart, Tamaine Underwood of East Allegheny, in the Prexies’ 54-7 quarterfinal victory.
The victory sends the second-seeded Prexies (11-0) into the semifinals Friday against Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic, at a site and time to be determined. The Trojans defeated Serra Catholic Friday night.
It’s the fourth time since 2012 the Prexies have made the semifinals.
The win was the 684th in Washington history, fifth best in the WPIAL, and head coach Mike Bosnic celebrated his 100th game with the program, extending his record to 81-19.
“I like the way we came out and got a quick start,” Bosnic said. “We were ready to play right from the start. We talked all week about attacking right away and the kids did it.”
Underwood came into the game with 2,338 yards, tops in Class AA. He finished with 155 passing yards, and just 81 in the first half.
Swartz stole the show by completing 9 of 10 passes for 258 yards and four TDs in just over one half.
“I think this was my best game of the year,” Swartz said. “We knew we had to come out and punch this team in the mouth. We wanted to be physical and play our game. It’s the most fun I had in a game all season. The receivers did a great job.”
Swartz led Washington, the Century Conference champion, on touchdown drives on all seven first-half possessions as the Prexies led 47-7, engaging the Mercy Rule for the final two quarters.
Swartz hit Dan Walker for the final two touchdowns of the second quarter. He also found Isaiah Schoonmaker and Isaiah Walton on scoring passes of 58 and 27 yards, respectively.
Three of those drives were one play. Washington receivers ran free in the EA secondary and Swartz was putting the football right on the numbers.
“They played a perfect game and we didn’t,” said East Allegheny head coach Dom Pecora. “When you’re trying to pull an upset off, you can’t make the mistakes we did. I don’t think any team is 50 points better than us but this is the best team we saw all year.”
Washington’s running game played a major role in the game as tailback Nick Welsh gained 133 yards on 13 carries and scored two touchdowns. Swartz ran another in on a 7-yard quarterback sneak in the first quarter.
“We didn’t think it was going to be this easy,” said Welsh. “We thought we were going to have to fight and we did. We came with the fire. This was definitely our best offensive game of the year. (Swartz) played a heck of a game.”
East Allegheny (7-4), runner-up in the Three Rivers Conference, scored on a 4-yard pass from Underwood to tight end T.J. Banks, a West Virginia recruit.