Wash High wins ugly, heads to WPIAL title game
Washington’s Chase Mitchell celebrates after the Prexies’ win over Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic during a WPIAL Class AA semifinal game at Moon High School Friday night.
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Washington’s Nick Welsh breaks the tackle of Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic’s Nukhai Hill-Green during the WPIAL Class AA semifinal game at Moon High School.
Washington's Zack Swartz avoids the tackle from Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic’s Matt Miller during the WPIAL Class AA semifinal game at Moon High School on Friday, Nov. 17, 2017.
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Washington junior wide receiver Zahmere Robinson is helping pace the Prexies’ offense with 21.9 yards per catch.
Washington's Nick Welsh picks up yards against Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic during the WPIAL Class AA semifinal game at Moon High School on Friday, Nov. 17, 2017.
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Washington’s Nick Welsh, right, and Zahmere Robinson look to silence Steel Valley and win a WPIAL title when the Prexies take on the Ironmen in the Class 2A championship at 6 p.m. tonight at Robert Morris University.
CORAOPOLIS – The game was not a thing of beauty.
But no one is going to remember that a few years from now.
What fans of Washington High School’s football team will remember is that on this chilly Friday night the Prexies defeated Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic 19-14 in the semifinals of the WPIAL Class AA playoffs at Moon High School.
The Prexies will play Steel Valley Saturday at Robert Morris University.
Kickoff for that game is 6 p.m.
This is the first trip back to the WPIAL finals since 2012, when Wash High lost to Aliquippa. The last time Washington won a WPIAL title was 2001. The Prexies went on to win the state title that season.
“I didn’t want to go home crying,” said wide receiver Isaiah Schoonmaker, who rushed for 108 yards on six carries and scored the game-clinching touchdown on a 61-yard run four minutes into the second half.
“This is something we’ve been working for for three years. We came out on top just like we practiced.”
Washington (12-0) advanced to this point with wins over Freedom (42-9) and East Allegheny (54-7). North Catholic beat Brentwood (35-7) and Serra Catholic (35-14).
They advanced to the finals with a strong defensive effort, especially in the second half, when the Prexies fumbled the football away twice, had it intercepted and had a punt blocked on successive series.
“The whole thing was ugly but all that really matters is we’re still alive and we’re playing for a championship,” said Wash High head coach Mike Bosnic. “We had a lot of ugliness but we did enough to win and that’s all that matters right now.”
Washington handed North Catholic (10-3) it’s only touchdown of the second half when a snap from center at the 13-yard line shot past quarterback Zack Swartz and North Catholic’s Zack Rocco fell on it for a touchdown with 10:43 to play.
Washington fumbled the football away on the next series but the defense held.
Schoonmaker punted the football into the up man on the next series, but the defense held
Finally, the Prexies erased the mistakes and drove the ball down field, eating up the last six minutes of the game. Swartz got a key first down on a quarterback sneak and sophomore Dylan Asbury gained 28 yards on five carries to ice the game. Asbury was in for Nick Welsh, who was injured early in the fourth quarter. Welsh finished with 113 yards on 16 carries.
Wash High’s defense held Rocco to seven completions for 58 yards and running back Joe Meinert to 57 yards on 19 carries.
“Our defense did a great job,” said Bosnic. “I can’t say enough about them.”
North Catholic head coach Pat O’Shea bemoaned the missed opportunities.
“We had to endure the first couple series just to get a feel for their team speed. It’s super hard to get it done in practice,” he said. “We just couldn’t capitalize when we got those turnovers.”
Washington built a 12-7 halftime lead on the legs of Welsh. The 5-9 senior broke off a 50-yard run on Wash High’s first possession. That set up a 15-yard pass from Zack Swartz to Dan Walker. The extra-point attempt was blocked.
North Catholic had one drive stopped on fourth down at Washington’s 23-yard line but scored on the next when Rocco hit Ryan Maziarz from 17 yards to take a 7-6 lead.
But Welsh snapped off a 43-yard run and got an extra 15 yards on a horse-collar tackle to put Wash High at the NC 17. Two plays later, Welsh went 14 yards for the score. The two-point conversion pass fell incomplete but the Prexies led 12-7.