Locked and loaded: Wash High, Steel Valley ‘at another level’
Burgettstown coach Mark Druga
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
Washington running back Nick Welsh is looking to lead the Prexies to a victory over Steel Valley in the WPIAL Class 2A championship game Saturday.
They are who everybody thought they were.
Unlike many classifications, where seeds were discussed beyond first-round matchups, there was little debate as to who the top two teams were in Class 2A entering the WPIAL football playoffs.
If the WPIAL committee could’ve made Steel Valley No. 1A and Washington No. 1B, rather than Nos. 1 and 2, it just might have.
The two tops seeds have proven to be worthy of the rankings, each easily disposing of their first two opponents and then overcoming countless self-inflicted mistakes in the semifinals.
When Washington and Steel Valley meet for the WPIAL 2A Championship at 6 p.m. Saturday at Robert Morris University’s Joe Walton Stadium, there might be someone in attendance who knows plenty of what it’s like to play the two powerhouses.
“You have to be perfect to get anything to work against Wash High or Steel Valley,” said Burgettstown head coach Mark Druga, who is one of two coaches to have the “privilege” of configuring a game plan in an attempt to beat both teams.
Burgettstown played the Prexies in the penultimate game of the regular season Oct. 20. The Blue Devils also played Steel Valley in the second round of the playoffs Nov. 10.
Neither game ended how Druga wanted – the Blue Devils were held scoreless in the two losses. Druga said Washington and Steel Valley easily separated themselves from the pack in Class AA.
“Any play can be a touchdown against either team if we miss a tackle,” Druga said. “If (Washington or Steel Valley) miss a tackle, then there still seems to be three or four other guys right there to clean it up. No other teams that I’ve seen possess the same type of explosive-play ability.”
Explosiveness, at the skill positions and on the offensive and defensive lines, was something that even a seven-win Burgettstown team could not match.
In the games the Blue Devils played against Wash High and Steel Valley, they managed a combined 82 yards of offense.
“Both teams are phenomenal,” Druga said. “We had nice size, a physical line, but they just executed so much better. Washington is much larger. Playing them is similar to a boxing match. You are fine in maybe the first round or two, but as the game goes on, the blow after blow starts to take a toll. Steel Valley does a very good job at executing. The talent at those two schools is at another level.”
It makes defensive coordinators scratch their heads as to who to defend first, against offenses that both eclipse 39 points per game.
“At the high school level, you have to be committed to stopping the run,” Druga said. “You stop the run and then deal with the pass. There are so many intangibles with the ball being thrown around because you can’t control the weather. The rain and wind can have an influence on the passing game and can limit those X-factors.”
If either team has shown a weakness, it’s stopping the pass.
In the games against Washington and Steel Valley, a collapsing pocket failed Burgettstown’s offense.
But, the Blue Devils were unable to take advantage of their wide receivers getting behind defensive backs in both games.
Washington’s passing attack, with talented wide receivers Isaiah Schoonmaker and Dan Walker, might be able to expose such any weaknesses in Steel Valley’s secondary.
“I’ve been doing this a long time and haven’t seen that kind of skill set (Washington) has on the outside,” Druga said. “As an opponent, you have to pick your poison. You can’t double cover either because the other one will burn you.”
According to Druga, for Steel Valley to have a chance to win the game it must be able to run the football.
The Ironmen have relied on junior running back Kameron Williams, who had 342 yards and six touchdowns on 37 carries in the first two playoff rounds. Trevon Adams ran for 131 yards last week in a 13-10 semifinal victory over Riverside.
The significant advantage Druga sees is Wash High’s ability to play its base defense and still execute exceptionally.
“This is probably the best Washington team I’ve ever seen,” he said.
“I’ve coached against them for about 20 years. They are so loaded this year.”