Nov 24, 2017 4 min read

If you were to tell Washington head coach Mike Bosnic his team would be advancing to the WPIAL Championship one week after turning the ball over five times, he might not have believed it.

But his answer would have created some hesitation, knowing the hard-nosed approach the Prexies, especially their defense, takes into each game.

The approach for Wash High isn’t bend but don’t break, but rather do the breaking.

The Prexies will have a tough task of keeping their opponents’ offense at bay when they play defending state champion Steel Valley in the WPIAL Class 2A Championship at 6 p.m. tonight at Robert Morris University’s Joe Walton Stadium.

The winner will advance to play either District 9 champ Clarion or District 10 winner Wilmington, who meet at 1 p.m. today at Clarion University.

If Wash High wants to rewind to the glory days of 2001 – the last time it won WPIAL and state championships – it will have to be with a defense that hasn’t disappointed all season.

The group, led by senior linebacker Isaiah Schoonmaker, has allowed the third fewest points per game in the WPIAL (8.5), only behind Aliquippa and Thomas Jefferson.

The Washington defense has only allowed one opponent to score 20 points, holding eight of the 12 teams it has played to less than 10 points, including three shutouts.

“Steel Valley is a terrific team,” Bosnic said. “They have a lot of team speed with some great athletes. It’s going to be quite a challenge for us.”

But the Prexies defense has been up to every challenge it’s face all season, including the last three weeks where they have only surrendered 509 yards combined. In those same three games, the offense has done its part by averaging nearly 400 yards.

To stop the Ironmen, Washington (12-0) will have to lean on one of its strengths all season.

“Hopefully we’ll be able to stop their running attack,” Bosnic said. “It’s a big part of their game, and it would be huge if we could slow that down.”

The backfield attack for Steel Valley (11-0) is junior running back Kameron Williams and senior Trevon Adams, who mostly plays wide receiver.

In their playoff wins against Laurel and Burgettstown, Williams ran for 342 yards and six touchdowns. Adams led Steel Valley in a penalty-filled, overtime win last week over Riverside, 13-10, with 131 yards on 19 carries.

However, stopping the run might be the biggest strength of the Wash High defense. It has only allowed one opponent (Beth-Center) to eclipse the 100-yard mark. The Prexies have only allowed 123 total yards on the ground the last three weeks.

“We were sloppy and turned the ball over last week, but in the end we were able to pull it off,” Bosnic said. “That’s the sign of a good team, when you can win a big game and overcome all of that. It showed what our guys were made of.”

Players to watch

Amonte Strothers, Steel Valley wide receiver: Strothers has become the big-play threat in the passing game for the Ironmen, while also manning the corner position in only his second year of football. He has seven interceptions, returning three for touchdowns this season. Despite only playing for two years, he has drawn major college interest from Kent State and Purdue.

Todd Hill, Steel Valley fullback/linebacker: Hill always finds himself involved in the play, whether that is providing a lead block for running backs or being involved in nearly every tackle on defense. He has led the Ironmen in tackles the last two seasons, which has drawn the interest of Cincinnati, Robert Morris and Slippery Rock.