Numbers behind streaks of Washington, South Fayette
Everybody knows about it, but no one talks about it.
“We just go about our business,” said South Fayette football coach Joe Rossi.
There are no murmurs on the Lions’ sideline or among the players or coaches standing behind Washington coach Mike Bosnic — even through the handful of close games where winning in the regular season was in jeopardy.
To be fair, there haven’t been many of those situations.
“Our kids expect to win,” Bosnic said. “They know what it takes to win.”
There have been few teams to rival how to roll through a regular season the way South Fayette and Washington over the past several years. When the two teams begin their season Friday night — South Fayette travels to Upper St. Clair while Washington hosts Laurel Highlands — they hope to begin another undefeated regular season.
South Fayette has won 57 consecutive regular-season games. The Prexies have won 38 straight.
But the impressive numbers go far beyond the number of games they have won.
A look at how dominant South Fayette and Washington have been during their regular-season winning streaks.
In the 57 victories, South Fayette has scored 30 or more points in 54 of those games. It has won by at least two touchdowns 53 times and held opponents under 10 points on 34 occasions.
The regular-season winning streak for South Fayette surpassed Braddock’s 52-game streak from 1953-1960. Aliquippa holds the record of 62 straight wins in the regular season, which was days away from lasting seven years. The longest overall winning streak in the state belongs to Clairton (66) from 2009-2013, but only 38 of the 66 games were in the regular season.
Yet records don’t hold Rossi back from scheduling an opponent coached by the man he calls, “the godfather of the WPIAL.” referring to Upper St. Clair coach Jim Render. The Panthers’ coach is two wins shy of 400 for his career.
“For me, when we come out in Week Zero, it’s just another chance for the kids to get under the lights,” Rossi said. “It’s about the value of being able to play another game with the band and cheerleaders. I know we are going to make mistakes. We still have guys fighting for positions.”
While Washington’s streak isn’t as long, it’s been equally as dominant.
In the 38 games the Prexies have won, they scored eclipsed 30 points 33 times, won by two or more touchdowns in 35 games and held 25 opponents from reaching double digits.
“It’s just about taking it day by day, week by week,” Bosnic said. “You want to see growth every week and improvement every day. That is one of the things we talk about and strive for. I think when you look to try to get better every week it prevents you from having a let down.”
Well, it’s been a lot of days, and weeks, since either have fallen in the regular season.
When the 2018 season begins Friday, it will mark 2,500 days — 357 weeks — since South Fayette lost a game prior to the postseason. The Lions last setback came Oct. 21, 2011, against Seton-La Salle. Washington hasn’t dropped a regular-season game since a loss to Mt. Pleasant Oct. 11, 2013. When the Prexies kick off against Laurel Highlands, it will be 1,778 days.
But the realignment of conferences, classifications and opponents hasn’t changed one thing at either South Fayette and Washington.
“Talent,” Rossi said. “It’s been kids buying into our program over many years. It’s not just one group but the combination of many different faces that want to be a part of a winning tradition.”