Loaded backfield has Wash High dreaming big
Mark Marietta
High school basketball coaches all over the region preach sharing the ball.
Wash High has taken that philosophy to football.
The Prexies have a backfield loaded with talent and they don’t mind spreading the wealth.
Just look at last year’s stats for returning players:
Jamarie Walker 62 carries, 472 yards, 9 touchdowns
Ameer Nelson 29 carries, 342 yards, 4 touchdowns
Trenton Grooms 36 carries 300 yards, 4 touchdowns
And that was just half of the players that featured prominently, with Tristan Reed, Jahvon Woods and Cayden Cook graduating.
Add in Blaise Naraskivitch, a threat from the backfield and at receiver, and there’s plenty of weapons returning from a team that made the WPIAL Class 2A semifinals last year as it makes a move to Class A for this fall.
Walker and Grooms are seniors, while Nelson and Naraskivitch are juniors.
“All four of those guys have been playing varsity since their freshman year,” Wash High coach Mike Bosnic said. “They’re all really good players. I think they are (NCAA) Division I-caliber prospects. We lost a good group of seniors, but we have a good group that’s working hard and has a good attitude. It was a good offseason and we’re ready.”
It’s one thing to have multiple players capable of making big plays, it’s another to have a group buy-in about splitting the carries.
That’s what the Prexies have.
They don’t mind sharing the load, because they feel having strength in numbers is a major advantage.
“We have a few running backs in the rotation, but we’re all like brothers and we came together,” Grooms said. “We help each other. It starts with discipline and family. We saw how far we made it last year with three running backs, so it was good.”
It’s a style that may not produce a 1,000-yard rusher, but one that can be tough to gameplan for opposing defensive coordinators.
“Our running back room is different,” Walker said. “We got Trenton, Blaise, Ameer, and me. We all want it just as bad as the others, so I feel we’re going to have a good season.”
One major change for Washington will be a new quarterback. Tristan Reed, who is now at Miami (Ohio), was a three-year starter for the Prexies and leaves a void to fill after throwing for 1,491 yards and a dozen touchdowns and rushing for 16 more touchdowns.
Travon Moye, a junior, is expected to take over at quarterback this fall and Noah Patton, a sophomore, could see time at quarterback as well.
“Travon Moye has some experience,” Bosnic said. “We have some other guys like Noah Patton as well. That’s pretty much where we’re at now. We have a long way to go.
“A guy like Tristan Reed is hard to replace, because he did so much for us.”
Another area of the team that will be different is the offensive line. The Prexies lost two standouts in Joe Wilson and Jayden Nemeth to graduation. Wilson is now at Washington & Jefferson.
It’ll be a mix of youth and some experience coming together to pave the way for the bevy of runners.
“It’s a mixture,” Bosnic said of his offensive line. “We have a couple guys back with some varsity experience that we’re excited about. Joe Wilson and Jayden Nemeth were two of our bigger linemen and they were good players. I don’t know if they’re replaceable, but we have some guys that are working hard to step in.”
Washington upset South Allegheny in the quarterfinals before falling to top-seeded Seton LaSalle 27-19 in the semifinals. It was a tough ending to get that close to making it to Acrisure Stadium, but it has become a rallying force for this fall.
“That loss last year hurt for us as a team, especially the seniors, because that was a special group,” Nelson said. “We wanted to go all the way for them and the community. We use that loss as our drive. We take that fuel and carry it into this season. We’re ready to come prepared and hopefully we’ll make it back to the playoffs and get to states.”
The Prexies are in the Black Hills Conference with several Washington County schools, Bentworth, Burgettstown and Fort Cherry.
It’ll be the first time Washington plays Class A football.
“We’re definitely excited to play in some new environments,” Naraskivitch said. “Class A has a lot of talented players and good teams, so we’re excited to go compete.”
Before conference play starts, Washington will open its season with a brutal nonconference slate. The Prexies four straight playoff teams from last year: Steel Valley, South Allegheny, California and Clairton.
“I hope in the long run it’ll benefit us when we get late into the season and into the playoffs,” Bosnic said. “As long as we can get better from it, I think It’ll be a positive for us.”