Wash High aims to keep rolling as Burgettstown seeks bounce back

Oct 9, 2026 By Jerin Steele 5 min read

Burgettstown and Washington are entering this week’s matchup each having a 5-1 record, but are coming off football games that were polar opposites.

After a dream 5-0 start, the Blue Devils had a rough night against rival Fort Cherry in a 51-12 loss.

Washington, meanwhile, was putting the finishing touches on a 49-3 win at Bentworth, a nice rebound after falling to Clairton, 8-7 the week before.

Now the Prexies (2-0, 5-1) will look to continue their unbeaten start in the Class A Black Hills Conference against a Blue Devils team hoping for a bounce back when the two teams meet at 7 p.m. tonight at Wash High Stadium.

Entering last week, Burgettstown (2-1, 5-1) had one of the best defensive records in the WPIAL having allowed 14 points, but that changed when the Rangers came to Hill Memorial Stadium and racked up 450 rushing yards.

“I was hoping to be more in the game against Fort Cherry, but Fort Cherry just annihilated us,” Druga said. “We want to put up a better fight against Washington, because our next three weeks after this game are going to be difficult too. We have Brentwood, Serra Catholic and Bentworth, so we have to improve no matter how good the team is that we are playing against.”

The Blue Devils have some veterans to lean on, most notably starting quarterback Blake Neal, but not only did last week’s loss to their rival put a damper on the night, it left them with some key injuries to the line.

Druga said they’ll be without two linemen for tonight’s game.

“We have a couple guys out and with small rosters that makes things difficult and in Single-A football aside from a few teams, we’re all in that same boat,” Druga said. “The other programs and coaches can relate to that I’m sure. This week we’re piecing it together to take on an equally sound Washington team.”

Washington coach Mike Bosnic expects the Blue Devils will want to have a response to last week’s loss.

“They’ve had a lot of success and have played well,” Bosnic said. “They’re a well-coached team and I’m sure they’re going to be ready to bounce back from last week.”

Against Bentworth, the Prexies had the strong running game they have almost every week. Trenton Grooms and Jamarie Walker scored multiple touchdowns on the ground, but they hit a couple big pass plays too.

Washington quarterback Travon Moye threw two long touchdowns of 94 and 63 yards to Ameer Nelson.

Nelson had a touchdown run too for a three-score night in a game where the Prexies showed balance on offense.

“It’s always good to be multi-dimensional and we were able to establish that on Friday,” Bosnic said. “Hopefully, we can continue to build on that.”

While the Prexies have been good offensively, their defense has been as good if not better.

Washington has allowed only 9.5 points per game, which is one of the best marks in the WPIAL.

“We’ve just been sound and for the most part have tackled well,” Bosnic said. “The kids are focused and just doing their jobs.”

Burgettstown was pacing right with the Prexies defensively until last week.

Druga has been impressed with Washington in film study.

“I don’t see a flaw in their team,” Druga said. “Their line is powerful. They have running backs that are both powerful and fast. You could say they are almost surgical. Their quarterback is a good player, and the tight end and fullback are good. You flip to the other side and their defense flies to the ball. I know they had a close game against Clairton, but besides that they’ve steamrolled everyone else.”

Druga is aiming to see a better performance from his team after last week’s setback. He doesn’t want to see his team’s good start go for naught.

“The goal remains the same: We want to get in the playoffs and make some noise,” Druga said. “But we have to take care of business and the first job is to get better each and every week. Last week we did not get better. Fort Cherry manhandled us and so this week we are looking to improve. It doesn’t matter who’s out there, everybody has to get better for sure.”

Extra points

Week 7 provides plenty of games featuring two local teams. Bentworth is at Fort Cherry, Trinity travels to Peters Township, Avella is at Jefferson-Morgan, Beth-Center is at Carmichaels and West Greene hits the road to play California. … Chartiers-Houston will make the trip to Armstrong County to Owens Field to play Apollo-Ridge for an intriguing nonconference matchup. Apollo-Ridge is 5-1 on the year. … McGuffey will face its stiffest test yet when it plays against defending WPIAL Class 2A champion Seton LaSalle at Dormont Stadium.