In 15 seasons under the tutelage of coach Mike Bosnic, Washington has been more like “Washing-win.”
So, despite going 7-5 and reaching the WPIAL Class 2A quarterfinals, last season — marks many programs would have loved to have — it was considered a disappointing campaign considering the program’s lofty standards.
“I don’t think any of the coaches or any of the kids, especially the guys returning this season, felt good about what we accomplished last year,” said Bosnic, who took over as coach in 2009. “That kind of lit a fire under us.”
In turn, Wash High has been red hot this fall. At 6-0 overall and 2-0 in the Interstate Conference, the Little Prexies have ascended to the No. 1 ranking in Class 2A. They are the only undefeated team remaining in the class and one of only 10 in the entire WPIAL.
Like it normally does, Washington has playmakers galore offensively. But it has been the team’s vast improvement on the defensive side of the ball that has played one of the biggest roles in the team’s improvement.
“I think the kids have bought in,” Bosnic said. “We’re playing much more disciplined football. Everybody is paying more attention to detail on their assignments. Everybody knows we have really nice athletes and good kids. When we play disciplined, we can be pretty good.”
Veteran defensive coordinator John Digon, who won a WPIAL championship in his first season at Washington in 2017, has helped engineer a turnaround that has been very noticeable. Last season, the Little Prexies allowed 24.1 points per game, a number which ranked fourth in the conference and ninth overall in Class 2A. This season, however, the points allowed has plummeted to just 10.3 a game, best in the conference and No. 2 in all of the classification.
A week ago at Waynesburg, Washington gave up only four first downs in a 48-14 win. Waynesburg came into that game with a 4-1 record. The Little Prexies shut out Clairton in Week 1 and held Greensburg Central Catholic and Brentwood to single digits. They have surrendered only 62 points overall, the majority of which have come in the second half of games when the outcome was no longer in doubt. Opponents have scored only four first-half touchdowns against the Little Prexies.
Bosnic brought back six starters from last year’s group, a crew headlined by strong safety Ruben Gordon, a three-year starter who landed his first Division I offer from Toledo over the weekend. Gordon is also a track and field standout who was the runner-up in both the 100-meter dash and long jump at last season’s WPIAL Class 2A championships after winning long jump and high jump titles his sophomore year.
“He’s been playing tremendous on both sides of the ball,” Bosnic said of Gordon, an all-conference wide receiver last season. “Ruben is one of the best athletes in this area.”
Among the other defensive standouts have been senior defensive backs Zxavian Willis and Elijah Thomas and senior linemen De’Ondre Daugherty and Elijah Swan. Willis was an all-conference pick last season. Bosnic added that senior defensive end Tyler Roberts and senior linebacker Treshawn Porter have also played large roles in the defensive improvement.
Of course, Washington has been outstanding on the offensive side of the ball, as well. The Little Prexies average a Class 2A-best 40.1 points per game, registering at least 40 points in four of their six games. Junior running back Eddie Lewis has posted team bests of 601 yards and 10 touchdowns. Bosnic said “Steady Eddie” is coming off of his best game of the season, a 194-yard, three-touchdown effort against Waynesburg.
Gordon, Willis and Thomas have been the top targets for first-year starting quarterback Tristan Reed, a 6-foot-4, 160-pound sophomore who has thrown for 721 yards, eight touchdowns and just one interception.
“I think he’s got a ton of potential,” Bosnic said. “He’s 6-4, 6-5, so he’s only going to continue to get bigger. He’s a good athlete and he can whip the ball.”
The offensive line is anchored by sophomore Joe Wilson (6-3, 255), one of only 10 WPIAL freshmen named to all-conference teams last season. Bosnic said Wilson has been “tremendous.”
Washington’s upcoming schedule is favorable, with its next three games coming against Sto-Rox (1-4, 1-2), Charleroi (0-5, 0-2) and Keystone Oaks (3-3, 2-1). The Little Prexies travel to McGuffey (4-2, 3-0) in their final regular-season game, a tilt which could decide the conference title. The Little Prexies and Highlanders are the only teams in the Century Conference without a conference loss and Keystone Oaks is the only team with just one loss.
“It’s really been a team effort,” Bosnic said. “Everybody has just been doing their job.”
Brad is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at beverett@unionprogress.com.