Waynesburg stuns Prexies, 21-13
It is not a regular occurrence for Waynesburg to defeat Washington on the gridiron, which makes what happened Friday night at Wash High Stadium all the more memorable.
Quarterback Jake Stephenson gained 135 yards on 17 carries and the Raiders’ defense shut out the Prexies in the second half as Waynesburg scored a 21-13 upset over host Washington in the Century Conference opener for both teams.
“We haven’t beaten Wash High in, I think, 10 years, since 2014,” Stephenson speculated afterwards. “Coming in here this week we knew we had a good game plan and we’d come in here and win this football game.”
For those keeping count, Stephenson was six years off. The Raiders’ last win over the Prexies came in 2008, 20-6, also in Washington.
Waynesburg (1-0, 3-1) was the aggressor for much of Friday night’s contest and seemed to have Washington off balance most of the night on both sides of the ball.
Defensively, Waynesburg forced three second-half turnovers, which stemmed the tide each time Washington seemed to gather some momentum.
“We just made too many mistakes tonight,” lamented Prexies coach Mike Bosnic. “We’ve got to get better. We have to practice better, too.”
Waynesburg lit up the scoreboard first on its first possession when it marched 61 yards in six plays. The drive was capped by a 4-yard Stephenson run. Dalton Taylor’s kick was good, giving the visiting Raiders a 7-0 lead at 7:26 of the first quarter.
“He ran real hard tonight,” Bosnic said regarding Stephenson. “He was tough to stop.”
Washington (0-1, 2-2) responded on its first possession of the game when it took advantage of three penalties on Waynesburg.
The Prexies started the drive on the Raiders 48 and ground their way to a fourth and goal at the 1.
Caleb Patton snuck in over center for the score. Tyler Crawford knocked in the extra point, knotting the score at 7 with 1:49 to go in the first. Patton came on as quarterback on the fourth-and-goal play when starting quarterback Tristan Reed’s helmet popped off on the previous play, forcing him to the bench for one snap.
The track meet was on when Waynesburg took possession next. It took four plays for the Raiders to regain the lead when Stephenson found Teagan Crouse for a 28-yard touchdown connection, giving Waynesburg a 14-7 lead early in the second frame.
Washington made good on its next drive when it marched eight plays to a score. Jahvon Woods plowed in from the three to cut the Raider lead to 14-13 with five plus minutes remaining in the half. The point after attempt failed due to a mishandled snap.
The Prexies defense made a key stop right before the half as it looked like the Raiders were about to extend their lead. Arthur Mull sacked Stephenson near midfield on third and 14 to force a Waynesburg punt.
Waynesburg’s defense made a big-time play when Zach Jiblits intercepted Reed on Washington’s opening second-half drive, giving the ball to Waynesburg on the Prexies 46. The Raiders moved to the Washington 25, but their drive stalled out on fourth and long there when Stephenson’s pass fell incomplete.
The Raider defense again stood tall when it stuffed Trenton Grooms a yard short on fourth and 2 on the Waynesburg 47 with four minutes left in the third.
Waynesburg again had a chance to put some distance between itself and the Prexies. But facing a fourth and 7 from the Washington 32, Stephenson’s pass intended for Jiblits fell incomplete to begin the fourth quarter, giving the ball back to the Prexies.
Washington gave it right back when Cayden Cook fumbled. Crouse recovered on the Washington 34, presenting the Raiders another chance to score.
Stephenson then made Washington pay three plays later when he blasted in from 25 yards out with 10:03 remaining in the game, pushing the Raiders’ lead to 21-13.
Washington looked to respond on its next and what would become its final possession. Woods broke a 36-yard run into Waynesburg real estate. Three plays later, Reed ran for 17 yards on fourth and 10 from the Raider 21. But on second and goal from the three, Woods was stopped short and fumbled. Jeffrey Blair recovered on the Raider 1 to quell the threat with 6:15 remaining.
From there, Waynesburg was able to move off its own 1 to midfield and run out the clock for a massive road win.
“This cements us as a program,” Waynesburg coach Aaron Giorgi said. “Everything came together tonight. We put the game plan in this week and the kids all bought in.”