GW played one of the best halves I've ever seen in high school ball. Congratulations to an outstanding, classy team.
Washington crushes Northeast to capture Public crown
Ron Cohen, soaked to the bone after having two jugs of ice-cold water dumped over his head at the end of George Washington's 40-0 drubbing of Northeast yesterday, slipped off his cap and revealed what was written on the bill: "12-14."
That, for those who don't know, was the final score of the regular-season meeting between the teams, with Cohen's Eagles on the losing end.
Clem Murray / Staff Photographer
Northeast running back is hemmed in by Washington's Simba Sellers (on ground) and Vernon Dupree for no gain on a first quarter screen pass. (Clem Murray / Staff Photographer)
"The players had it on their shoulder pads," Washington coach Cohen said. "Yeah, we used as motivation."
Boy, did they ever. A ravenous defense sacked Northeast quarterback Malik Stokes five times in the first half, an opportunistic offense scored 27 second-quarter points, and Washington breezed, with most of the second half played with a running clock, to the Public League Class AAAA championship at Charlie Martin Memorial Stadium.
For the Eagles, it was their third straight league crown and Cohen's 11th in 25 seasons. He passed former Frankford boss Al Angelo, the last person to guide a squad to three consecutive Public League crowns, for most titles won by a league coach. Angelo's Pioneers took top honors in 1971, 72 and 73.
"This was sweet," Cohen said. "Three in a row is almost impossible to do, truthfully, at the high school level."
The Vikings, who were trying for their first championship since 1983, finished with two yards of total offense. Stokes, afforded no protection from a porous line, was sacked six times for a total loss of 36 yards and converted only 5 of 17 passes for 39 yards.
"We took that earlier loss to them to heart," said Washington senior quarterback Aaron Wilmer, who sat out that game because of a school-related issue. "It made us want to go out there and really give it our all."
In the first half, Wilmer was 7-for-7 passing for 117 yards and three touchdowns. Two of his scoring throws, of 3 and 5 yards, went to wideout Nate Smith. On the other, halfback Hakeem Sillman turned a right-side screen into a 30-yard score that made it 28-0 late in the second quarter.
"The thing that counts the most is the playoffs," said Wilmer, who carried nine times for 40 yards. "It's in the playoffs when we turn into another team."
In the District 12 Class AAAA final, likely to be played Nov. 28, the Eagles (8-2) will meet the yet-to-be-determined Catholic League champ. Washington bagged that title last year with a win over La Salle.
Against Northeast (6-4), Washington's defensive catalyst in a dominant first half was senior outside linebacker Simba Sellers. In the opening 18 minutes, he produced 4 1/2 sacks, intercepted a pass and returned it 33 yards, and recovered a fumble.
On Sellers' second-quarter interception, he hauled in a Stokes pass that was first deflected by 6-foot-3, 305-pound tackle Sharrif Floyd.
"That kid is a manchild," Vikings coach Chris Riley said of Floyd. "He manhandled our guys."
Tailback English Peay contributed a pair of TDs, on second-quarter runs of 2 and 7 yards.
"They came out and were ready to go," Riley said. "They obviously wanted it more than we did."
George Washington 7 27 6 0 - 40
Northeast 0 0 0 0 - 0
GW: N. Smith 3 pass from Wilmer (Mazue-Acquoi kick)
GW: Peay 2 run (Mazue-Acquoi kick)
GW: N. Smith 5 pass from Wilmer (Mazue-Acquoi kick)
GW: Sillman 30 pass from Wilmer (Mazue-Acquoi kick)
GW: Peay 7 run (kick failed)
GW: Dupree 1 run (pass failed)
Contact staff writer Rick O'Brien at 610-313-8019 or robrien@phillynews.com.
