Stangs rely on Washington

Last season Khiry Washington pulled down seven interceptions to lead Monticello High’s defense as a sophomore. But just about as often as he made a game changing pickoff, Washington struggled in coverage.
“I got burnt a lot last year,” Washington said. “But you learn from that because that causes losses — you’ve just got to stay deep.”
As a junior, Washington appears to have taken that mantra to heart. He picked off a pair of passes against Orange County last week in a critical Jefferson District victory for the Mustangs, largely by simply staying deep, and rarely allowing Orange’s big-play wideouts behind him. That made Washington perhaps the greatest beneficiary of Tom Sutliff’s defensive scheme that shut down quarterback Quintin Hunter and the Hornets to the tune of a 44-13 victory,
“[Sutliff] said just stay back and you’ll get some plays,” Washington said. “I just stayed deep and played the ball. I didn’t bite on anything, I just kept backpedaling and as soon as [Hunter] turned his shoulders I broke on the ball.”
Washington’s concentration on staying deep is just part of an extensive development process the junior defensive back has gone through over the last year. Washington had the confidence that comes with being a superior athlete last year, but like most any sophomore, he hadn’t learned yet what it took to become a complete football player. A big part of that process was simply learning to listen.
“As long as I listen to the coaches I do real good,” Washington said. “I think that’s about being a young player, because I always want the ball, but it’s a team sport and you’ve got to do what’s best for the team.”
That approach is likely part of the reason Washington has earned an expanded role this season, including time on offense as a receiver and on special teams as a return man. Any good player wants the ball, but they’ve got to want it for the right reasons, and it’s apparent that Washington does.
He got the chance to make a big play with his 54-yard punt return for a touchdown in the third quarter of the Orange County game that broke open the contest for he Mustangs. But that’s now how the return started out.
“At first I was going to call a fair catch because everybody was around me, but as soon as I got the ball, all I could see was the endzone,” Washington said.
He’s seen the end zone three times this season, with a pair of receiving touchdowns to go with his 143 yards and nine catches through the air. And if his performance over the last couple of games is any indication, Washington is only going to get better and better as the season goes on.
“It’s the same as last year, at the beginning of the season I was kind of out of it and then as the season goes on, you learn more,” Washington said.