As far as Class 3A championship games go, they simply don’t get much bigger than this.
The storylines for this one write themselves — two undefeated teams, public school vs. private school, rematch of last year’s WPIAL semifinals, star players galore competing for the right to be called champions forever, all while playing in front of their family and friends inside the same stadium the Steelers call home. It’s No. 1 Avonworth (12-0) vs. No. 2 Imani Christian (12-0) at 5 p.m. Saturday at Acrisure Stadium, and no matter what happens, it’s sure to be a show.
“We don’t really have to say much to our kids. They’re excited,” said Saints coach LaRoi Johnson. “If somebody went and took the most valuable thing and took it off you, and you got a chance to catch them at some point in life, what would you do? There are very few times you get the chance to catch the bully who did something to you and catch them now that you’re ready to handle them. I think that’s where we’re at now.
“Last year, we were young. We were just trying to put the pieces together. Now I think there’s definitely going to be an opportunity for us. I would say we’re overly excited to have the rematch.”
Last year’s semifinal was a low-scoring affair won by Avonworth, 14-6, but this year’s contest promises for more fireworks when these high-powered offenses collide on the North Shore in the penultimate showdown of Saturday’s four-game slate. The Antelopes are averaging 41.5 points per game on the season, while Imani boasts the highest-scoring offense in the WPIAL at an average of 48.5 ppg.
The Saints faced what many believed would be their toughest test yet in last week’s semifinal round against No. 3 Central Valley, coached by the venerable Mark Lyons, winner of five WPIAL titles and two state titles. Instead, it turned into just another show of force, as Imani dominated the Warriors from start to finish in a commanding 48-0 beatdown.
“I think it’s a thing where, when we were coming out, and I looked and I saw my three best players, my three leaders [David Davis, Gabe Jenkins and Maurice Williams], and they all had tears in their eyes — and they weren’t tears because they were sad,” Johnson said. “They were tears because there was just no way. It was something I felt. It meant too much to the kids. It was just a different mindset.”
For the Saints, it all starts with Jenkins, a junior quarterback who has passed for 1,646 yards and 29 touchdowns to eight interceptions while rushing for 1,357 yards and 14 additional scores on the year. Throw in an equally dangerous playmaker like Davis, a senior who has 659 yards rushing on just 36 carries (18.3 yards per rush) and 19 receptions for 515 yards (27.1 yards per reception) with 18 total TDs, and Imani might just have the most heralded backfield tandem in the area.
“I’m just going to say I believe in the two guys who have played with me their entire career,” Johnson said. “I truly believe in their entire ability.”
On the other side, you would be hard-pressed to find a more well-rounded team in any classification than Avonworth, which features senior quarterback Carson Bellinger (1,934 yards passing, 26 TDs, 1 INT), bruising tailback Dimitri Velisaris (1,449 yards, 24 TDs), and multi-purpose weapon Luca Neal, who has 40 catches for 788 yards (19.7 yards per reception) and 28 rushes for 418 yards (14.9 yards per rush) for 18 total TDs.
But if you’re searching for the most impactful player of all during the Lopes’ undefeated run to the championship game, look no further than Navy recruit Peter Bonnet (6-6, 300). The towering left tackle has paved the way for Avonworth’s run game that has racked up nearly 3,000 yards on the ground this season, and of course, he is also Bellinger’s trusted protector on his blind side.
“I think whatever team wears out first is going to be at a disadvantage,” said Lopes coach Duke Johncour. “It’s going to be a four-quarter battle. Whatever team is able to withstand the storm. I think turnovers and big plays are going to be the name of the game.”
Like it or not, one thing the Saints will have to account for in their first trip to Acrisure Stadium is the larger-than-life atmosphere their players will have to adjust to. On the other hand, Avonworth will be making its fourth consecutive trip to the big game, meaning its seniors will have played at the Steelers’ home field in all four years of their high school careers.
“I remember my first year there in 2014, we played a really good Clairton team,” Johncour said. “We were still in the ballgame. It’s like 21-7, and they’re driving in, so we called a timeout. And I’m trying to talk to my kids about how to adjust, and none of them are looking at me. They’re all looking at highlights on the Jumbotron. I just laughed.
“The familiarity of that is — I don’t want to say an advantage, but they are going to be awestruck by the lights.”
After back-to-back losses to Belle Vernon in the 2022 and 2023 championship games, the Lopes shut out Central Valley in last year’s title game before going all the way to the state finals, where they fell to Northwestern Lehigh in overtime, 36-33. This year, they faced a grueling schedule while vanquishing top-notch foes such as WPIAL Class 4A champion Aliquippa (23-7 on the road), WPIAL Class 4A semifinalist Thomas Jefferson (41-14 at home) and more.
Many believe a rematch between Avonworth and Northwestern Lehigh in the PIAA championship game is inevitable, but anybody who thinks Imani is going to be some pushover like every other team the Lopes have faced this year is going to be sadly mistaken come Saturday.
“We’ve been resilient all year,” Johncour said. “Central Valley went right down the field on us and went up 7-0. TJ went down and took the opening kickoff back. We’re resilient. They’ve been in big games before.
“[Our seniors] don’t know anything different. It’s pretty special.”
Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at srotstein@unionprogress.com.
