The No. 1 seed in Class 3A was on the ropes Friday night.
Unbeaten Imani Christian, the highest-scoring team in the class, trailed Highlands, 14-0, at the half in their WPIAL semifinal game.
But Imani Christian showed a lot of grit and toughness in the second half, so much so that the Saints will be marching into the semifinals for just the second time in program history.
Imani Christian rallied from two touchdowns down to defeat No. 9 Highlands, 31-17, at UPMC Graham Field.
The win puts Imani Christian (11-0) into the semifinals for the first time since 2017. The Saints will aim for their second championship appearance when they face No. 5 Avonworth in next week’s semifinals. Highlands (6-5) was trying to reach the semifinals for the first time since 2008.
This marked the second time this season that Imani Christian rallied to beat Highlands. When the Allegheny 7 Conference foes met on Sept. 20, the Saints trailed for much of the game before pulling out a 12-10 win.
“There’s a lot of fight in those kids,” Imani Christian coach LaRoi Johnson said. “They refused to bow down. There was never a doubt in that locker room. There was a lot of talking, but there was never a doubt of what they were going to do.”
What Imani Christian did was not only erase a 14-0 halftime deficit but also outscore Highlands, 23-0, in the fourth quarter after the Golden Rams held a 17-8 lead after three quarters.
Gabe Jenkins tossed a 5-yard touchdown to Dayshaun Burnett and Jenkins tacked on the 2-point run to pull Imani Christian within 17-16 with 11:55 left in the fourth quarter. After the offense accounted for some scores, it was time for the defense and special teams to do the same during a sequence that helped the Saints surge ahead.
Darius Clark and a few of his teammates forced a safety to put the Saints in front, 18-17, with 5:29 left. Highlands then kicked the ball back to Imani Christian, but it went incredibly wrong for the Golden Rams, as Imani Christian’s Maurice Williams scooped up the ball and ran 34 yards for a touchdown to increase the lead to 24-17. Burnett then added some insurance by scoring on a 17-yard touchdown run with 1:53 left to play.
“That was the weirdest swing. That was just some crazy video-game type stuff,” Johnson said. “You don’t see that type of swing too often.”
Jenkins had a big game for Imani Christian, running for 134 yards on 16 carries. David Davis added 58 yards on the ground for the Saints, who collected 299 rushing yards overall.
Menage Lucas threw for a pair of first-half touchdowns for Highlands, one going to Jahmar Wright and the other to Darius Cherry. Lucas completed 7 of 14 passes for 142 yards and was intercepted twice. He added 19 yards on 11 carries.
Other Class 3A quarterfinals
• Nico Neal ran for 250 yards and four touchdowns as No. 5 Avonworth (9-3) beat host No. 4 Beaver (8-3), 42-21, to end the Bobcats’ season in the quarterfinals for the third year in a row. In a showdown of Western Hills Conference foes, Avonworth avenged a 34-14 loss to Beaver on Oct. 25. The Antelopes raced to a 35-0 halftime lead behind Neal’s touchdown runs of 8, 14 and 14 yards. He also connected with Jackson Krul for a touchdown in the first half before adding a 60-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Luca Neal chipped in a 26-yard touchdown run for Avonworth, a finalist the past two seasons that advanced to the semifinals for the fourth year in a row. Travis Clear threw for a pair of scores for Beaver, which had won five straight and was seeking its first semifinal appearance since 2017.
• Mason Dixon and Jance Henry combined to rush for 297 yards and score four touchdowns to push No. 2 Central Valley (6-5) into the semifinals for the fifth time in six years following a 35-7 win against visiting No. 7 Freeport (8-4). Dixon ran for 195 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries and Henry ran for 102 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries. Dixon’s touchdowns came on runs of 34 and 31 yards and Henry’s on runs of 7 and 13 yards. Steven Rutherford added a 7-yard touchdown run for the Warriors, who collected 323 yards on the ground overall. The Warriors will take on Elizabeth Forward in the semifinals. Drew Ross connected with Danny King on a 38-yard score for Freeport’s lone touchdown.
• In a wild back-and-forth affair, sophomore Luke Holdren drilled a 25-yard field goal as time expired to give No. 3 Elizabeth Forward (8-3) a thrilling 45-42 win against visiting No. 11 North Catholic (5-7). It was the seventh win in a row for the Warriors, who also reached the semifinals last season. Charlie Nigut scored four first-half touchdowns for Elizabeth Forward in a game that was tied, 28-28, at the half. Ryan Messina also ran for a pair of touchdowns for the Warriors, including a 1-yard score to cap a 98-yard drive that tied the score at 42 with 2:33 left. AJ Grese then intercepted a North Catholic pass to give Elizabeth Forward possession with 1:27 left. Joey Felitsky passed for two touchdowns and Tom Arth ran for three scores for North Catholic, which upset No. 6 Deer Lakes in the first round.
Class 5A quarterfinals
• Top seed Pine-Richland (9-1) rolled into the semifinals for the 11th year in a row courtesy of a 42-0 home win against No. 9 Franklin Regional (8-4). All of the scoring came in the first half. Mac Miller ran for 104 yards and three touchdowns, the scores coming on runs of 9, 9 and 2 yards. Jay Timmons also scored three touchdowns for the Rams. He was on the receiving end of touchdowns thrown by Oobi Strader and Sam Heckert and also returned an interception 31 yards for a touchdown. Pine-Richland will take on Bethel Park in the semifinals. Franklin Regional was coming off its first playoff win since 2018 and was trying to reach the semifinals for the first time since 2015.
• JaVaughn Moore ran for 280 yards and accounted for four touchdowns to lead No. 5 Bethel Park (10-2) to a 49-22 win against No. 4 Woodland Hills (8-3) at The Wolvarena. The Wolverines had no answer for Moore, who ran the ball 37 times and scored on runs of 10, 5 and 80 yards. Moore also had two catches for 81 yards, highlighted by a 59-yard touchdown reception from Tanner Pfeuffer. Moore’s final three touchdowns came in the fourth quarter after Woodland Hills had pulled within 26-14. Pfeuffer passed for 196 yards and two touchdowns and also rushed for a score. Bethel Park held a 529-281 edge in total yards. Scoop Smith had a hand in all three Woodland Hills touchdowns. He returned a kick 75 yards for a score, scored on an 86-yard run, and tossed a 62-yard touchdown to Cymeon McCoy.
• No. 2 Upper St. Clair (11-0) used another dominant defensive performance to defeat visiting No. 7 Penn Hills (7-5), 24-3. Upper St. Clair, the only unbeaten team in Class 5A, forced three turnovers and limited Penn Hills to five first downs and 117 total yards. John Banbury returned a fumble 11 yards for a touchdown for Upper St. Clair, which gives up 9.1 points per game and has not allowed more than 14 points since the season opener. Penn Hills, which had won four straight, took a 3-0 first-quarter lead before Upper St. Clair scored the final 24 points. Dante Coury scored on a 1-yard touchdown run and Julian Dahlem on a 26-yard touchdown run. Upper St. Clair will play Allegheny Six Conference rival Peters Township in the semifinals. The Panthers defeated Peters Township, 21-7, on Sept. 27.
• Nolan DiLucia passed for 175 yards and three touchdowns and also ran for a touchdown to lead No. 3 and defending champion Peters Township (10-1) to a 42-13 win against visiting No. 6 Penn-Trafford (9-3). It was the fifth win in a row for Peters Township, which improved to 25-2 since the start of last season. DiLucia hooked up with Nick McCullough on touchdowns of 72 and 24 yards, connected with Eli Prado for a 21-yard touchdown, and added a 5-yard touchdown run. The second scoring pass to McCullough gave the Indians a 24-7 halftime lead. The Indians also got a defensive score, as Mickey Vaccarello returned an interception 48 yards for a touchdown. Penn-Trafford had won seven games in a row.
SCOREBOARD
WPIAL CLASS 5A PLAYOFFS
Quarterfinals
Bethel Park 49, Woodland Hills 22
Peters Township 42, Penn-Trafford 13
Pine-Richland 42, Franklin Regional 0
Upper St. Clair 24, Penn Hills 3
WPIAL CLASS 3A PLAYOFFS
Quarterfinals
Avonworth 42, Beaver 21
Central Valley 35, Freeport 7
Elizabeth Forward 45, North Catholic 42
Imani Christian 31, Highlands 17
Brad is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at beverett@unionprogress.com.