If brothers Nico and Luca Neal are looking for seasonal work during the holidays, they might want to look into applying to drive for Amazon, UPS or FedEx.
Considering the two always deliver on time, one would think they shouldn’t have any difficulty getting hired.
The Neal brothers combined to run for 249 yards and two touchdowns while helping No. 5 Avonworth (10-3) claim a spot in the WPIAL Class 3A final for the third year in a row after a 14-6 semifinal win against No. 1 Imani Christian (11-1) at West Allegheny.
“They delivered again, that’s two weeks in a row,” Avonworth coach Duke Johncour said. “They’re pretty special kids. They run downhill and are gritty. Just tough kids.”
Avonworth will next meet No. 2 Central Valley (7-5) in the championship at 5 p.m. Nov. 23 at Acrisure Stadium. Avonworth defeated Central Valley, 21-14, in a conference game on Sept. 27. After falling to Belle Vernon in the final the past two seasons, the Antelopes will try again to win their first title since 2019 and third overall.
Having the Neal brothers on its side and playing as well as they are should be a big help. A week earlier in a first-round win against Beaver, Nico ran for 264 yards and four touchdowns, while Luca ran for 93 yards and a touchdown. Against Imani Christian, it was Luca who played the lead role. Luca ran for 176 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries, while Nico ran for 73 yards on 12 carries.
Luca Neal has now rushed for 269 yards on 32 carries in the postseason after collecting 213 yards on 26 carries in the regular season.
“We’ve got a garage, and we’ve got to keep guys in the garage,” Johncour said. “We try to preserve our kids. But when push comes to shove, we put the ball in the best kids’ hands. They’re tough physical runners.”
After a scoreless first half, Avonworth benefited from an Imani Christian special teams mistake to take the lead with 2:33 left in the third quarter. The Saints punted from their own 35-yard line, but the ball went straight up into the air before bouncing back to the 32. On the very next play, Luca Neal scored on a 32-yard touchdown run to help put the Antelopes in front, 7-0.
“I told Luca, ‘We’re putting the ball in your hands. Deliver! He ran downhill, ran hard, and got the touchdown,” Johncour said.
Avonworth added to its lead when Luca Neal ran right up the middle and scored on a 50-yard touchdown run to make it 14-0 with 8:19 left in the fourth.
Imani Christian, which entered the game averaging a Class 3A-best 43.7 points per game, scored its only points of the night on an 81-yard touchdown run by David Davis with 7:20 left. Davis had 92 yards on seven carries in the game, while Gabe Jenkins, the team’s leading rusher on the season, was limited to 41 yards on 11 carries.
The six points given up by Avonworth were the fewest allowed by the Antelopes this season.
Imani Christian was trying to advance to the final for just the second time and first since 2017.
Other Class 3A semifinal
• Central Valley completed only one pass on Friday.
No problem.
The Warriors instead used their rushing attack to pass their final test in getting back to yet another final.
Mason Dixon ran for 140 yards and a touchdown to propel Central Valley into the final for the fifth time in six years following a 31-15 win against No. 3 Elizabeth Forward (8-4) at Montour.
Central Valley, which started the season 0-3, racked up 312 rushing yards against Elizabeth Forward, which saw its seven-game win streak come to a halt. Steven Rutherford ran for 108 yards, headlined by a 91-yard touchdown run in the second quarter that helped Central Valley take a 21-7 halftime lead. Jance Henry added 49 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Rutherford was 1-of-8 passing with an interception.
The Central Valley lead stood at 31-7 before Elizabeth Forward’s Charlie Nigut scored on a 1-yard run with 2:11 left. Central Valley did a tremendous job against Nigut, who typically shines as a runner and receiver. Nigut rushed for 29 yards on nine carries and had six receptions for 52 yards. Ryan Messina completed 23-of-38 passes for 273 yards. Messina hooked up with Connor Stokes for an 80-yard touchdown in the first quarter. Stokes finished with six catches for 132 yards.
Elizabeth Forward has never won a title and was trying to reach its first final since 2020 when it fell to Central Valley in the championship game. Central Valley also beat Elizabeth Forward in the semifinals a year later.
Brad is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at beverett@unionprogress.com.