WPIAL Class 3A championship preview: Avonworth vs. Central Valley

It’s well known that Central Valley is one of the WPIAL’s premier football programs.

In a short time — the school formed in 2009 — and under the guidance of coach Mark Lyons, the Warriors have won five WPIAL titles and will play in the championship game for the 10th time on Saturday.

And while their opponent has just one title to its name in the past half century, it’s a program that, like Central Valley, should be considered elite in these parts. Avonworth is appearing in the final for the third year in a row and fourth time in six years, and coach Duke Johncour’s team might just bring the school a third WPIAL title in a few days.

“They’ve consistently done it,” Lyons said. “That’s something that is a tribute to their coaching staff. They’re never just one and done. They’re good every year.”

So good that Avonworth has captured wins against Central Valley in consecutive years, beating the Warriors, 28-20, last season and 21-14 back on Sept. 27. But both of those games came at home and both came in the regular season. A lot more will be on the line when Avonworth (10-3), the No. 5 seed, meets No. 2 Central Valley (7-5) at 2 p.m. Saturday at Acrisure Stadium.

Avonworth hopes to avoid losing in the final for the third year in a row. The Antelopes fell to eventual PIAA champion Belle Vernon the past two years, this after losing in the semifinals in 2021. Avonworth’s senior class, which Johncour called “special,” has gone 42-9 in their four seasons. Win No. 43 would give the Antelopes a third title to go along with the ones they won in 1959 and 2019.

Under Johncour, Avonworth has been a perennial winner. Since he took over in 2011, Avonworth has had just one losing season and has won at least nine games in eight of the 14 seasons. The Antelopes have been especially good since 2019, going 63-12 in that time.

It turns out that there’s no secret formula to Johncour’s success. To him, it’s more the Jimmys and the Joes than the X’s and O’s.

“Just getting our athletes in the school to play,” said Johncour, who is 119-41 overall. “We share athletes. We give them a good experience. We talk about them being a part of the family and buying into what we’re doing. It’s never about you. And when you buy into that and commit to that, good things happen.”

Coaching continues to be a family affair for Johncour. His son, Derek, is in his second season as a full-time assistant. He’s the quarterbacks coach. The man he replaced, Barry Johncour, is his grandfather and Duke’s father. Barry Johncour, 81 and a coaching great himself, isn’t officially an assistant coach anymore, Duke said, but he still finds his way to the coach’s box each week to provide his insight.

This Avonworth team hopes to be in a celebratory mood Saturday night. They’ve had a lot of celebrating to do since a tough two-game stretch in early September that saw them drop games to Class 4A powers Aliquippa and Thomas Jefferson. The Antelopes were decimated by injuries against Aliquippa, but they have since gotten healthier while winning eight of their past nine games. Their only loss in that time was to Beaver in the regular-season finale, a defeat the Antelopes avenged in the WPIAL quarterfinals.

“This is their third straight year. It’s a hungry group,” Lyons said. “It’s a committed group and they’re always well coached. Duke does a great job. One thing about them is, they don’t beat themselves.”

You could say this has been a wild playoff run for Avonworth, as it has been fueled by the play of their wildcat quarterbacks. Brothers Nico and Luca Neal have been the key players there, combining to run for 705 yards and nine touchdowns in three playoff wins. Nico rushed for 264 yards and four touchdowns against Beaver, while Luca ran for 172 yards and two scores in a 14-6 win against No. 1 Imani Christian in the semifinals.

“There are none better in the WPIAL,” Johncour said of the Neals. “They’re downhill runners. Shifty. Fast. All-around tough football players.”

While Johncour is happy to not be facing Quinton Martin and Belle Vernon in another championship game, he knows that beating Central Valley might not be much easier. And he’s certainly not surprised that the Warriors have made it to this point.

“[Lyons] is a great coach and he has a great staff,” Johncour said. “They’ve been there and done that. This team has been in this game multiple times. They are a seasoned well-coached team that is going to come up with a great game plan on offense and is going to play great defense. You have to be ready.”

Central Valley began the season 0-3, the worst start in program history. Those losses, though, were all to Class 4A teams that would go on to reach the playoffs — Montour, Thomas Jefferson and Belle Vernon. Since then, however, Central Valley has won seven of nine, the only losses coming to Avonworth and Class 5A North Hills.

“In today’s day and age, not too many kids are buying into what you’re selling at 0-3,” Lyons explained. “This is a testament to the guys who stayed locked in and who kept believing. Our seniors, my hats off to them. They took it upon themselves to get this team here.”

Lyons said that a big reason for success has been a renewed focus on being physical on both sides of the ball, a trademark of the program throughout the years. Like Avonworth, Central Valley relies heavily on the run, an attack headlined by running backs Mason Dixon and Jance Henry. Dixon has run for 1,339 yards and 19 touchdowns, while Henry has rushed for 788 yards and 12 touchdowns. Dixon ran for 140 yards and a score in a 31-15 semifinal win against Elizabeth Forward.

It was Avoworth that was the more physical team when the Antelopes beat Central Valley in the regular season. Luca Neal ran for 153 yards and Nico Neal added 69, 11 coming on his go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter. Central Valley’s Dixon and Henry were limited to 44 yards combined.

It’s a recipe Avonworth hopes will be successful in Saturday’s title game. And if it is, the Antelopes will earn a third WPIAL title.

“We just need to minimize mistakes,” Johncour said. “We have to play our game and not turn the ball over. We’ve got to move the ball offensively and contain the big plays on defense. That’s the recipe. No turnovers. Control the ball. Minimize the big plays.”