It’s been a wild postseason run for Avonworth, which continues to rely heavily on its wildcat offense to wear down opposing defenses.
Coach Duke Johncour said that while the package doesn’t have a gimmicky name — the Wild Antelope would be appropriate, though — the formations, like all of the rest of the ones Avonworth employs, are named after vehicles.
“One of the sets is called Hummer. Another is called Lincoln,” Johncour explained.
The names are rather fitting when you consider they have helped drive Avonworth to within a win of its first-ever state championship.
WPIAL champion Avonworth (12-3) will try to make history when it takes on District 11 champion Northwestern Lehigh (15-0) in the PIAA Class 3A championship at 1 p.m. Saturday at Cumberland Valley’s Chapman Field.
Both teams will be appearing in the final for just the second time. Avonworth fell to mighty Southern Columbia in the 2019 final, while Northwestern Lehigh was defeated by WPIAL foe Belle Vernon, 38-7, in last year’s final.
Avonworth’s decision late in the season to lean on its wildcat offense continues to pay dividends. Johncour said the Antelopes have had the package in its back pocket since July, and that they used it the first time in a win against Central Valley in Week 5. But since the playoffs began, it has been pretty much all wildcat all the time, with brothers Nico and Luca Neal running over, through and around the opposition.
“I always like to say we have something in the bag,” Johncour said. “We preserve our athletes. We knew what Luca and Nico could do. We have good running backs, a stable of five or six of them.”
On the Avonworth roster, Nico, a senior, is listed as a running back, while Luca, a junior, is listed as a wing back. Both have been taking direct snaps regularly, though, and it has led to some big numbers when these big boys — Nico is 5 feet 10, 225 pounds and Luca is 5-10, 190 — run the rock.
In five playoff games, Nico has carried the ball 76 times for 605 yards and has scored eight touchdowns, while Luca has 73 carries for 553 yards and five touchdowns. The uptick in usage for both is staggering considering that in the regular season the two combined to run for 378 yards and three touchdowns on 54 carries. But in the postseason, one of them has eclipsed 100 yards in every game. That included Nico running for 264 yards against Beaver in the WPIAL quarterfinals and Luca going for 255 against Penn Cambria in the PIAA semifinals.
“They’ve been unbelievable, virtually unstoppable,” said Johncour, adding that the Antelopes have gotten excellent play from their offensive line.
On the other side of the ball, Avonworth is fueled by a defense that has surrendered only 12 points the past three games. The Antelopes surrendered only 160 total yards and seven first downs to Central Valley in the WPIAL championship. It has been another pair of brothers leading the charge defensively for the Antelopes. Sophomore linebacker Bryce Metz leads the team with 120 tackles and senior linebacker Mason Metz has a team-best 20 sacks.
Now Avonworth must get through Northwestern Lehigh, a team that reminds Johncour of his own.
“They’re like a mirror image of us,” Johncour said. “They have a No. 4. We have a No. 4. And both are really special. Whoever blocks better, tackles better and whoever’s No. 4 runs better will probably win the game.”
Luca Neal is No. 4 for Avonworth, while senior running back Eli Zimmerman dons that jersey for Northwestern Lehigh. Zimmerman (5-9, 160) leads the Tigers in rushing (2,548 yards) and touchdowns (34), and is also one of their top pass catchers (25 receptions, 271 yards). Zimmerman ran for a career-high 337 yards on 34 carries in a 31-14 semifinal win against Danville.
“He’s shifty, he’s fast, he’s downhill,” Johncour said. “He’s not a big kid, but he has great vision, great cutbacks and he can make you miss.”
Northwestern Lehigh junior quarterback Shane Leh has passed for 1,472 yards and 23 touchdowns to go along with 353 yards rushing and eight touchdowns. His favorite receiver has been junior Mason Bollinger, who has 37 catches for 523 yards and has scored 13 touchdowns.
Defensively, sophomore linebacker Brady Zimmerman (117) and junior linebacker Shane Hulmes (111) have been the top tacklers. Hulmes leads with seven sacks and Eli Zimmerman has a team-best six interceptions.
Northwestern Lehigh won its third consecutive District 11 title and has been dominant throughout the season, outscoring opponents, 634-93. The Tigers beat Southern Lehigh, 23-17, on Oct. 25, but other than that, have won all of their games by at least 17 points. That includes a 36-7 win against North Schuylkill in the district final in which Eli Zimmerman ran for 216 yards and three touchdowns.
While Northwestern Lehigh is a win away from its first PIAA title, so is Avonworth. And if the Antelopes get another wild effort from their wildcat offense, that first title may just come Saturday.
“It would be really special,” Johncour said. “The kids have bought in and worked hard. It would be really special to finish it off with a championship.”
Brad is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at beverett@unionprogress.com.