They say every day a star is born — but in high school football, stars are rarely born this late in the season.
As a complementary piece in Avonworth’s backfield alongside his older brother, Luca Neal rushed for only 213 yards on 26 carries during the regular season. But Avonworth made a late-season switch to the Wildcat offense that paid dividends, as the No. 5 seed Lopes steamrolled their way through the WPIAL Class 3A tournament with the Neal brothers running wild behind a bruising offensive line.
In a 17-0 win against Central Valley in the WPIAL championship game, Nico Neal did most of the heavy lifting with 102 yards and a pair of touchdown runs. But the senior sustained a turf toe injury the following week in Avonworth’s 16-6 win against District 6 champ Penn Cambria in the PIAA semifinals, opening the door for his younger brother to step into the spotlight.
Authoring a dazzling breakout performance on a snow-covered field at Norwin High School, Luca Neal rushed for 263 yards and two TDs to send the Lopes to their second state championship game in school history. The 5-foot-10, 185-pound junior then followed that up with an encore for the ages, carrying the ball 36 times for 252 yards and four scores against unbeaten District 11 champ Northwestern Lehigh.
In the end, Avonworth came just short of capturing its first state championship in a heart-wrenching 36-33 overtime defeat — but Neal’s performance will stand the test of time regardless as one of the greatest ever by a WPIAL player in PIAA championship history.
“I’m always prepared,” Neal said. “I just come game-ready.”
Across six playoff games for the Lopes in 2024, Neal rushed for 805 yards — including 515 yards combined in the state semifinals and state final. He finished the season as Avonworth’s leading rusher and receiver, tallying 1,018 yards rushing on 135 attempts with 26 receptions for 489 yards and 13 total TDs.
With his older brother set to graduate this spring, all eyes will be on Neal in 2025 as the unquestioned centerpiece on offense for the Lopes. Avonworth could still turn to quarterback Carson Bellinger to employ a more traditional offense early in the season, but once the calendar flips to November, expect the Lopes to rely on their workhorse to carry them back to the promised land.
“We just do whatever works,” Neal said. “Whoever is feeling it that day, we just feed him.”
Losing ‘Weapon X’ too much for Central Catholic to overcome
As the leading receiver for Central Catholic — not to mention the Vikings’ most trusted defensive back and an electrifying kick returner on special teams — few players, if any, were more vital to the Vikings’ success this season than Xxavier Thomas.
The younger brother of Indianapolis Colts safety Rodney Thomas, “Weapon X” is an elite athlete who also shines in track and field as both a sprinter and long jumper. One of the few players on Central’s team capable of matching the speed of St. Joseph’s Prep and its slew of talented playmakers, his presence was needed more than ever in last Saturday’s PIAA Class 6A championship defeat against St. Joe’s.
After the Vikings fell behind by a score of 21-0 in the first quarter, the Penn State recruit provided the spark they so desperately needed with a long kick return inside the Hawks’ 30-yard line. But the excitement was short-lived for Central, as Thomas suffered an apparent shoulder injury while getting tackled near the sideline and did not return to the game.
With the dominance St. Joe’s displayed from start to finish on Saturday, it’s hard to imagine the Vikings pulling out a win even with a healthy Thomas on the field — but without him, they had virtually no chance. In the aftermath of the defeat, Central coach Ryan Lehmeier spoke about Thomas’ impact on his program and the legacy the star senior is leaving behind.
“If you lose Xxavier Thomas, you’re not just losing a kick returner or a corner,” Lehmeier said. “That kid is the cornerstone of this program. His family and what we do here — that kid was such a big part of it. He’s an emotional leader, a vocal leader. Communicates on both sides of the ball. I could go on.
“I love that kid. It was a big hit when we lost him.”
Western Pa. poised for rebound after rare down year in 2024
With the losses by Avonworth and Central Catholic last weekend, the WPIAL came home empty handed from the PIAA championships for the first time since 1992 and only the second time ever.
If history is any indication, it will likely be a long time before that happens again.
Just last year, Western Pa. had a representative in all six state title games for the first time, with five WPIAL teams reaching the championship game along with City League champion Westinghouse. Aliquippa and Belle Vernon brought home PIAA titles in 2023, while Belle Vernon and Pine-Richland won it all in 2022. In 2021, four teams from the WPIAL claimed state titles — Central Valley, Aliquippa, Penn-Trafford and Mt. Lebanon.
With only two teams advancing to the PIAA championships in 2024, this was certainly a rare down year for the WPIAL. On the bright side, though, local fans can count on a bounce-back year from the Western Pa. contingent in 2025.
In Class 1A, Fort Cherry and Clairton should both be among the top contenders to knock off PIAA champion Bishop Guilfoyle, while Westinghouse would also love another crack at the defending champs — and the Bulldogs will be hungrier than ever for their first state title. Meanwhile, Avonworth is knocking on the door of its first state title in Class 3A, and Aliquippa should be right back in the mix in Class 4A along with Thomas Jefferson and McKeesport.
Winning a state title in Class 5A and Class 6A is always tough with perennial powerhouses across the state like St. Joseph’s Prep and Bishop McDevitt, but Central Catholic and Pine-Richland will both have a ton of talent returning and could have what it takes to bring home the ultimate prize.
“A lot of the guys that came out here in Viking uniforms are showing back up next year,” Lehmeier said. “We’re super excited for the future, and I’m just really proud of my kids and my coaches and what they gave to get here.”
Record keeping
In 2023, Steelton-Highspire quarterback Alex Erby punctuated his stellar career by defeating Fort Cherry in the PIAA Class 1A championship for his third state title in four years, graduating as Pennsylvania’s all-time leader in career passing yards, touchdowns and completions.
Now, just one year later, Bishop McDevitt quarterback Stone Saunders has rewritten the PIAA record book.
A Kentucky recruit who became the first player in Pennsylvania to pass for 200 career touchdowns in a PIAA Class 5A semifinal victory against Pine-Richland last week, Saunders steered the Crusaders to their second state title in three years with a 34-31 overtime victory against Roman Catholic in his final high school game on Friday. In the win, Saunders surpassed Erby’s PIAA records for career passing yardage and completions, finishing his career with 781 completions on 1,191 attempts for 13,719 yards passing and 204 TDs to just 25 interceptions. He also rushed for 106 yards and nine scores in his career, giving him a final tally of 13,825 total yards and 213 total TDs.
Saunders finished his high school career with a record of 52-6 while leading Bishop McDevitt to four district titles, three state championship appearances and two PIAA crowns. He is the only player in PIAA history to pass for 3,000-plus yards in each of his four high school seasons. But while his passing records appear to be secure for the foreseeable future, his records for career total yardage and total TDs could be in serious jeopardy.
After leading Fort Cherry to back-to-back WPIAL Class 1A titles in 2023-24, Matt Sieg will return for his senior season in hot pursuit of Saunders’ records. As a junior, Sieg accounted for 3,180 yards (1,340 passing, 1,840 rushing) and 53 total TDs (20 passing, 32 rushing, 1 punt return). The Penn State recruit now has 4,231 yards passing and 6,211 yards rushing with 160 total TDs for his career, meaning he will need 3,384 total yards and 54 touchdowns in his final season to surpass Saunders.
Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at srotstein@unionprogress.com.
