The Avonworth Antelopes will face off against the Imani Christian Academy Saints at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Avonworth is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They were the clear victors by a 44-24 margin over North Catholic. The victory continues a trend for the Antelopes in their matchups with the Trojans: they've now won five in a row.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Avonworth to victory, but perhaps none more so than Dimitri Velisaris, who rushed for 125 yards and three TDs while picking up 7.4 yards per carry. Luca Neal was another major influence, as he rushed for 98 yards and ran in a TD.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Avonworth was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 301 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 163 rushing yards in 14 consecutive matchups dating back to last season.
Avonworth's defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB six times. Romello Harris-Blanchard refused to say out of the backfield, picking up four sacks all by himself.
Meanwhile, Imani Christian Academy got themselves on the board against Central Valley on Friday, but Central Valley never followed suit. They took their game with ease, bagging a 48-0 win over the Warriors. Given the Saints' advantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania football rankings (they are ranked 12th, while the Warriors are ranked 116th) , the win wasn't entirely unexpected.
Avonworth's record is now 12-0. As for Imani Christian Academy, their record now sits at an identical 12-0.
Avonworth was able to grind out a solid victory over Imani Christian Academy when the teams last played back in November of 2024, winning 14-6. Will the Antelopes repeat their success, or do the Saints have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
