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Penn Cambria Panthers come up short to Avonworth Antelopes again

By John Hartsock 6 min read

INDIANA -- For the second straight year, an outstanding football season for Penn Cambria ended just one win short of a berth in the PIAA Class 3A state championship game.

And for the second straight season, WPIAL champion Avonworth proved to be a roadblock that the Panthers could not quite surmount in the PIAA semifinals.

With senior flanker Luca Neal running for 122 yards and two second-half touchdowns on 12 carries, and hauling in three first-half passes by senior quarterback Carson Bellinger for 115 yards, including a 75-yard scoring play, unbeaten Avonworth broke open a close game in the second half and posted a 31-15 victory over Penn Cambria at Indiana High School's Andy Kuzmeski Field.

The outcome put the wraps on a 12-3 season for District 6 champion Penn Cambria. WPIAL champ Avonworth (14-0) advances to next Saturday afternoon's 1 p.m. state championship game against Northwestern Lehigh at Cumberland Valley High School's Chapman Field in Mechanicsburg.

This year's 3A state championship game will be a rematch of last year's state title game, in which Northwestern Lehigh defeated Avonworth, 36-33 in overtime. Northwestern Lehigh earned its berth in next Saturday's championship game with a 48-13 rout of Trinity in Friday night's other 3A semifinal.

Avonworth led Penn Cambria by just a touchdown, 14-7, at halftime before Neal's open-field speed made all the difference in the second half.

After busting a 42-yard run off the right side in the third quarter, Neal found open space in the middle of the field two plays later and bounced off two defenders en route to his first of two 18-yard second-half TD runs with 7:19 left in the third quarter. It was a big one, putting Avonworth firmly in the driver's seat with a 21-7 lead.

Later in the third quarter, Avonworth covered 58 yards in five plays, with Neal sweeping left end for another 18-yard score with 1:24 left to put the Antelopes ahead, 28-7.

"I got some great blocks tonight that helped me break free,'' said Neal, who also accounted for Avonworth's first touchdown of the game after taking a 68-yard Bellinger pass down the right sideline 13 seconds into the second quarter. "It was a close game at halftime, and we came out of the locker room knowing that we had to play with some extra energy in the second half, and we did.''

Penn Cambria coach Jason Grassi gave Neal his just due but also saluted his team for a fine season.

"He's a heck of a football player,'' Grassi said of Neal, who rushed for 254 yards in Avonworth's 16-6 state semifinal win over Penn Cambria a year ago, when Nick Felus was the Panthers' head coach. "He's a stud, he's lethal.

"We were right there with them at halftime,'' Grassi added. "They just made some big plays in the second half. Credit to them -- they're a great football team. I can't thank our seniors enough for the hard work that they put in over the past four years here. Two District 6 championships, two trips to the state semifinals. We just came up a little bit short tonight.''

Penn Cambria senior quarterback Brady Jones and senior flanker Blake Lilly both had big nights for the Panthers.

Jones completed 18 of 34 passes for 223 yards and two touchdowns. He hit Lilly with a 27-yard TD pass in the second quarter to pull Penn Cambria into a 7-7 tie. Jones then connected with his younger brother, Noah, a sophomore, on a 32-yard scoring pass late in the game.

"People doubted us all year, but our community and our fans rallied behind us,'' said Brady Jones, who was a three-year starter at quarterback. "(Achieving team success like this) takes an effort by everybody.

"It was a close game here, a close game there tonight,'' Brady Jones added. "(Avonworth) is a great team. They made the plays that they needed to make tonight, and we made some big plays, too. But we just came up short.''

Bellinger hit sophomore wideout Jaden Jones with a 75-yard touchdown pass down the middle of the field in the second quarter to put Avonworth ahead, 14-7.

"We picked up some momentum with that first touchdown, then they took it back,''Grassi said.

Avonworth was without the services of its outstanding junior back Dimitri Velisaris (leg bruise), who has rushed for over 1,500 yards and 24 touchdowns this season. But Neal, Bellinger and Jones picked up the slack for the Antelopes.

"Big-time playmakers show up in big games, and we had a couple kids do that for us tonight,'' Avonworth coach Duke Johncour said.

Plays of the game: The first-half touchdown passes from Bellinger to Neal and Jones were huge, and Neal's first 18-yard touchdown run in the third quarter did the most to shape the game's outcome.

Player of the game: Neal.

Unsung heroes: Bellinger completed only five passes, but accounted for 258 passing yards, with Jones hauling in four receptions for 132 yards.

Most vital statistic: Avonworth's defense limited Penn Cambria's running game to just 70 total yards, while the Antelopes rolled up 447 yards in total offense.

Lilly: "We played our butts off. Nobody can question the effort tonight. (Avonworth) just came out in the second half, took the momentum and ran with it. It was a long journey and a very good journey for us, and just because we're not playing in the state championship game takes nothing away from that journey.''

Notable: Noah Jones had an interception from his defensive back position for Penn Cambria, while Bryce Metz recovered a fumble for Avonworth ... Avonworth kicker Calder Mahan booted a 29-yard fourth-quarter field goal.

Records: Penn Cambria (12-3), Avonworth (14-0).

Next week: Penn Cambria's season is complete. Avonworth advances to the PIAA Class 3A state championship game against Northwestern Lehigh next Saturday afternoon at Cumberland Valley High School's Chapman Field in Mechanicsburg.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Penn Cambria 0 7 0 8--15

Avonworth 0 14 14 3--31

Second Quarter

A--Neal 68 pass from Bellinger (Mahan kick), 11:47.

PC--Lilly 27 pass from B. Jones (B. Jones kick), 7:14.

A--Jones 75 pass from Bellinger (Mahan kick), 6:17.

Third Quarter

A--Neal 18 run (Mahan kick), 7:19.

A--Neal 18 run (Mahan kick), 1:24.

Fourth Quarter

A--Mahan 29 FG, 6:38.

PC--N. Jones 32 pass from B. Jones (Lilly run), 3:24.

TEAM STATISTICS PC A

First downs 18 19

Total yards 292 447

Rushes-yards 30-69 28-189

Yards passing 223 258

Passing (comp.-att.-int.) 18-34-0 8-12-1

Punts/avg. 2-97 1-32

Fumbles-lost 2-1 1-0

Penalties-yards 1-15 7-80 INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING--Penn Cambria, Vinglish 15-39, B. Jones 12-32, Lilly 3-(-2). Avonworth, Neal 12-122, Metz 8-47, Bellinger 3-15, Scharding 2-5, Ferguson 3-0.

PASSING--Penn Cambria, B. Jones 19-34-0-223. Avonworth, Bellinger 8-12-1-258.

RECEIVING--Penn Cambria, Lilly 7-108, Gides 4-36, N. Jones 2-38, Vinglish 2-12, Mack 1-15, Nadolsky 1-8, Latterner 1-6. Avonworth, Bellinger 8-12-1-258.

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