Key goal-line stand highlights Avonworth’s hard-fought win over West Mifflin

By: Jerin Steele
Friday, September 30, 2022 | 11:39 PM

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It wasn’t a pretty start for Avonworth, but it turned into a beautiful ending.

After getting zero points on three trips into the red zone in the first half and trailing late into the third quarter, the Antelopes were able to put a pair of drives together for touchdowns and got a late goal-line stand, highlighted by a Brandon Biagiarelli touchdown-saving tackle on the 1-yard line on fourth-and-goal.

It was enough to get past a tough West Mifflin team 14-8 in Class 3A Western Hills Conference action Friday night.

“We love these competitive games,” Biagiarelli said. “It lets us show who we are. Stepping up in big games is kind of what we do. I love big games, and I can’t wait for the next one.”

Biagiarelli had a touchdown run in the third quarter, but his biggest play of the night came on defense.

On fourth-and-goal with 3 minutes, 9 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, he raced from the right hashmark to knock West Mifflin quarterback Shai Newby out of bounds on the 1-yard line, forcing a turnover on downs.

“We read our keys, and our defensive line opened it up pretty well,” Biagiarelli said. “I read it and just stuck my head in there and made a play.”

Peyton Faulkner and Andrew Kuban had key tackles on second and third down leading up to Biagiearelli’s play.

After the goal-line stand, Avonworth yielded a safety, making the score 14-8, and West Mifflin had one last shot, but a fourth-down pass from Newby to DelRon White didn’t connect, turning the ball over on downs with less than 30 seconds remaining.

It was a tough ending to a fantastic effort for the Titans.

“Our kids were resilient,” West Mifflin coach Rod Steele. “They played some tough football. When you look back at the game, there’s probably two or three plays that were the difference. If they go our way, it’s a different outcome.”

The Titans defense made several huge plays in the first half. They stripped Biagiarelli on the 1-yard line and recovered the ball in the end zone at 6:04 in the first quarter. In the second quarter, Rich Fix intercepted a Nate Harper pass ending another drive in the red zone.

West Mifflin got on the board late in the second quarter when DelRon White scored on a 2-yard run. The score was setup by a 60-yard connection from Newby to Ty’Jeir Williams.

Williams had six catches for 218 yards.

The Titans made one more stand right before halftime after a blocked punt set up Avonworth at their 6-yard line. The Antelopes had two false starts, which set them back outside the 10, but West Mifflin successfully defended three pass plays and went into the locker room up 6-0.

“Too many mistakes,” Avonworth coach Duke Johncour said about the first half. “We just had to put that behind us and come out and execute the gameplan. Execute the plays we know we can run and execute them better.”

The Antelopes turned to Luke Hillyard in the second half, and he delivered. Hillyard ran the ball 10 straight times to get down to the 1-yard line, and Biagiarelli punched it in from there to give Avonworth a 7-6 lead late in the third quarter.

“We came out in the second half and played well,” Johncour said. “Our kids played physical and really how we expect them to play. We minimized the mistakes and were able to come out on top.”

Hillyard added an 8-yard touchdown run in the fourth. He had 49 yards at halftime but finished with 197 on 33 carries.

“He’s an absolute stud,” Biagiarelli said of Hillyard. “He had a great game. He was just an animal out there.”

It was nearly the second consecutive week West Mifflin (2-4, 1-1) knocked off a top-five opponent, with Avonworth (5-1, 3-0) ranked second in the Trib HSSN rankings. They beat Beaver, 31-24, in overtime last Friday.

“We are playing with teams that have been playing high-level football for a long time,” Steele said. “(Avonworth) is just a couple years removed from playing in the state championship game. To be able to take it to the wire … can’t say enough about the kids’ effort. They played great ball.”

Jerin Steele is a freelance writer

Tags: Avonworth, West Mifflin