Imani Christian cruises, eliminates Ligonier Valley from playoff contention

By: Paul Schofield
Friday, October 20, 2023 | 10:35 PM

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Imani Christian Academy didn’t play a perfect game Friday at Ligonier Valley, but the No. 4-ranked Saints had enough firepower to pull out a victory on the road.

Che’Von Allen caught two touchdown passes from two quarterbacks, and the defense limited Ligonier Valley to 68 yards of offense in a 31-0 victory in the WPIAL Class 2A Allegheny Conference at soggy Weller Field.

The victory clinched a berth in the WPIAL playoffs for the Saints (6-2, 4-1) and eliminated the chances of the Rams (2-7, 1-5) returning to the postseason. It’s only the second time since 2014 they won’t be playing in the postseason.

Imani Christian struck quickly against the young Rams, who were missing numerous starters because of injuries or sickness. Ligonier Valley was missing at least seven starters, and its only senior, Noah Glunk, has been out since the first game a leg injury.

“Another day and another bit of adversity our team was faced with,” Ligonier Valley coach Roger Beitel said. “The coaching staff on the fly had to change our game plan because there were some kids that were unable to play on game day.

“But what I liked was that we had kids playing who wanted to be on the field. They gave me a great effort.”

Freshman Gabe Jenkins raced 55 yards on the first play of the game and scored on the next play from the Ligonier Valley 9 for an early 7-0 lead.

The Rams, with the aid of a 61-yard kickoff return by Demetrious Owens, drove to the Imani Christian’s 2 and were stopped on fourth down. The Rams never threatened to score again.

“When we make a mistake, we don’t have the ability to come back from it,” Beitel said. “When holes open up for us, a big play is eight yards just because we don’t have the same type of speed they have.”

Imani Christian extended its lead to 19-0 in the second quarter by taking advantage of two short fields. Dave Compton’s 26-yard interception set up Steve VanDiver’s 14-yard score.

“I was a game that you’re not worried how pretty it was,” Imani Christian coach Laroi Johnson said. “It was a game that we learned how to play with a wet ball in your hands. It was raining, and securing the ball was the most important thing.”

VanDiver, following a short punt, capped a 35-yard drive by hitting Allen on a 28-yard pass.

“Ligonier Valley is well coached team, and their kids played hard,” Johnson said. “They came out with a lot of energy, and I’m glad that we were able to match their energy and every time we needed a stop, we got it. I was proud of the stops we had on fourth down.”

In the fourth quarter, the Saints tacked on two more scores.

Dayshaun Burnett connected on a 17-yard score to Allen to make it 25-0, and then Burnett scored on a one-play drive, racing 36 yards for the touchdown.

“I thought we gave them a lot of different looks to confuse them,” Beitel said. “We were able to get pressure on them.

“They have three Power 5 Division I kids over there, and they have kids in the skilled positions that are bigger than some of our offensive linemen. I felt our kids played with a good bit of toughness, and there were times we played defense really well.”

Despite gaining 64 yards on his first two runs, Jenkins ended up with 94 yards. Imani rushed for 140 yards, and the two quarterbacks threw for 122.

Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.

Tags: Imani Christian, Ligonier Valley