Avonworth uses ground game to pull away from stubborn Greensburg Salem in 2nd half

By: Sean Saputo
Friday, November 1, 2024 | 10:42 PM

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Fifth-seeded Avonworth opened Friday night’s WPIAL Class 3A first-round matchup with a flurry, going up three scores, but still had to hold off pesky, 12th-seeded Greensburg Salem before coming out on top 43-27 thanks to a dominant running attack.

It was all Antelopes in the first 12 minutes, 47 seconds. They opened up a 19-0 lead to put the visiting Golden Lions on their heels early. Dimitri Valsaris highlighted the scoring with a pair of touchdown runs, and Jack Crawford also reeled in a 25-yard touchdown reception.

“Our kids fought hard,” Avonworth coach Duke Johncour said. “We took the gas off a little up 19-0, but kudos to them. They fought hard and battled.”

The “foot off the gas” is referring to the Golden Lions responding with 14 unanswered points in the second quarter behind a pair of Brody Chismar touchdown passes to Max Tapper and Kai Brunot to make it 19-14 at the break.

Chismar had a solid night for Greensburg Salem, as the sophomore signal caller completed 14 of 20 passes for 259 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. His third and fourth touchdown passes — to Dom Rosensteel and Topper — cut the deficit to 22-20 and 29-27, respectively.

“Brody is a competitor,” Greensburg Salem coach Ty George said. “He doesn’t make excuses. He’s there to compete, give our kids the best chance to win, and we really appreciate his effort tonight.”

However, it was the second half rushing attack of Avonworth that fueled the victory. The Antelopes amassed 227 yards on the ground over the final 24 minutes.

Valsaris ended the night with 202 yards on 23 carries to go with three touchdowns, including 122 in the second half, and Nico Neal contributed 113 yards on seven carries with two touchdowns, all in the second half.

The Antelopes move into the quarterfinals, and a rematch of the final regular-season matchup awaits as they face No. 4 Beaver. Avonworth lost the regular-season finale to the Bobcats, 34-14, so there’s work to do for the ‘Lopes.

“They have a three-headed monster, and we have to slow them down,” Johncour said. “They got four big plays on us last time, and we can’t let that happen again.”

On the flip side, Greensburg Salem concludes the season with a 7-4 overall record. But strides were taken in George’s second season after a 2-8 record in 2023 and he sees a bright future for the Golden Lions.

“This is something we want to take into our offseason,” George said. “This can drive us for next season. The kids got a taste of success, and they want to stay there. This is a motivating factor, and the underclassmen got to see what work is needed to be here and we’re going to use this moving forward.”

Tags: Avonworth, Greensburg Salem