Imani Christian holds off California to reach 1st WPIAL title game

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, November 18, 2017 | 12:24 AM

Whoever said the sequel isn't as good as the original never watched playoff football.

To say Imani Christian moved past a 41-26 Week 3 loss to California would be an understatement. The Saints were short players that hot September Saturday afternoon at Wilkinsburg's Graham Field when the two teams clashed.

Backed by strong defensive line play and a quick start, No. 4-seeded Imani Christian upended top-seeded California, 30-24, Friday night at Peters Township and advance to the school's first-ever WPIAL Class A championship game.

“The first time (we played), we weren't at full strength, it was 90 degrees outside and there were a lot of factors that played into that,” Imani coach Ronnell Heard said. “That California team battled for four quarters; that was a great football game.”

Imani (11-2) will face an Eastern Conference rival in No. 2 Jeannette, which knocked off Clairton, 18-7, to punch its ticket to next Saturday's WPIAL Class A title game at Robert Morris' Joe Walton Stadium. The Saints fell to the Jayhawks, 54-36, in Week 4.

Holding the upper hand for much of the game, California (12-1) quarterback Colin Phillips scored on a 1-yard keeper with 9 seconds remaining in the third quarter to bring the score to 16-9 in favor of the Saints and set up a back-and-forth fourth quarter where Imani was forced to earn the win by playing defense and getting the ball into the hands of its playmakers.

To make things more interesting, if the Saints were going to extend their season one more week, they had to rely on backup quarterback Israel Reed to lead them there.

Midway through the third quarter, starting quarterback Tawan Wesley left the game with an injury to his right leg and never returned. Wesley put the Saints on the board early in the game with a 38-yard touchdown pass to Samuel Fairley to give Imani an 8-0 lead. Wesley connected with Rahmon Hart Jr. from 25 yards to lift the Saints to a 16-0 lead with 1 minute, 45 seconds remaining in the first quarter. Wesley finished the night 13 of 21 for 170 yards and two touchdowns.

“We're very lucky to have two great athletes that play quarterback but that also makes us very hard to defend,” Heard said. “They're both very skilled.”

Fairley pulled in six receptions for a game-high 128 yards, and Hart added seven receptions for 102 yards to lead Imani.

Reed marched the Saints down the field and looked every bit like the starting quarterback as Wesley. He connected with senior wide receiver Ray Jackson from 26 yards to give the Saints a 24-9 lead with just over eight minutes remaining in the game.

With the Saints defense stacking the line of scrimmage to stop the Trojans' potent running attack, it opened up the pass, something California didn't do much during the season

“They did a good job coming up front (on defense),” California coach Darrin Dillow said. “There was just so many guys inside. We tried. We just came up short.”

Phillips found Cochise Ryan for a 38-yard touchdown pass to close in on the Saints' lead at 24-17 with 5:34 left on the clock. Reed led the Imani offense back down the field, and Asante' Watkins scored on an 8-yard run to give the Saints a 30-16 lead with 3:36 left.

California responded with another score, when Phillips spotted Ryan in the back corner of the end zone for a 19-yard touchdown pass to bring the score to 30-24. A failed onside kick attempt closed out the game. The Imani defense held California running back Jelani Stafford to just 25 yards on seven carries.

Phillips completed 9 of 16 passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns, and Ryan pulled in six receptions for 151 yards.

“I'm super proud of these kids, super proud of the school, super proud of parents and super proud of the administration,” Heard said.

William Whalen is a freelance writer.

Tags: California, Imani Christian