Fear the Antelopes: Under-the-radar Avonworth to meet West Mifflin in key conference clash

By: Chris Harlan
Thursday, September 28, 2023 | 11:56 PM

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Would there be more buzz for a type of cat, bear or angry bird?

Avonworth has started 5-0 this season, a year after reaching the WPIAL finals, but coach Duke Johncour says the Antelopes don’t seem to draw the attention others do.

“I think we kind of fly under the radar,” he said. “Maybe it’s because the Antelope is our mascot, and it’s not fearful (for others).”

Johncour wasn’t serious about the mascot, but he does believe his players deserve more respect. Besides, the American Antelope can run faster than a horse — and it has horns.

Avonworth has shown its toughness, too, by winning a WPIAL title in 2019, and by going 21-2 in conference games over the past five seasons.

“I look at it and say, ‘What do we have to do to get some clout and recognition?’” he said. “But it is what it is. I don’t mind.”

Instead, the Antelopes (5-0, 2-0) will try to win a Western Hills Conference title for the second year in a row. They’ve got a key matchup at home Friday night against West Mifflin (2-3, 1-0), which hopes to challenge them for the conference crown.

If anyone can appreciate the consistency of Avonworth, it’s surely West Mifflin coach Rod Steele. When he was winning WPIAL and PIAA titles at Steel Valley several years ago, one of his top conference foes was Avonworth.

Their teams started sharing a conference again last season.

“Let’s call it what it is,” Steele said. “They’re the defending conference champs. They played in the WPIAL championship game last year. They played a hell of a game (against Belle Vernon). And they’ve got experience playing in big games.

“Once you get to that level, the guys understand what it takes to be consistent at a high level.”

That doesn’t mean West Mifflin is a pushover. The Titans started this season against three ranked opponents: McKeesport, Thomas Jefferson and Elizabeth Forward. They lost all three, at times while shorthanded to injuries, but they battled each week.

West Mifflin opened conference play last week with a 28-16 win over Beaver.

“They have a couple of tough losses, but the teams they’ve played are really, really talented,” Johncour said. “McKeesport and Thomas Jefferson are at the top of 4A.”

Avonworth’s biggest win so far was a 28-20 nonconference victory over Central Valley, another Class 4A contender. Andrew Kuban and Brandon Biagiarelli each scored twice in the win.

“We played an unbelievable game against a 4A powerhouse,” Johncour said.

Avonworth again can be considered a Class 3A playoff contender. But first, the Antelopes must navigate one of the WPIAL’s deeper conferences.

A year ago, West Mifflin, Beaver and South Park all finished in a three-way tie for second behind Avonworth. This year, a resurgent Seton LaSalle (4-1, 2-0) has also joined the race.

The Antelopes opened conference play by defeating Hopewell, 45-6, two weeks ago and is coming off 38-0 win at South Park. They’ve played three weeks without Biagiarelli, an all-conference linebacker and running back, but they’ve continued to win while waiting for his return from a leg injury.

Sophomore quarterback Carson Bellinger threw for four touchdowns in last week’s win, each caught by a different receiver. Freshman running back Dimitri Velisaris also had a touchdown run in the win.

The offense averages 37 points per game, and the defense allows nine.

“It’s just a team effort,” Johncour said. “There’s not a singular thing that’s doing it or not doing it.”

West Mifflin got three touchdown passes and a rushing TD from senior quarterback David Fleming in last week’s win over Beaver. Two of his touchdown throws went to Ty Leonard, a freshman. But the workhorse was senior running back DelRon White, who rushed for 249 yards on 31 carries.

“They’re big and they’re physical and they’re well coached,” Johncour said. “They know their assignments, they know their responsibilities, and they get to the football.”

Avonworth graduated quite a bit from last year’s roster that finished as the WPIAL runner-up, including a 1,400-yard passer, a 1,200-yard rusher and a talented group of receivers.

Many teams would take a big step back after losing that much talent.

“When you graduate a good senior class, people are looking for us to not be good,” Johncour said. “But it’s nice to have kids who have bought into what we’re doing and are working hard to reap the rewards.”

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.

Tags: Avonworth, West Mifflin