Saints march on to WPIAL semifinals after rallying past No. 9 Highlands

By: Michael Love
Friday, November 8, 2024 | 10:53 PM

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Imani Christian is moving on.

And it took a big rally for the No. 1 Saints to do it.

Down 14 at halftime to No. 9 Highlands and shut out on the scoreboard, Imani came all the way back to score a 31-17 victory in a WPIAL Class 3A quarterfinal matchup Friday at Graham Field.

The Saints scored 23 unanswered points in the fourth quarter.

“I knew we had what it took to come back,” Imani coach LaRoi Johnson said.

“I just told them that we were going to do it. All in all, I told them to not stop believing in each other. That has been our message all season. We’re going to be fine if we believe in each other and play together as a team.”

The Saints (11-0) advanced to the semifinals and will take on Avonworth next Friday at a time and site to be determined.

“We’re going to enjoy this one. I always have that rule about 24 hours, and then we’ll start the film on Avonworth on Sunday morning,” Johnson said.

“I am sure it is going to be a great game. I am sure (Avonworth) is pumped up with their win as we are with our win. We’ll meet each other in the middle of the field and get it on.”

Highlands, which routed Southmoreland in the first round, finished its season at 6-5.

The Golden Rams had won four in a row before Friday’s game, a rematch of a 12-10 Allegheny 7 Conference victory by the Saints in Week 4.

“They gave total effort tonight for 48 minutes, and that’s all we ask,” Highlands coach Matt Bonislawski said.

“We fell a couple of plays short, but all the credit goes to these kids.”

Imani started its rally early in the third quarter. David Davis capped the Saints’ first second-half possession with a 17-yard touchdown run. An Anthony Portis two-point conversion closed the deficit to 14-8.

Highlands respond on its first possession of the third quarter. The Golden Rams saw their drive stall at the Saints’ 10, and Jackson Babinsack came on to convert a 26-yard field goal with 7:12 left in the quarter to extend the lead to 17-8.

It remained that score until the first play of the fourth quarter. Imani’s Gabe Jenkins, who led all runners with 137 yards on 18 carries, threw a 5-yard halfback scoring pass to Dayshawn Burnett.

Jenkins ran in the conversion to draw Imani to within one at 17-16.

The Golden Rams’ defense turned the Saints over on downs at the Golden Rams’ 1 with 5:34 to go, but a safety — Darious Clark tackled Highlands quarterback Menage Lucas in the end zone — gave Imani its first lead of the game at 18-17.

The Golden Rams elected to go for an onsides kick after the safety, but Saints offensive lineman/linebacker Maurice Williams collected the kick and returned it 34 yards to the end zone.

Imani then capped the scoring with 1:48 left on a Burnett 17-yard run.

“I think we wore them down a little bit as the second half went on with the pressure we kept sending,” Johnson said.

“We just played hard and played determined. We didn’t want to lose, and the kids knew they needed to make some big plays to get it done.”

“They came out and ran it between the tackles,” Bonislawski said. “Their size, strength, and speed up front on both sides of the ball kind of overwhelmed us at times. They also have a lot of guys they can snap it to and let run. But it wasn’t easy for (Imani). Both teams dug deep. It was a battle. It ended up a two-score game, but it being an 18-17 game in the fourth quarter showed how close of a game it was.”

Highlands scored on its first and last possessions of the first half.

There were several possessions by both teams between the scores but no additional points.

The Golden Rams got on the board with 9:06 left in the first quarter as Lucas connected with Jahmar Wright in the end zone from 24 yards out.

Highlands recovered an Imani fumble at the Golden Rams’ 34 on the Saints’ first possession. However, the Highlands offense turned the ball over on downs at the Imani 30.

Imani looked to make some noise offensively early in the second quarter after Marcus Williams intercepted Lucas near midfield.

The Saints drove to the 21 and faced a fourth and 8. Quarterback Steve Vandiver dropped back and found Williams down to the 2. However, Lucas was right there and punched the ball out of Williams’ hands, scooped the ball out of mid air, and returned it to the 35.

The teams traded punts on their subsequent drives, setting up the Golden Rams’ next scoring strike.

On third and 1, Lucas went up top and hit Darius Cherry in stride at the Imani 30. Cherry took it the rest of the way to complete the 53-yard TD connection.

Lucas was held to just 33 yards on 15 carries, but he finished 7 of 14 passing for 144 yards.

Imani had one more crack in the first half and drove deep into Highlands’ territory. The Saints converted a pass from Vandiver into the end zone, but the score was called back on a hold.

A Vandiver incompletion on the next play ended the half.

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Highlands, Imani Christian