Johncours lead Avonworth into promising campaign

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, August 16, 2018 | 10:00 PM

Avonworth did every coach in the WPIAL a favor last season when the Antelopes waltzed into Charleroi’s Myron Pottios Stadium as a No. 13 seed and upset the No. 5-seeded Cougars.

The win came by a team that had a sub-.500 record and lost three of its final four regular-season games.

Nevertheless, Avonworth continued to believe in coach Duke Johncour’s season-long message to stay the course. But what’s more important, when Avonworth’s playoff hopes looked bleak, the Antelopes never lost belief in themselves.

“I told the kids that you were three plays away from being 6-3 and a loss away from being 2-7,” said Johncour, who is entering his eighth season as coach and 18th overall with the program. “On paper we were three wins. We knew that we were not a fourth-place finisher in this conference.”

Follow sports long enough and one will realize that there are seasons where a team just does not get the breaks. A failed two-point conversion here and a tough one-point loss to a talented East Allegheny team could seed a rapidly spreading wild fire of doubt in a locker room, but not at Avonworth.

“Our staff does a nice job of positive encouragement and coaching,” Johncour said. “They bring a lot to the table. It was good year.”

Another Antelope who brings a lot to the table is 6-foot-2, 180-pound senior quarterback Derek Johncour. Johncour returns after a solid junior season in which he threw for 1,949 yards and 14 touchdowns.

“When you look at the game of football, the game is going to be slower for Derek this year,” Johncour said. “He’s gonna drop back and seem easier. It’s (all about) game experience, and you have to be there to get it.”

The Lopes return six starters on offense and defense.

Avonworth bid adieu to last year’s rushing leader JJ Igims (538 yards), which opened the door for junior Jax Miller. He finished last season with 174 yards on 36 carries, including four touchdowns.

“He’s athletic, and he’s quick,” Johncour said.

Seniors Nick Weiser and Ben Calloway will line up at H-back and fullback, respectively, in Johncour’s spread offense.

Last season’s receiving leader Turner Grau is back. Grau and Johncour were on the same page for much of last season. Grau is a legit down-the-field threat, having racked up 963 yards and 10 touchdowns. He had a season high 217 yards and two touchdowns in the Antelopes’ 14-13 loss to East Allegheny.

Grau will get the start at wide receiver. Juniors Ethan Syam and Andrew Tedesco, in addition to sophomore Drew Harper, are competing for time at slot receiver.

“They’re all coming in with limited experience,”Johncour said. “We were senior-heavy in the slot last year.”

Avonworth returns three starters to its offensive line, including Ryan Seltzer, who will once again protect Johncour’s blindside.

Depending on the situation, the Avonworth defense will move from a 3-4 defense into a 4-4.

Johncour said his linebacking corps will be a mix of young and old. Senior Patrick Gannon will see his first significant time at defensive end in the 4-4 sets. Also in the mix are Weiser, Miller, junior Jordan Rapp and senior Park Penrod.

The secondary still has question marks, as well. Besides Tedesco, Johncour said there’s three to four players competing for the last cornerback spot. Last year’s interception leader, Syam (6), will return to his safety spot.

Once the WPIAL’s realignment was finished, Avonworth stayed in Class 2A but landed in the talent-heavy Allegheny Conference, alongside rivals Steel Valley and East Allegheny. The Antelopes will be traveling eastward on Friday nights this fall with conference road games against Valley, Apollo-Ridge and Summit Academy. The Antelopes will welcome East Allegheny and Class 2A favorites Steel Valley, Shady Side Academy and rival East Allegheny to round the conference home schedule.

The Antelopes nonconference schedule is no layup either with home games agaisnt New Brighton and Seton LaSalle and a trip to McGuffey.

“ Looking at some of the other conferences, this is definitely one of the tough(est) conferences,” Johncour said. “They know what they’re facing, and they’re not going in blind. There’s no team that we’re looking at that we’re saying, ‘Yeah, that’s a week off.’ There’s no easy week per se.”

Schedule

Coach: Duke Johncour

2017 record: 4-6, 3-3

All-time record: 394-496-15

Date, Opponent, Time

8.24, at Neshannock, 7 p.m.

8.31, at Valley*, 7 p.m.

9.7, Steel Valley*, 7 p.m.

9.14, New Brighton, 7 p.m.

9.21, at Apollo-Ridge*, 7 p.m.

9.29, at Summit Academy*, 12:30 p.m.

10.5, Seton LaSalle, 7 p.m.

10.12, East Allegheny*, 7 p.m.

10.19, at McGuffey, 7 p.m.

10.26, Shady Side Academy*, 7 p.m.

*Class 2A Allegheny Conference game

Statistical leaders

Passing: Derek Johncour

163-285, 1,949 yards, 14 TDs

Rushing: JJ Igims*

144-538 yards, 7 TDs

Receiving: Turner Grau

60-963 yards, 10 TDs

*Graduated

William Whalen is a freelance writer.

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