No. 1 Imani Christian scores late TD to beat Highlands in defensive struggle

By: Andrew John
Friday, September 20, 2024 | 11:24 PM

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It looked like fans were possibly going to get the high-scoring game some might have expected when both teams scored on their opening drives. However, the game turned out much differently.

Highlands held a 10-6 lead heading into the fourth quarter, but No. 1 Imani Christian (5-0, 2-0) made the play that would decide the game on a night that seemed like they weren’t clicking to escape with the 12-10 win over Highlands (2-2, 1-1) in Class 3A Allegheny 7 Conference action at UPMC Graham Field on Friday night in Wilkinsburg.

Imani Christian quarterback Steve Vandiver connected with Gabe Jenkins on the eventual winning touchdown as Jenkins took the middle screen for a 68-yard touchdown to give the Saints their first lead of the game, 12-10, with 5:19 remaining in the game.

“It’s always good to get a win in a game like that. We have championship aspirations. I call those wins championship wins. Even though you hate them, you still found a way to win,” Imani Christian coach LaRoi Johnson said.

Even though the Saints gave up one fourth-down conversion to the Golden Rams, Imani Christian’s defense stood tall one final time to force a turnover on downs with just over a minute remaining in the game.

“It was a great football game. A lot of athletes on both sides made plays. Points were surprisingly hard to come by. Hats off to our defense. Their defense played well,” Highlands coach Matt Bonislawski said.

“I’m really happy with our effort defensively. There are a lot of young kids up there. From when we played Armstrong in Week Zero to now is night and day. The kids are getting a lot of reps and a lot of playing time.”

Vandiver finished 7 of 20 for 145 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He rushed for 82 yards on 15 carries.

In addition to his winning touchdown, Jenkins finished with 56 yards on the ground.

Heading into the game, Highlands was averaging 51.3 points per game, while Imani Christian was averaging 41.7 points per game.

On Highlands’ opening drive, it looked like the Saints were going to get off the field after forcing a punt. However, Imani Christian fumbled on the punt return and gave the Golden Rams new life at midfield. A couple of plays later, senior quarterback Menage Lucas called his own number and ran it in on a 57-yard touchdown run with 8:59 remaining in the first quarter.

The Saints responded by marching down the field, with Gabe Jenkins taking it in from a yard out to make it 7-6 with 3:09 remaining in the opening quarter.

The Golden Rams looked to be going in for their second score, but the Saints defense stood tall and forced a 30-yard field goal by Jackson Babinsack to extend Highlands’ lead to 10-6 with over 10 minutes remaining in the second quarter.

“They are a good team, and they play hard. They have a good coach. They had a good game plan. I noticed they were grinding the clock a little bit and making sure the game slowed down a little bit,” Johnson said.

Highlands’ defense forced Saints turnovers on back-to-back drives. Junior Jahmar Wright picked off Vandiver at the 1-yard line. On the following drive, Highlands recovered a Vandiver fumble at their own 5-yard line.

Lucas suffered an ankle injury in the second quarter and tried to come out in the second half but seemed to reaggravate the injury.

Junior quarterback Jamarkus Prager took over for Lucas under center with 4:06 remaining in the third quarter. Lucas’ status for next week was unknown at the end of the game.

Highlands will look to bounce back when they travel to Deer Lakes next week.

“I’m proud of their effort and coming down here playing a number one ranked team on the road and having a one score game going into the final quarter. Last drive, we had a chance to come down and win the game. That’s all you can ask for when coming on the road. We got to use this just like we used the Armstrong game and regroup,” Bonislawski said.

Tags: Highlands, Imani Christian