Semifinal berth on the line in rematch between Highlands, Imani Christian

By: Michael Love
Wednesday, November 6, 2024 | 6:17 PM

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Points were at an unexpected premium when Imani Christian and Highlands met at Wilkinsburg’s Graham Field on Sept. 20.

Heading into the game, the Golden Rams were averaging 51.3 points, and the Saints were putting up 41.7 a contest.

But it ended up being a defensive battle the whole way. Imani rallied in the fourth quarter, scoring the winning touchdown with five minutes left that turned a four-point Highlands lead into a 12-10 Saints victory.

The Allegheny 7 Conference rivals will get the chance to do it all over again Friday as top seed Imani Christian and No. 9 Highlands meet in a WPIAL Class 3A quarterfinal at Graham Field.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

“We’re just happy to be playing another week,” said Highlands coach Matt Bonislawski, who saw his team advance with last Friday’s 56-20 first-round victory over Southmoreland.

“It was 10 years since we won a playoff game. The kids were excited after last week to continue on. We know how much of a big challenge this week is for us.”

Highlands comes into Friday’s game on a roll with four straight victories. The Golden Rams averaged 52.3 points in those games, including key wins over Burrell, McGuffey and Valley at the end of the regular season, which helped build their resume for an at-large wild-card berth.

“We’ve been in survival mode with our season on the line the past four or five games. This is nothing different for us this week,” Bonislawski said.

“I know we stumbled a little bit during the regular season (losses to Imani, Deer Lakes and Freeport), but everyone’s here. Everyone’s back. I told the guys that even if we were 10-0, we would be in exactly the same spot. The eight remaining teams in the (Class 3A) playoffs are really good and deserve to be here. There’s gonna be four good teams going home after Friday night. This is where we want to be as a program. This was one of our goals coming in, to get that playoff win and advance this far. Now, we don’t want to stop.”

While Highlands was taking care of business against Southmoreland, Imani was enjoying a bye as a result of its No. 1 seed following a 10-0 regular season when the Saints outscored opponents by an average of 36 points (45 to 9).

“It was nice to have the bye and get that week off,” Saints coach LaRoi Johnson said. “We really needed an opportunity to rest. We were able to take a breather for a minute, step back, refocus, and it worked out really well for us.

“The guys have come back ready to work. They understand what the process is and how to go about everything a little better. The practices become more intense with the games becoming so much bigger. We were a good team last year, but everything was still so brand new.”

Imani returns to the postseason with all eyes on getting to Acrisure Stadium on Nov. 23.

The Saints, playing in Class 2A last year, finished runner-up in their conference and earned the No. 4 seed for the playoffs. They fell to No. 5 Mohawk, 17-12, in the quarterfinals.

Johnson said he expected Highlands would advance past the first round last week to set up the rematch.

“They are a very good team that is so well-coached,” Johnson said. “It’s impressive, everything they have going on. They’ve gotten better since the first time we played them, so it should be a pretty good game.”

Highlands senior quarterback Menage Lucas, who was hobbled in the first game with Imani before leaving the contest in the latter stages of the third quarter, is healthy and ready to lead the Golden Rams offense.

Lucas threw for three touchdowns and ran for three more in last week’s win over Southmoreland. He surpassed 1,400 yards in passing (1,443) and rushing (1,424) in the win and has 43 total touchdowns (21 passing, 22 rushing).

“He’s a dynamic playmaker,” Johnson said. “The first thing that comes to mind is his explosiveness. He plays with a lot of confidence and also with a chip on his shoulder. He just plays the game hard, and I like that about the young man.”

Imani closed out the regular season Oct. 25 with a 44-14 triumph over Freeport in which the Saints scored on plays of 52, 65, 66 and 82 yards.

Sophomore Gabe Jenkins, who scored the winning touchdown on a screen pass in the first meeting with Highlands, compiled 237 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries in the Freeport win.

Senior quarterback Steve Vandiver was an efficient 8 of 13 against Yellowjackets for 172 yards and two scores.

Fellow senior Dayshaun Burnett caught four of Vandiver’s passes for 145 yards and both TDs.

Burnett also is a force on the defensive side of the ball at linebacker and has committed to Penn State.

“They do a lot of similar things to us on offense,” Bonislawski said. “They have the horses, and they want to ride them. They want to let their guys get the ball in space and make plays. We have to force them to drive the length of the field, similar to what teams have to do against us.”

Bonislawski said he liked the way his team went about its business last Friday against a Southmoreland team that had eight players inactive because of illness, injury or ineligibility.

“I was happy with our explosiveness on offense,” he said. “We had a number of really big splash plays. Our offensive line really played well and were on guys helping our backs and Menage get 7, 8 or 9 yards a carry.”

Darius Cherry complemented Lucas in the run game with 19 carries for 160 yards and a score. Montrell Johnson (two) and Jahmar Wright each tallied TD receptions.

The winner advances to play the winner of No. 4 Beaver (8-2) and No. 5 Avonworth (8-3) in the semifinals.

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