56 • TRIB TOTAL MEDIA
NORTHWESTERN 6 • AVONWORTH
Coach: Duke Johncour
2019 record: 15-1, 6-0 in
Class 2A Allegheny Conference
All-time record: 416-501-15
SCHEDULE
Date Opponent Time
9.11 Quaker Valley* 7
9.18 Sto-Rox 7
9.25 at South Side 7
10.2 at Keystone Oaks* 7
10.9 Ambridge* 7
10.16 at Hopewell* 7
10.23 at Central Valley* 7
*CONFERENCE GAME
STATISTICAL LEADERS
Passing Park Penrod*
137-263, 2,140 yards, 31 TDs
Receiving Theo Newhouse*
30-584 yards, 9 TDs
Rushing Jax Miller*
313-2,362 yards, 29 TDs
*GRADUATED
FAST FACTS
• Avonworth averaged 206.6
rushing yards a game last year
and added 138.4 per game
through the air.
• The Antelopes’ other WPIAL
football championship came
in 1959 when they shared the
Class A title with Union.
• Avonworth ranked fifth in
Class 2A last year in points
allowed at 14.9 a game. That
number was skewed by the
uncharacteristic 74 it gave up
to Southern Columbia in the
PIAA final.
• Johncour, who enters his
10th season as head coach,
owns a 73-30 overall record
at the helm. The Antelopes
have made the playoffs each
season.
STEPHEN EZAR
DREW HARPER
NO REST FOR HUNGRY
AVONWORTH AFTER RUN
It was a season to remember for
the Avonworth football team.
The Antelopes rolled to the program’s
second WPIAL title and
remained undefeated until falling
to Southern Columbia in the PIAA
Class 2A championship contest in
Hershey.
“It was an incredible ride, week
in and week out,” said Avonworth
coach Duke Johncour, who guided
his team to a 15-1 overall record
in 2019. “We had a good team, but
we didn’t know how good. The
kids put into play what they had
worked so hard for, and to see them
achieve all of that success was
very special.”
The Antelopes turned the page
in the offseason and made the
move up to Class 3A. Despite losing
eight all-conference performers
to graduation, Johncour said the
returning starters and letterwinners,
as well as others hoping to
rise to the occasion this fall, came
back hungry for another run.
That was evident, Johncour
said, in offseason workouts, from
a two-month period before the
covid shutdown to self-workouts
during quarantine and the return
to team activities within the past
two months.
“The enthusiasm for the team
and wanting to build off the success
we had is there in these kids,”
Johncour said. “We have about 55
on the roster, and we had about 40
consistently at (summer) workouts.
They also did a great job of being
ready with work on their own or in
groups during the time off. There
is a lot of good leadership among
these returning players.”
The Harper brothers, Drew the
senior and Nate the sophomore,
are expected to figure prominently
in Avonworth’s plans for success.
Nate will take over at quarterback
for the graduated Park Penrod,
who threw for more than 2,000
yards and 31 touchdowns a year
ago.
Drew is a four-year starter and
hopes to be a difference maker at
wide receiver, as well as linebacker
or strong safety. He recorded 55
tackles and 8½ sacks last year.
“They work out together, they
run together, and they throw together,”
Johncour said. “Drew had
a great season last year as a junior
and is a great leader for us. Nate
is really following in his brother’s
footsteps. You can see that strong
family chemistry and bond.”
Drew Harper likes the way the
team is coming together.
“There is a new sense of excitement
(with the PIAA announcement)
since we know for sure there
is a season,” he said. “The captains
and the seniors, we’ve been telling
the team the whole time to focus on
having the season and doing the
things necessary to be prepared as
best as possible.
“Our senior core, most of us
have been starting for four years.
We also have a lot of kids returning
who are younger. Last year, we had
a lot of opportunities to get them
varsity experience. We still have
some things to work on, but I like
the way things are going.”
Johncour said he also is impressed
with the senior leadership
of multi-year returning starters
Trevor Faulkner (tight end/defensive
end) and Stephen Ezar (offensive
guard/defensive tackle).
Ezar will form the core of both
lines with 6-foot-3, 300-pound junior
Kevin Felter (offensive tackle/
defensive tackle).
Felter and Faulkner earned firstteam
All-Allegheny Conference
honors for both offense and defense
last year.
Junior Ian Syam, Johncour
said, is expected to see a heavier
workload after the graduation
of 2,000-yard rusher Jax Miller.
Syam recorded 660 yards and three
touchdowns on 81 carries last year.
“Ian had a really nice sophomore
season,” Johncour said. “Jax
would kind of wear a team down,
and Ian would come in, and he was
a different style of runner.”
Syam also returns in the secondary.
He led the team with four
interceptions in 2019.
Junior outside linebacker Ashton
Navillat led the returning players
with 56 tackles last year.
Those also expected to contribute
this season include seniors
Aaron Fresh (linebacker) and Justin
Pukylo (wide receiver); juniors
Erik Studebacker (offensive line),
Gus Newhouse (wide receiver),
Tyler Schleis (wide receiver/safety)
and Ezra Tomko (safety); and
sophomore Peyton Faulkner (wide
receiver).
by MICHAEL LOVE