无毛视频

Nov 24, 2023 By Rob Burchianti 5 min read

Belle Vernon looks to defend its WPIAL Class AAA football title today with the same team in its path as a year ago.

Once again the Leopards will face Avonworth as they seek their third district championship.

The game is scheduled to kick off 5 p.m. at Acrisure Stadium. Belle Vernon won last year final, 24-7, over the Antelopes.

Both teams received first round byes with the top-seeded Leopards (10-1) then knocking off Deer Lakes, 49-6, and East Allegheny, 49-8, and No. 2 Avonworth (12-0) eliminating Beaver Area, 41-21, and Elizabeth Forward, 21-10.

“I think they might be a little better this year than what they were last season, and I thought they were really good last season,” Belle Vernon coach Matt Humbert said. “I think that was one of the top teams we played last year.”

The Leopards are led by Penn State recruit Quinton Martin, who has rushed for 907 yards, averaging 10.5 yards per carry, while also snagging 39 passes for 607 yards. Martin has scored 23 touchdowns and two 2-point conversions for a whopping 142 points.

Belle Vernon has other weapons in Kole Doppelheuer (704 rushing yards, 12 touchdowns), Jake Gedekoh (431 rushing yards, 6 touchdowns), Anthony Crews (333 rushing yards, 24 receptions for 350 yards, 8 TDs) and quarterback and Eastern Michigan recruit Braden Laux (93 of 141 for 1,406 yards and 17 touchdowns passing).

Avonworth has a Martin-type player of its own in Andrew Kuban who has 588 rushing yards and 54 receptions for 862 yards and has scored 18 touchdowns.

Martin ran for 149 yards and a TD in the win over East Allegheny while also catching a 22-yard touchdown pass from Laux.

Kuban rushed for 139 yards and a score against the Warriors while also throwing a short touchdown pass.

The Antelopes have other threats in quarterback Carson Bellenger, who’s completed 98 of 161 passes for 1,487 yards and 21 touchdowns, and running back Dimitri Velisaris, who’s rushed for 895 yards and 15 TDs.

“They’re just consistent,” Humbert said of Avonworth. “They’re tough on defense. I think the heartbeat of their team lies with their defense. They have fast defensive lineman. They’ve got big solid inside backers. They’re able to be very multiple. They’ve shown a lot of different fronts and coverages all year. They’re going to be a handful to prepare for, there’s no doubt about it. Anything we get offensively, trust me, it’ll have to be earned.

“Offensively, they’re diversified because they have a base offense where they’re a little bit spread, a little bit pro-I in gun but then they can just bang right into a wildcat, and that to me is what seems to be kind of their comfort zone of what they like to do and they’ve had success with it. If you watched EF, their success came when they went to that wildcat package.

“They’re very similar to last year in terms of the multiplicity and DNA of what they are on defense and all of the different possibilities they can get on offense because they can be a spread two-back team, a spread one-back team, then they’re a 21-personnel team, then they’re a wildcat team.”

The Antelopes mirror the Leopards on offense, according to Humbert.

“They’re kind of like us offensively,” Humbert said. “I think we feature a lot of different things offensively. I think it’s a very similar narrative with both teams. Both teams are physical also.”

Avonworth, like the Leopards, will be shooting for its third WPIAL championship.

Elizabeth Forward coach John DeMarco has played both teams recently, falling to Western Hills Conference champion Avonworth last week and losing to Belle Vernon, 49-28, on Oct. 27 in a showdown for the Interstate Conference title.

“They’re both very well coached,” DeMarco said. “Neither team makes many mistakes and there’s a lot of talent and tough kids on both sides of the ball.

“I thought we played Belle Vernon really tough. That was a big point for us because I think the kids had a little hesitation of whether we could play with them or not. It was 21-14 at half and we were getting the ball. I thought we played pretty even with Avonworth. We had the lead over Avonworth going into the fourth quarter.”

DeMarco gives a slight edge to Belle Vernon because of Martin but said he can see either team winning what he thinks will be a close game.

“I think the X-factor is definitely Quinton Martin, and he’ll always be that guy no matter who they play,” DeMarco said. “You’ve got to find some way to stop him.

“But Avonworth is a great football team. Any given day, when you get this far into it, anybody can win. I wouldn’t be shocked if Avonworth would win.”

Belle Vernon will be playing in the WPIAL final for the third consecutive year.

“I think Belle Vernon, they’ve been there, they’ve done it before,” DeMarco said. “I know when I was coaching at Clairton that made a big difference when we got into the big games. We had a lot of experience, guys that had played in those big games before and that’s important when you get this far.”

The winner of today’s game will move into next week’s PIAA semifinals (Dec. 1 or 2 with site to be determined) against either District 6 champion Central (12-0) or District 10 champion Hickory (10-2) who play 7 p.m. today in Altoona.