Jolted: Saints take down top-seeded Trojans
Dave Stofcheck
California teammates Dustin Mock (12) and Braden Petrucci (7) walk off the field following the Trojans’ 30-24 loss to Imani Christian Friday night in their WPIAL Class A semifinal game at Peters Township.
Dave Stofcheck
Imani Christian’s Israel Reed (15) attempts to pass as California’s Ben Bilitski (50) and Braden Petrucci (7) apply pressure during their WPIAL Class A semifinal game at Peters Township on Friday night. The Saints’ Brian Yates (4) is also pictured.
Dave Stofcheck
California’s Ben Bilitski (50) brings down the Saints’ Tawan Wesley (7) as California’s Ben Martin (66) closes in during their WPIAL Class A semifinal game Friday night at Peters Township.
Dave Stofcheck
Trojans quarterback Colin Phillips (10) tries to fight off Imani Christian’s Rahmon Hart Jr. (11) during the first half of the WPIAL Class A semifinal game Friday night at Peters Township.
Dave Stofcheck
Imani Christian’s Sam Fairley (2) hauls in a pass between California’s Josh Altman (53) and Braden Collins (58) Friday night in WPIAL Class A semifinal football action at Peters Township.
Dave Stofcheck
California’s Ben Bilitski (50) and Braden Petrucci (7) put pressure on Imani Christian quarterback Tawan Wesley (7) during their WPIAL Class A semifinal game Friday night at Peters Township.
Dave Stofcheck
California’s Braden Collins (58) sacks Imani Christian quarterback Tawan Wesley (7) Friday night during their WPIAL Class A semifinal game at Peters Township.
McMURRAY — California went down swinging Friday night, but a valiant Trojans’ effort wound up being too little, and it wound up coming too late.
Imani Christian jumped out to a 16-0 lead, then held off a frantic California rally to defeat the Trojans, 30-24, in WPIAL Class A semifinals action at Peters Township High School.
California (12-1) steamrolled opponents on its way to an undefeated regular season and Tri-County South conference championship, and for their efforts, the Trojans were awarded Class A’s top seed.
Wins over Bishop Canevin and Union to open the playoffs set up Friday’s rematch with Imani Christian, a team California defeated earlier this season, 41-26.
But this time around, the Trojans did not score their first touchdown until nine seconds remained in the third quarter.
California scored twice more in the final 12 minutes, but never could catch up to the high-flying Saints.
Cochise Ryan’s second touchdown reception came with 1:23 to play, and Dustin Mock’s extra point pulled the Trojans to within six points, but Imani Christian’s Rahmon Hart Jr. recovered Mock’s ensuing onside kick and the Saints ran out the clock.
“These kids have tremendous heart,” California coach Darrin Dillow said. “It’s been a wonderful season.”
California came into Friday’s game boasting one of the WPIAL’s top rushing attacks, led by junior Jelani Stafford.
But from the onset, Imani Christian was determined to stop the run, and by the time the Trojans changed their game plan, it was too late.
Stafford wound up with just 25 yards on seven carries.
“They had so many guys in between the tackles,” Dillow said. “You can’t run a dive against that. You could look at their defensive backs and see their heads were pointed inside. They had 11 guys in the box at times.”
Offensively, Imani Christian showed why it has one of the WPIAL’s most prolific passing attacks.
Senior Tawan Wesley completed 17 of 22 passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns, and when he was knocked out of the game early in the fourth quarter, Isreal Reed came off the bench and threw for 129 yards and a touchdown of his own.
Wesley tossed first-quarter scoring passes to Sam Fairley and Hart to help Imani Christian take a 16-0 lead.
Fairley finished the game with eight receptions for 126 yards, while Hart also hauled in eight passes for a total of 115 yards.
With 9:04 remaining in the opening half, California’s Nathan Zemany sacked Wesley in the end zone to put California on the board.
California used a 10-play, 71-yard drive to score its first touchdown, a one-yard run by quarterback Colin Phillips.
On Imani Christian’s ensuing possession, Wesley hit Ray Jackson for 17 yards on first down, but then was sacked for a one-yard loss. Following a false start infraction, Wesley was hit and fumbled while dropping to the turf.
The Saints recovered the fumble, but lost Wesley to injury. Reed came in and converted a third-and-15 play with a 16-yard pass to Fairley.
Following a pass to Asante Watkins and personal foul call on California, Reed tossed a 26-yard touchdown pass to Jackson, and Fairley converted a two-point pass to put Imani Christian ahead, 24-9.
“We’re very fortunate to have two great quarterbacks,” Imani Christian coach Ronnell Heard said.
Unfazed, California answered with a seven-play, 57-yard scoring drive to pull within a touchdown.
Facing a fourth-and-7 play, Ryan made a spectacular catch along the left sideline to keep the drive alive, then somehow pulled the ball down in triple coverage three plays later for a 38-yard touchdown.
An offsides penalty moved the ball closer to the goal line on the point after, and Phillips converted a two-point run to make it 24-17.
Following the ensuing kickoff, Imani Christian started at its 31. Wesley was sacked and forced out of the game again, and after an incompletion, Reed completed a short crossing route to Fairley, who turned it into a 44-yard gain.
Another sack, a run for no gain, and another false start penalty left the Saints facing another third-and-long play, this time third and 20.
But like before, Reed extended the drive when he hooked up with Hart for a 32-yard gain.
Watkins scored from eight yards out on the next play to give Imani Christian a 30-17 lead with 3:36 remaining.
“Imani throws the ball well,” Dillow said. “We thought we had the right positioning. We had the plays covered well. Imani just has unbelievable athletes.”
Following the kickoff, California took over at its 39. Phillips kept the drive alive when he scrambled for five yards on a fourth-and-3 call, then a 37-yard pass-and-catch with Ryan set up the Trojans at the Saints’ 14.
A short run, an illegal man downfield and an incompletion brought up fourth-and-15, but again, Phillips and Ryan came up big, as the pair teamed up on a 19-yard touchdown, and Mock followed with the point-after kick to pull California to within 30-24.
Ryan wound up with six receptions for 153 yards.
“I’m so proud of these kids,” Dillow said. “The kids worked so hard this season. They put so much time in the weight room and in practice.”
Imani Christian (11-2) will face Jeannette next Saturday in the Class A title game at Robert Morris University. Jeannette defeated Imani Christian earlier this season, 54-36.