Neal scores twice as Avonworth blanks Central Valley to win Class 3A Championship

PITTSBURGH — This article originally appeared on PittsburghSportsNOW.com.

With its third-straight trip to Acrisure Stadium, the fifth-seeded Avonworth Antelopes were looking to put to rest back-to-back championship defeats with a new challenger in the No. 2 Central Valley Warriors.

All Avonworth needed to snap that streak was an early touchdown as the Antelopes triumphed in a run-heavy defensive battle over Central Valley, 17-0, in the Class 3A WPIAL Championship Game.

It comes as the third WPIAL title for Avonworth and first since 2019. The other district title for the Antelopes came in 1959.

As expected, Avonworth fed the ground game with Nico Neal leading the way. The senior accounted for both of the ‘Lopes touchdowns with runs of 2 and 3 yards coming nearly 37 minutes apart. He also added a fumble recovery late in the fourth quarter.

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