Imani Christian looks to keep momentum going after 8-win season

By: Giustino Racchini
Wednesday, August 14, 2024 | 6:01 AM

Purchase Photo Options

Purchase Photo Options

Purchase Photo Options

Purchase Photo Options

Previous Next

Editor’s note: Trib HSSN will publish team-by-team previews for one conference per day until the start of the high school football season Aug. 23.

Heading into this season, the bar continues to be set higher for Imani Christian Academy after an eight-win season and playoff victory in 2023.

Coach LaRoi Johnson knows that his team will be ready to go by opening night.

“We have not stopped working since last season after the tough loss we had in the playoffs,” Johnson said. “Our expectation is to win a championship this season.”

Before being hired back in 2022 to coach Imani Christian — he was the team’s offensive coordinator in 2016-17 — Johnson was an outstanding coach at Sto-Rox. In his four seasons with the team, he went 37-9 en route to WPIAL championship appearances in 2019 and 2020.

That framework of success has not stopped building since his arrival back in his hometown of Homewood.

In terms of the team Imani will field this season, there is so much star power up and down the field.

“We’re very talented this season, and we are returning a lot of our starters on defense and offense from last season,” Johnson said.

One of those returning starters is four-star linebacker Dayshaun Burnett, a Penn State commit.

Along with Burnett, Johnson is also counting on senior QB Steven Vandiver and receiver Markus Williams, one of his main targets.

Running back David Davis will also be a key contributor, as the rising junior holds numerous Division I offers from top schools including Pitt and Penn State.

Up front on the offensive line, Johnson said his team continues to get stronger as the season approaches.

Players such as Davon Johnson, who put on 40 pounds in the offseason, Johnson said, and Matt Fulmore are expected to be the key contributors up front.

“We played over 65 7-on-7 games this offseason and we feel confident about where we’re at right now,” Johnson said.

On the other side of the ball, Imani Christian could have one of the best young defenses in the WPIAL.

Junior Will Gorman holds numerous Power 4 offers after his 2023 season highlights exploded on social media for over 22 million views.

Gorman mainly plays outside linebacker but is also a defensive end and tight end.

Joining him is a sophomore cornerback Gabriel Jenkinsa three-star recruit who already holds more than 10 Division I offers after his freshman season.

With so much talent up and down the roster, Johnson said his message to the team remains clear.

“The question we have to ask ourselves is how we handle success, because it’s so important that everything works together,” Johnson said. “Our belief and confidence as a team will grow depending on how we are able to handle success.”

Imani Christian is young and hungry to win the school’s first WPIAL championship this season. And judging by the talent the Saints have amassed, that notion is not far-fetched.

Imani Christian Academy

Coach: LaRoi Johnson

2023 record: 8-3, 5-1 in the Class 2A Allegheny Conference

All-time record: 45-56-0

SCHEDULE

Date, Opponent, Time

8.24 West Catholic at York Rose Bowl Kickoff, 10:30 a.m.

8.30 Beaver Falls, 7

9.6 Beaver, 7

9.13 at Valley*, 7

9.20 Highlands*, 7

9.27 at North Catholic, 7

10.4 at East Allegheny*, 7

10.11 Deer Lakes*, 7

10.18 at Burrell*, 7

10.25 at Freeport*, 7

* Conference game

FAST FACTS

• Kenny Robinson Jr., who was a former NFL player for the Carolina Panthers and safety for the UFL Birmingham Stallions, went to Imani Christian.

• This is LaRoi Johnson’s third year as head coach at Imani Christian after formerly coaching at Sto-Rox.

• In the 2017 season, Imani Christian was one point away from a WPIAL Class AA championship, losing 35-34 to Jeannette in the title game.

Tags: Imani Christian