‘Wildcat’ Peyton Faulkner helps Avonworth run past Shady Side Academy in WPIAL semifinals

By: George Guido
Friday, November 18, 2022 | 10:32 PM

Avonworth coach Duke Johncour made a major adjustment with his offense Friday.

The veteran coach moved tight end Peyton Faulkner to a wildcat quarterback slot.

The strategy paid off as Faulkner, who has committed to Kent State, ran for 93 yards in the first half as the Antelopes rolled to a 35-0 victory in a WPIAL Class 3A semifinal at Fox Chapel’s James Burk Complex.

Faulkner had two carries on the season coming into Friday’s contest.

“That’s a new one for us, a new set for us, having Peyton run the ball,” Johncour said.

Avonworth (11-1) held the Bulldogs to minus-11 net rushing yards and will head to Acrisure Stadium next Friday to face Belle Vernon at 5 p.m.

Luke Hilyard, generally the top rusher for the Antelopes, had 133 yards on the ground and scored three touchdowns, all in the second half.

Shady Side Academy, in the semifinals for the first time since 2008, finished its season at 7-5 after notable playoff victories against South Park and Elizabeth Forward.

“That’s a good ballclub,” Bulldogs coach Chuck DiNardo said. “They have a lot of seniors and a lot of experience right there. In terms of it, I don’t think there’s a whole lot for our guys to be ashamed or upset by. We were just on the wrong side of it tonight.”

Faulkner scored the opening touchdown on a 26-yard run, aided by a Brandon Biagiarelli block.

In the big play of the night for Shady Side, Devin Harris passed to Joey Bellinotti, who was finally stopped at the Antelopes 5 for a 64-yard gain.

Avonworth, however, held and a field goal attempt by Harran Zuriekat was blocked by Colin Crawford.

“It would have definitely started some positive momentum,” DiNardo said. “It was tough to have that big strike then come away with no points, stalling out in the red zone there.”

The Bulldogs trailed by just the 7-0 score and intercepted two passes in the second quarter, one by Naiziim Daniels and the other by James Bernier.

But the Avonworth defense held on both occasions.

“Our defense has played lights out all year long,” Johncour said. “The got better and better all year. Shady Side is opportunistic and they’re well coached. They have great athletes. Our defense is just good.”

After Shady Side had to punt following its second interception, the Antelopes drove 50 yards in eight plays with Biagiarelli taking it in from 2 yards out with 36 seconds to go in the half.

That was a key play because Avonworth got the ball to start the third quarter. Crawford returned the kickoff 35 yards to the Antelopes 42. Eight plays later, Hilyard scored on a 2-yard burst to make it 21-0.

Patrick Bryan grabbed a third interception for Shady Side midway through the third quarter. But a sack by Antelopes senior linebacker Gabe Bonnet forced yet another punt.

Hilyard tallied twice in the fourth quarter to finalize the scoring. His second touchdown came on an excellent fake handoff as Hilyard skirted the left sideline.

“Luke ran the ball really well and we’re excited to be back in the title game,” Johncour said.

Avonworth defeated Washington in 2019 for the Class 2A title at Norwin Stadium. This time, Avonworth will play just 9 miles from the school’s Ohio Township campus to Pittsburgh’s North Shore.

Bellinotti, in his final Shady Side game, caught six passes for 90 yards and will now sift through a number of college offers.

Watch an archived video stream of this broadcast on Trib HSSN.

Tags: Avonworth, Shady Side Academy