Hopewell High School football picks up statement win against Avonworth
· Yahoo Sports
HOPEWELL TWP. — For the better half of the past three seasons, Avonworth has dominated Beaver Valley high school football programs, with area teams posting just four wins in 27 contests.
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However, that all changed in Week 1, with Hopewell (1-0) picking up a statement victory and putting WPIAL Class 3A on notice, knocking off the defending state champion and back-to-back WPIAL title winner Avonworth 34-14 on Friday, Aug. 28.
“It always feels good to win and it feels great to get a win against a great coaching staff and team that Avonworth has,” Hopewell head coach Matt Mottes said. “Avonworth made some mistakes tonight that we were able to capitalize on, and I am glad we were able to do that.”
The two squads are no strangers to one another, with the pair playing against each other in the Western Hills Conference in previous classification cycles.
Like any good team, Avonworth has had the ability to capitalize on other teams’ mistakes and that was the case for Hopewell the last time the two programs faced off.
But this year was a different story, as Hopewell played a clean brand of football, with quarterback James Armstrong connecting with his receivers, including three big receptions by wide receiver Avery Bokor.
Two of the receptions set up rushing scores from Armstrong and running back Nasir Wade, while the other was off a flea flicker to begin the second half, with the pair connecting on a 45-yard strike.
“We have a lot of weapons on this team, from our quarterback to receivers and at linebacker,” Bokor said. “It is tough for teams to stop because we can throw a lot of different things at opponents.”
While the offense was humming, Hopewell’s defense was up for the challenge of stopping a potent Avonworth offense.
Last season, Avonworth averaged 39 points per game during its run to the state championship and put up over 40 points in the previous matchup against the Vikings.
Just as the offense limited its turnovers, Hopewell’s defense also put on a strong performance.
With new coordinator Wayne Tatalovich Jr. leading the defense, Hopewell made a plethora of key stops to thwart Avonworth's momentum.
Hopewell stopped the Antelopes on fourth-and-one on Avonworth’s first drive deep in the red zone, while linebacker Greg Gigliotti picked off quarterback Mason Mobley on the outskirts of the red zone late in the first half.
With Avonworth threatening to cut the Hopewell deficit to a one-possession game midway through the fourth quarter, Brian Olden intercepted Mobley’s pass and flipped the field for the Vikings, which turned into another Hopewell score.
“The defense played a very tough brand of football. They bent, but they didn’t break,” Mottes said. “When they were deep in our zone twice, we stopped them and forced a couple of big turnovers. When you bring a guy like Wayne Tatalovich here with all his success, it definitely showed tonight.”
Hopewell’s non-conference slate continues when it travels to take on Chartiers Valley at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 4.
Ethan Morrison is the sports reporter for the Beaver County Times. Contact him at [email protected] and follow him at EthanMorrison26 on X.
This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Hopewell High School football picks up statement win against Avonworth