OHIO TWP. — A share of first place is up for grabs in the WPIAL Class 3A Western Hills Conference on Friday night as Central Valley takes on Avonworth as the second half of the regular season gets underway.
These two teams are no strangers to one another as they both faced off last season in a nonconference matchup with the Antelopes defeating the Warriors 28-20.
Central Valley head coach Mark Lyons stressed the importance of playing a clean brand of football for the team to come out on the other side this season.
“We turned the ball over in some crucial times during that game last year so we have to limit the turnovers. We also did not control the line of scrimmage which Avonworth took advantage of so we can’t make those same mistakes again.”
The Warriors have been an unstoppable force through two Western Hills Conference games, averaging 50 points and allowing just 18.5 points per game.
Last week, the Warriors rushed for 482 yards on the ground in Central Valley’s 51-37 victory over Beaver Area.
Last time out: Central Valley's Dixon puts together three TD effort on senior night in win over Beaver Area
“The offensive line is usually the last part of the offense to jell,” Lyons said. “I think finally that unit is getting some comfort level. They are starting to understand what everybody does and it is finally starting to show.”
Senior running back Mason Dixon, quarterback Steven Rutherford and sophomore running back Jance Henry all rushed for over 100 yards against the Bobcats and set the tone for the offense throughout. The trio rushed for six of the team’s seven scores last Friday.
Dixon paced the Warriors, rushing 15 times for 204 yards averaging 13.6 yards per carry reaching the end zone three times on the ground. The senior running back broke free for two long rushing touchdowns in the fourth quarter of 64 and 40 yards respectively.
Henry picked up where he left off after missing the team’s conference opening victory over McGuffey two weeks ago as last week, he rushed 19 times for 149 yards averaging just under eight yards per carry and finding the end zone twice.
Overall on the season, Henry leads the Warriors in rushing with 514 yards, averaging eight yards per carry and reaching the end zone seven times in four games.
While the Central Valley rushing attack has been the team’s best weapon on the offensive side of the ball, it will be important for the Warriors to find some success in the passing game to keep the Antelopes on their toes Friday night.
Through four games this season, Rutherford has completed 41% of his passes for 447 yards while throwing three interceptions. The senior gunslinger is still in search of his first touchdown pass of the season.
While the numbers haven’t been there, Lyons isn’t worried about Rutherford’s slow start throwing the pigskin because of the versatility that he has with his legs.
“We are going to do exactly what the defense gives us this week. When Beaver Area gave us looks last week, he [Steven Rutherford] was unaccounted for and we took advantage of it. He made calls on the line of scrimmage to allow us to succeed.”
As for Avonworth, after rattling off two victories to begin the regular season, the Antelopes have dropped two of their last three games to Class 4A opponents Aliquippa and Thomas Jefferson.
Despite the games the past two weeks, the team got back on the right track last week defeating Hopewell on the road 50-19.
Junior quarterback Carson Bellinger was near perfect a week ago against the Vikings as he was 10-for-15 passing, throwing for 212 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
Bellinger spread the ball around to four different receivers including junior Luca Neal who hauled in three receptions for 78 yards reaching the end zone once.
For the second straight week, Central Valley’s defense will have to keep up with an opponent's strong rushing attack. The Antelopes combined for six touchdowns on the ground as the rushing attack was spread out amongst four players on the offense.
Sophomore running back Bryce Metz paced the team by reaching the end zone three times, rushing nine times for 60 yards in the win.
Friday night’s game will kick off at 7 p.m. at Lenzer Field on the campus of Avonworth High School.
This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Times' Game of the Week 5 Preview: Central Valley at. Avonworth
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