A look at the favorites, top storylines, top players and more in Class 3A:

Defending champion

Avonworth. Though the Antelopes had high expectations coming into the season after back-to-back finals losses to Belle Vernon in 2022 and 2023, the team ended up in a three-way tie with Central Valley and Beaver for the Western Hills Conference title. That impacted the seeding committee, pushing Avonworth into the No. 5 spot.

To win it all, the Antelopes had to avenge an earlier loss to No. 4 Beaver in the quarterfinals and top-seeded Imani Christian in the semifinals to even make it to the championship game. The Antelopes then had to pull off the tricky feat of beating Central Valley a second time and shut out the Warriors, 17-0, at Acrisure Stadium.

Avonworth was also the WPIAL team that cam

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