NORTH HUNTINGTON TWP., Pa. —The 2019 WPIAL Class-2A championship at Norwin High School on Saturday quickly turned into the Jax Miller show.
The Avonworth senior running back had a dominant performance, rushing for 299 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Antelopes to a 28-6 victory for to their first district title since 1959.
Avonworth took advantage of an early Washington miscue, as a bad snap on a punt set the Antelopes up with good field position and Miller converted from 1 yard out four plays later.
After a Washington three-and-out, Miller took over. Running out of the Wildcat, Miller kept the ball on eight of 10 plays on a 63-yard scoring drive for the Antelopes, again converting from 1 yard out.
On the first drive of the second half, Miller put the game away. He rushed on 13 consecutive plays, going 70 yards before punching in his third 1-yard score.
Miller was also a factor on defense, breaking up a crucial fourth-down pass to essentially seal the victory with the Antelopes up three scores late. He capped the scoring with one more 1-yard score to ice the game.
Miller crossed the 2,000-yard threshold for the season early in the game and his four scores give him 29 touchdowns on the year.
Washington could never get its passing offense going, with quarterback Zack Swartz finishing 4 of 14 for 33 yards. With the second-team Avonworth defense on the field, Washington moved Swartz to running back, where he had more success and scored on a 5-yard carry.
The Antelopes will advance into the PIAA playoffs, visiting unbeaten Wilmington in a game next weekend.
