Avonworth knew all about Hopewell quarterback James Armstrong.

All he did last year as a freshman was throw three touchdowns against the Antelopes in their annual matchup.

But one thing teams will begin to notice moving forward is Avonworth has a pretty good quarterback of its own.

Senior signal caller Carson Bellinger was nearly perfect, as he threw for two touchdowns and running back Dimitri Velisaris ran for 100 yards and a pair of scores to help Class 3A No. 1 Avonworth (5-0, 1-0) open its Western Hills Conference slate with a 48-14 mercy-rule victory Friday night against visiting No. 5 Hopewell (3-2, 0-2).

“He’s playing with confidence,” Avonworth coach Duke Johncour said of Bellinger. “He’s throwing the ball well, making good decisions. We’re happy with his play, really happy.”

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