For Khiry Watts, it doesn't get much better. He is having an unforgettable football season -- and he has a family to enjoy it with him.

Watts is a senior running back at Avonworth High School and one of the main reasons the Antelopes are 11-0. He has rushed for 1,605 yards and certainly will be one of the central figures in a semifinal matchup between Avonworth and Monaca (10-1) Friday at Moon.

While things have been tremendous on the field, Watts pinches himself sometimes to make sure his life off the field is real. Watts spent much of his childhood in foster homes, lived everywhere from the city to Duquesne, and lived for two years at Holy Family Institute, a group home in Emsworth.

Three years ago, as a freshman, Watts was adopted by Eric and Diane Templin of Avonworth. The Templins have four children of their own, but made room for Watts.

"My whole life, one of the best things that ever happened to me was being adopted," Watts said. "Two of the best things were being adopted and football."

Avonworth's district is bubbling with enthusiasm because the Antelopes have never played in a WPIAL semifinal. The Antelopes tied Union in the 1959 WPIAL Class B championship. But back then, there were only championship games and no playoffs.

While Avonworth's players are basking in the glory of this memorable season, Watts might cherish it even a little more than others. Just because of where he came from.

"My life was terrible," he said.

Then the Templins helped turn it around.

"They brought me into their house and taught me a lot," Watts said. "They taught me about family."

Watts has learned other things through the Templins -- and Avonworth. His grades have improved over the past few years and he said he made the honor roll at Avonworth the previous semester.

"This has showed me you can meet new kids, and a lot of kids aren't bad. There are a lot of good kids out there," Watts said. "I had always been around terrible kids growing up. I've been playing football with Avonworth kids since seventh grade. They brought me right in and treated me as one of their own. We built a bond."

Avonworth coach Jason Kekseo has known Watts since seventh grade and has watched him change drastically in recent years.

"The Templins have helped him so much, but I think football has helped him, too," Kekseo said. "The Templins' son, Grant, played for me and when I asked them why they wanted to adopt Khiry, they said, 'To give him a normal teenager's life.'

"I think he was so used to not having any success in anything when he was younger. Now, he never misses a practice. He's a dedicated athlete and he's learned a lot about responsibility."

Watts is 5 feet 8, 190 pounds and also is a standout sprinter in track. He hopes to compete in football or track, or both, in college.

"He's really put together, with slabs of muscles. He looks like an Under Armour commercial," Kekseo said.

Watts rushed for 154 yards in a quarterfinal win last week against North Catholic. The Antelopes could use another big game from Watts against Monaca, which has scored 104 points in two playoff games.

"We can't be satisfied with what we've done already," Watts said. "We have to keep pushing and keep bringing it until we get to Heinz Field [for the championship]. I hope my teammates read this, too. I want to go to Heinz Field and play Clairton."

In the other semifinal Friday at Dormont Stadium, Rochester meets Clairton in a playoff game for the third year in a row. Two years ago, it was the title game. Last year, it was the quarterfinals.

Through most of the regular season, many thought Rochester and Clairton were the two best teams in Class A and were headed for a meeting in the title game. But when Rochester lost in the regular-season finale to Monaca, Rochester fell to the No. 4 seed for the playoffs.

Rochester has allowed only 70 points all season, but no team has held Clairton below 37 points. Clairton, the No. 1 seed, has scored 89 points in two playoff games.