Aliquippa claims conference title, snaps Central Valley winning streak in thrilling 35-24 win
NEW SEWICKLEY TWP. – Aliquippa and Central Valley validated the hype Friday night.
In a meeting that was anticipated for months, the Quips rallied for 21 second-half points to down the Warriors, 35-24, for the Parkway Conference championship at Freedom’s Jimbo Covert Field.
“This is great, man. This is a great win,” Aliquippa’s Naquan Crowder said. “Central Valley is a great team. We are a great team. I love great games like this. I am just so happy.”
In addition to being a rivalry showdown, it was a meeting of defending WPIAL and PIAA champions. The Warriors captured the last three WPIAL and two PIAA Class 3A titles, while the Quips won WPIAL and PIAA Class 4A crowns last season, but both are in Class 4A this season and headed to the postseason once again.
Central Valley (9-1 overall, 6-1 Parkway) won the last four meetings against Aliquippa (9-0, 7-0), but the story was different in front of a standing room-only crowd played in a smaller setting at Freedom since the Quips’ stadium is under construction.
“The energy. You felt the vibe in the stadium and on the field,” Aliquippa’s D.J. Walker said. “You had two teams not too far away with bragging rights on the line. You gotta love it.”
After stopping Central Valley on the opening drive, the Quips scored on their first possession on a Tiqwai Hayes run for a 6-0 lead.
However, the Warriors answered back emphatically in the second quarter. Antwon Johnson’s quarterback keeper gave the guests a 7-6 edge 13 seconds into the second quarter. However, the Quips struck back 22 seconds after that when Walker hauled in a slant pass from Quentin Goode and stormed 92 yards for a score. The conversion gave Aliquippa a 14-7 edge.
Central Valley took command of the rest of the second quarter. Bret FitzSimmons, the Warriors’ leading rusher, finally found some room against the Quips’ defense and found the back of the end zone with 9:56 to play in the first half.
After an Aliquippa punt, Central Valley embarked on a lengthy 69-yard drive. FitzSimmons capped it when he hauled in a 10-yard scoring strike from Johnson for a 21-14 lead with 1:49 to go.
Disaster struck for the Quips as they fumbled away the ensuing kickoff deep in their own territory. The Warriors recovered the ball at the 7, but Aliquippa’s defense held and limited Central Valley to a 23-yard field goal from Serafino DeSantis as time expired. It boosted the Warriors’ lead to 24-14 at halftime.
The 24-point outburst angered the Quips’ vaunted defense.
“We know that’s not supposed to happen. We know we’re better than that. We knew we had to shut them down in the second half and we did,” Walker said. “We just stuck together as a team. At halftime, we knew we were down, but we just kept telling each other that it wasn’t over and we had to stick together and have that next-play mentality. That’s what we did.”
Aliquippa received the ball in the second half and wasted little time seizing some momentum. Hayes broke loose for a 75-yard run on the team’s first play. John Tracy punched it into the end zone on a 2-yard run to make it a 24-22 game 43 seconds into the second half.
The Warriors drove to the Quips’ 5, but Aliquippa’s defense held strong and forced a turnover on downs. The offense fed off it and drove 95 yards for a score. Goode hit Walker for a 21-yard scoring strike on fourth down to give the hosts the lead for good, 28-24, with 1:25 left in the third.
“It was just two solid teams and two teams that are coached really well. That’s what competition is. They will always battle you to the end and we knew that,” Aliquippa coach Mike Warfield said. “It was a team effort. It’s just a matter of getting that run at the right time.”
The Quips’ defense came up big again on Central Valley’s next possession. Walker intercepted a pass and returned it to the 20. One play later, Hayes took a handoff and was gone for a 20-yard TD run and a 35-24 lead with 20.1 seconds left in the third.
“I think the very first play of the second half, they captured the momentum early. They made the play when they had to. You could feel it on every play. Every yard was fought for. Every inch of the field was fought for. When you get an opportunity, you have to capitalize and you can’t let the other team come back,” Central Valley coach Mark Lyons said. “It’s my fault – we probably tried to get too much back too quickly. I thought we had a good gameplan. We were able to mix it up. The first half, we had some good flow to our game. We had them on their heels. We couldn’t recreate it in the second half.”
Central Valley couldn’t break the Quips’ defense in the fourth quarter, either. The Warriors turned the ball over on downs, threw an interception and punted on their three possessions.
The victory was Aliquippa's 21st win a row. The defeat snapped the Warriors’ 36-game winning streak.
“I haven’t had to have this conversation with those guys in three years. There are some guys on the team haven’t experienced it,” Lyons said. “At the end of the day, we have to learn to overcome this. It’s a great learning experience for us. All good things come to an end and let’s see if we can start another one and go from there.”
Hayes led all rushers with 171 yards on 22 carries. Tracy had 64 yards on 13 carries in the win. Goode completed 8 of 13 passes for 160 yards. Walker hauled in six passes for 144 yards.
FitzSimmons led Central Valley with 81 yards rushing on 17 carries. Johnson passed for 176 yards. Jayvin Thompson had three catches for 62 yards.
This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Aliquippa claims conference title, snaps Central Valley winning streak in thrilling 35-24 win
