Times' top 10 football teams in the Beaver Valley: Week 4 rankings

The Beaver County Times' sports staff will rank the top 10 teams in our coverage area each week. These rankings do not indicate the best team in the area. Programs in higher classifications will almost always have the upper hand against ones from lower classifications.

Instead, they rank which teams we believe, pound-for-pound, have the best shot at winning a WPIAL and PIAA championship. As is the case for our WPIAL rankings, we will update our Times' top-10 rankings every Monday throughout the entirety of the regular season.

Times' top 10 football teams in the Beaver Valley: Week 4

1. Aliquippa (4A) (3-0)

For all the attention Aliquippa's offense gets with the firepower it has including Tiqwai Hayes, Quentin Goode, Cameron Lindsey, Jon Tracy, DJ Walker and more, the Quips' defense is equally as dominant — if not more-so — under head coach Mike Warfield. After holding North Catholic to -22 yards of total offense in Week 2, the Quips followed up that impressive display in Week 3 by holding the Montour Spartans to -23 yards of total offense in a 33-0 win in McKees Rocks, while recording 427 yards of offense in the win. Hard to do anything against the Quips offensively, and not much one can do to stop them offensively.

More:Friday night Beaver County football highlights, Week 3

2. Central Valley (4A) (4-0)

Moving into the 4A Parkway Conference for the 2022 season was supposed to provide some challenge for the defending WPIAL Class 3A and PIAA Class 3A champion Central Valley Warriors. The conference opener against Chartiers Valley Friday night at Sarge Alberts Stadium didn't provide much of one as the Warriors rolled to a 58-13 win behind four touchdowns from star senior running back Bret FitzSimmons, and two touchdowns from star wideout Jayvin Thompson, who won his individual matchup with Penn State commit Lamont Payne Jr. fairly easily in the blowout win. Up next for the Warriors is a road trip to New Castle to take on the Red Hurricanes.

More:New conference, no problem for Central Valley in 58-13 win over Chartiers Valley

3. OLSH (1A) (4-0)

Good luck stopping the high-octane offense that the OLSH Chargers have under first-year head coach Don Militzer. On the road Friday against Carlynton in Week 3, the Chargers took care of business quickly, building a 49-0 lead at the half in an eventual 55-0 win. Quarterback Nehemiah Azeem continues to light up the opposition each week, firing four touchdowns against Carlynton while adding a rushing touchdown of his own. With receivers in Dorrian Tate and Dereon Greer at his disposal, the sky is the limit for the Chargers in 1A.

4. South Side (1A) (4-0)

Much like OLSH, South Side continues to roll through its opponents early in the 2022 season. Taking on Northgate Friday night, the Rams handled business quickly, dousing the Flames in a 49-0 win to move to 4-0 on the season. Coming into the year much of the attention with the Rams was focused on star running back Parker Statler. Outside of the season opener against Hopewell, he hasn't been available, leading to the emergence of Ryan Navarra and AC Corfield behind quarterback Brody Almashy as the Rams continue to roll right along under head coach Luke Travelpiece.

5. Beaver Area (3A) (3-1)

Quietly, the Bobcats continue to find ways to win under head coach Cort Rowse. After a frustrating season-opening loss to Western Beaver, Beaver Area has reeled off three straight hard-fought wins over Beaver Falls, Freedom and South Park, setting themselves up in good position to go on a run in the 3A Western Hills League. The Bobcats will host West Mifflin Friday night in a big conference matchup at Pat Tarquinio Field at Gypsy Glenn Stadium.

More:'Nothing's given': Beaver Area's Rowse aims to build upon established culture in Year 2

6. Western Beaver (2A) (3-1)

Riding high entering the 2A Midwestern Conference opener against Neshannock, the Western Beaver Golden Beavers were dealt a significant setback as the Lancers ran all over the Golden Beavers' highly-touted defense in a 48-20 decision. Good news is the Golden Beavers are still loaded on both sides of the ball and should be able to shake off the conference-opening loss quickly, starting with Saturday's home game against Ellwood City. Don't overlook the Golden Beavers based on one performance; this is an experienced team that has a chip on its shoulders.

More:Photos from Saturday's Western Beaver-Neshannock football game

7. West Allegheny (4A) (4-0)

West Allegheny is channeling its inner Keanu Reeves in "John Wick" lately. Yeah, I'm thinking they're back. Coming into the 2022 season the question loomed large over a program that historically was a force. After missing the playoffs the last few seasons, West Allegheny has put the WPIAL on notice with its start this season. Fresh off of a 52-14 dismantling of New Castle in Week 3, West Allegheny faces its largest test to date with a road trip to Freedom to take on the Aliquippa Quips at Jimbo Covert Field.

More:With move to Class 4A, West Allegheny has eyes on postseason return

8. Rochester (1A) (2-1)

A 30-point outburst in the first quarter of the Week 3 matchup on the road Saturday against Summit Academy just may be the spark the Rochester Rams need to go on a run and remind the rest of the 1A Big Seven Conference just how good they are top to bottom. With Parker Lyons clicking on all cylinders offensively, and a balanced rushing attack with Antonio Laure and Amaree Curry, the Rams appear formidable once again under Hall of Fame head coach Gene Matsook.

9. Beaver Falls (2A) (3-1)

The opener of the 2A Midwestern Conference was just what the doctor ordered once again for Nick Nardone and the Beaver Falls Tigers. A 48-0 romp over New Brighton has the Tigers feeling good about yet another potential run through the conference. Though star quarterback Jaren Brickner hasn't quite clicked in the passing game like he'd hoped to coming into the year, he's emerged as a dominant force on the ground for the Tigers and has the offense finding its groove. Up next for the Tigers is a tough road trip to Neshannock Friday night.

10. Riverside (2A) (2-1)

Ahead of Week 4 we have a new entry into the top 10 rankings here at the Times. That would be the Riverside Panthers under head coach Fran Ramsden after pulling off a thrilling 32-28 comeback win in the second half over Mohawk in Week 3 on a Noah George touchdown catch with nine seconds left. That's two wins in a row for the Panthers after a season-opening 7-6 loss to No. 4 South Side, which was pretty telling. Led by standout running back Robert Janis offensively, the Panthers are rounding into form at the right time. They'll host Freedom Friday night in Ellwood City in a big 2A Midwestern Conference matchup.

Contact Joshua Carney at jcarney@gannett.com or 724-681-9136. Follow Joshua on Twitter: @ByJoshCarney

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Times' top 10 football teams in the Beaver Valley: Week 4 rankings