Aliquippa Dominates Belle Vernon to win 18th WPIAL Title 28-13 @NathanGrella @PaBackyard @quipfootball

Tagged under: District 7, News

Nate Grella | November 27, 2021

For the first time ever, the Aliquippa Quips are 4A champions. 

Saturday evening, the Quips executed a dominant defensive performance to shut down two of the top backfield talents in western pennsylvania. For the second straight season. The Leopards season ends at the hands of Mike Warfield’s Quips. This season, it ended at Heinz. 

Heading into Saturday afternoon’s matchup, the Quips only loss came to 3A champion Central Valley. The Leopards were undefeated, coming off of their second victory over their rivals, the Thomas Jefferson Jaguars. Aliquippa earned their berth to the finals with a double overtime victory over McKeesport. 

The Aliquippa running game came into it dominant. Powered behind freshman Tiqwai Hayes, the Quips scored on the opening possession of the game. A fumble and several three and outs later, the first quarter would end at 7-0. 

In the second quarter, the Quips extended their lead to 21. The first score came shortly after the quarter break with Hayes juking a defender and diving across the pylon to put Aliquippa up by two scores. 

A full quarter later, Warfield went for the jugular, as freshman QB Quentin Goode threw a 38 yard bomb to DJ walker as time expired for halftime. At the half, the one seed was down 21-0. 

The Leopards tried to stage several comebacks in the third and fourth quarters, but every time it seemed as though Belle Vernon was gaining momentum, the Quips shut the door. After a long 73 yard drive by the Leopards, capped by a Devin Whitlock TD, Cyair Clark took the ensuing kickoff 86 yards to the house. 

Belle Vernon would add another Devin Whitlock touchdown in the late fourth, however the damage was done. Aliquippa would kneel it out to hand the Quips their 18th WPIAL title, and their first in the 4A classification. 

What’s Next? The Quips will match up against the Jersey Shore Bulldogs next week, the 4A runner ups from a year ago.

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