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Aliquippa ends Central Valley’s 36-game win streak – wins Parkway Conference title

Tagged under: District 7, Gameday Hub, News

| October 29, 2022

Freedom: Aliquippa outscored Central Valley 21-0 in the third quarter and finished the regular season a perfect 9-0. 

“It’s a game of runs,” said Aliquippa head coach Mike Warfield. “They had us on ropes, and this was a fantastic football game between two great programs, and my hats off to them. We knew it would be a battle until the end, but we found a way.”

The victory over the Warriors marks the Quip’s first since a 34-3 victory in 2017. They also secured the Parkway Conference Title.

For Central Valley, the Warriors tasted defeat for the first time since a 21-14 loss to Wyoming Area in the 2019 Class AAA State Championship spanning 36 games.

“It hurts, and it stings,” said Central Valley head coach Mark Lyons. “We haven’t experienced this in three years, but we’ll be fine. We have enough leadership, and that’s my job as a coach. We’ll learn from this game and continue to better from here. Inevitably we were going to get to this situation at some point. As they say, all good things must end at some point. But this was a great football game and a great atmosphere.”

Aliquippa found themselves in a 24-14 halftime deficit as the Warriors scored ten points in the final 1:49 of the second quarter.

“We told the kids during halftime to keep playing and fighting because we’ve been here before,” said Warfield. ”

Bret FitzSimmons scored his second touchdown of the night on a 10-yard pass from Antwon Johnson, breaking a 14-14 deadlock.

 

The Quips then fumbled the ensuing kickoff at their 7-yard line but held Central Valley to a 23-yard field goal by Serafino DeSantis when the first half ended.

“In a game of this magnitude, it comes down to who makes the most plays,” Lyons said. “I give Aliquippa all the credit in the world; they made a couple more than we did tonight. It wasn’t anything we didn’t do; it was what they did better.”

Aliquippa wasted no time to start the second half with a bang as Tiqwai Hayes ran 70 yards to the Warriors’ 3-yard line on their first snap of the third quarter.

John Tracy scored three yards, pulling the Quips to within 24-22.

Tiqwai Hayes rushed for a game-high 165 yards on 22 carries with two touchdowns, while Tracy chipped in with 66 yards on 13 attempts.

Aliquippa rushed for 159 yards in the third quarter alone. Hayes gained 141 of his yards in the second half.

“In the first half, we didn’t have a chance to run the ball the way we wanted to because they were stacking the box,” said Warfield. “We did enough in the passing game to keep them back a little, and we knew this would turn into a physical game. We returned our breath in the second half and came out strong.”

Thanks to a long kickoff return by FitzSimmons, Central Valley drove into the red zone. Facing a fourth-and-two at the Quips’ 6-yard line FitzSimmons was held to only a yard.

Aliquippa then went on a 95-yard touchdown drive with Donovan Walker’s 25-yard reception from Quentin Goode that put the Quips ahead for good. Goode completed 8-of-13 passes for 169 yards and two touchdowns. 

 

Donovan Walker had a monster game for Aliquippa with 145 yards receiving on six catches with two touchdowns and an interception on defense.

“He always shows up in big games,” said Warfield of Walker. “I could tell the focus all week of not just him but the entire team; they were ready to play this game tonight.”

Walker’s interception came two plays after his second touchdown. On the next play from scrimmage, Hayes broke free for a 20-yard touchdown run that extended the Quips’ lead to 35-24 with 20 seconds to play in the third quarter, a score that would hold on the be the final.

Central Valley was limited to 22 yards of offense in the second half.

“The quick score and the flip of the field to begin the second half was key,” Lyons concluded. “If we could make a couple of stops early in that second half, who knows, they made the plays, which is a credit to them. I’m proud of the guys and the effort they played with tonight. We’ll bounce back.”

Aliquippa had taken a 6-0 lead on Tiqwai Hayes’ 3-yard run in the first quarter.

The Warriors briefly tied the game on Antwon Johnson’s 1-yard run before Walker hauled in a 92-yard touchdown pass from Goode.

Central Valley would score the first half’s final 17 points on a pair of Bret FitzSimmon touchdowns, starting with his 2-yard run that tied the game a 14-14, followed by his 10-yard reception from Johnson and DeSantis’ 23-yard field.

“Both teams had a lot of guys going both ways, but when you make some big plays, that’s what gives you the energy to push through,” Warfield concluded. “You don’t get tired when you have the momentum; that allowed us to get on that run in the second half.”

Fitzsimmons led the Warriors with 77 yards on 17 carries. Antwon Johnson completed 9-of-20 passes for 173 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

Both teams will enter the WPIAL 4A playoffs next weekend. 

Game Highlights:

 

Aliquippa 35 Central Valley 24

Score by Quarters 

Central Valley – 0 24 0 0 – 24

Aliquippa – 6 8 21 0 – 35

Scoring Summary 

First Quarter 

A – Tiqwai Hayes 3 yd run, (rush failed), 7:11

Second Quarter

CV – Antwon Johnson 1 yd run, (Serafino DeSantis pat), 11:37

A – Donovan Walker 92 yd pass from Quentin Goode (Dorius Moreland from Goode), 11:12

CV – Bret FitzSimmons 2 yd run, (DeSantis pat), 9:56

CV – FitzSimmons 10 yd pass from Johnson, (DeSantis pat), 1:49

CV -DeSantis 23 yd field goal, 0:00

Third Quarter

A – John Tracy 3 yd run, (Isaiah Martinez rush), 11:37

A – Walker 25 yd pass from Goode (rush failed), 1:25

A – Hayes 20 yd run, (Malachi Shegog pat), 0:20

Individual Stats

Rushing: CV – FitzSimmons 17-77, Brandon Singleton 4-2, Jayvin Thompson 2-3, Rylan Jeter 2-4, Johnson 2-(-5), Deniro Simpson 2-(-1), Team 1-(-4). Totals: 30-76. A – Hayes 22-165, Isaiah Martinez 5-16, John Tracy 13-66, Team 1-0. Totals: 41-247. 

Receiving: CV – Thompson 4-81, FitzSimmons 2-21, Simpson 1-31, Matt Gerovac 1-32, Brady Hudson 1-8. A – Walker 6-145, Brandon Banks 1-12, DeMarkus Walker 1-12. 

Passing: CV – Johnson 9-for-20, 173 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT. A – Goode 8-for-13, 169 yards, 2 TD. 

Interceptions: A – Naquan Crowder. 

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