WPIAL PLAYOFFS SEMI-FINALS (Nov. 14 2008)
ALIQUIPPA 27, SHADY SIDE ACADEMY 14
Randy Senior
Calkins Media
JACKSON TWP. — For Aliquippa, offensive firepower can be a two-way street: Rasheem Jones’ arm strength and Maurice Carter’s leg drive. And thanks to that production in the semifinals against Shady Side Academy, all roads for the Quips pointed to the WPIAL Class AA championship game.
Jones threw for 220 yards — all in the first half — while Carter gained 129 yards and scored three touchdowns in a 27-14 victory Friday night at Seneca Valley High School.
Aliquippa (10-2) advanced to play Beaver Falls, a semifinal winner against Jeannette, in the Class AA title game next weekend at Heinz Field. Beaver Falls defeated the Quips, 27-12, earlier this season in Midwestern Conference play.
“Gee, I wanted to play West Middlesex,” Aliquippa coach Mike Zmijanac said. “I don’t want to play Beaver Falls again.”
All humorous comments aside, Carter and the rest of the Aliquippa players were already talking about the rematch with the Tigers.
“We feel it’s an awesome opportunity to have another shot at them,” Carter said.
“We made some mistakes in this game, though, and we all know that we have to play mistake-free football to win a championship,” Jones said.
While Carter did the damage on the ground, Jones torched a Shady Side Academy secondary that came into the game allowing just an average of 48 yards passing per game.
The junior quarterback completed eight of his first nine attempts, including pass plays covering 22, 51, 84 and 54 yards. Junior Rashad Kenney caught four passes for 112 yards.
“He (Jones) hit some really big plays,” Zmijanac said. “They were bringing their defense up to the line, like they were daring us to throw.”
But when the defense stacked the line against Carter, that strategy didn’t work, either.
Carter capped an 8-play, 95-yard march with an 8-yard run, while Shady Side Academy ran just five plays from scrimmage in the first quarter. Carter caught a pass in the flat and picked up 21 yards to convert a key third-down situation before Jones heaved a 51-yard pass to Kenney to set up Carter’s first score.
On the next possession, Jones dropped back and found junior tight end Jerriel Goosby, who ran 84 yards to the Shady Side Academy 6. Carter scored on the next play.
“I operate behind the best offensive line in the state,” Carter said. “They make my job easier. And when Rasheem (Jones) opens up the passing game that just opens up the running lanes for me. It works both ways.”
After Shady Side cut the halftime lead to 13-7, the Quips’ defense started to make an impact. Ahman Milot dragged down a ball carrier for a loss, and Darious Walker recorded a sack. Four plays after a Goosby sack, Carter scored his third touchdown on a 2-yard run.
Donte Williams’ fumble recovery in the fourth quarter paved the way to Jones’ 2-yard touchdown keeper with 7:06 remaining.
Aliquippa had to overcome 13 penalties for 109 yards, but Zmijanac attributed it to his team’s style of play.
“We teach these kids to work as hard as they can, and when they play just as hard, there are going to be penalties,” Zmijanac said. “There was a lot of frustration late and when a team is trying to stay undefeated like Shady Side Academy, and they don’t want to get their butts whipped, it’s bound to happen.”
WPIAL PLAYOFFS (Nov. 7 2008)
ALIQUIPPA 32, GREENSBURG CC 14
Joe Tuscano
Special to The Times
McMURRAY — Aliquippa fans probably spent the majority of their time driving back from Peters Township High School arguing over which touchdown run by Maurice Carter was more impressive.
But there is no debate about which one was most important.
It was the 73-yard burst down the left sideline in the third quarter that left a stunned Greensburg Central Catholic defense clutching at the night breeze, the one that sucked the air out of a Centurions’ comeback attempt, the one that assured Aliquippa would not leave this field Friday night without a victory.
Carter had scoring runs of three, 56 and the 73-yarder, to help the Quips roll over Greensburg Central Catholic, 32-14, in the quarterfinals of the WPIAL Class AA playoffs.
The victory sends Aliquippa (9-2) into the semifinals against Shady Side Academy, a 28-14 winner over Center last night. Greensburg Central Catholic ends the season at 10-1.
“That was a big play,” Aliquippa coach Mike Zmijanac said of Carter’s run. “It broke their back. That put us up by two scores.”
Greensburg Central Catholic had just pulled to within 20-7 when Mark Hornfeck bulled over from the one with 2:52 left in the third quarter. Just 45 seconds later, the Centurions were desperately chasing Carter down the sideline.
“We have good backs and we like to rotate them,” Zmijanac said. “Hopefully, we’re going to break a couple like that when the defense gets tired. Carter is our home run hitter.”
Carter’s first score was a three-yard run one play into the second quarter that opened the scoring. It capped a magnificent drive by Aliquippa that covered 83 yards in 18 plays and ate 8:31.
The Quips made it 12-0 with 9:24 left in the half when Rashad Kenney caught a 22-yard pass from Rasheem Jones.
Carter’s 56-yard scoring run came on Aliquippa’s first possession of the second half and made it 20-0.
“(Carter) is as good a back as we’ve seen all year,” said GCC head coach Muzzy Colisimo. “We didn’t realize how good a team Aliquippa was.”
Terry Patrick’s seven-yard run with 9:15 to play capped Aliquippa’s scoring.
Aliquippa’s defense sacked GCC quarterback Trent Hurley six times and his replacement, Ross DeGlau once. The Quips held the Centurions to 43 yards rushing and 104 total.
Patrick rushed for 64 yards on 12 carries and Donte Williams 25 on six. Rasheem Jones completed 4 of 7 passes for 52 yards.
GCC was playing without star running back David Miller, who leads the WPIAL with 32 touchdowns and 208 points. He injured a knee in last week’s victory over Freeport.
WPIAL PLAYOFFS (Oct. 31 2008)
ALIQUIPPA 20, EAST ALLEGHENY 10
Bill Utterback
Times Sports Staff
ALIQUIPPA — Terry Patrick was inspired. By the urgency. By the environment. By the absence of a friend.
Patrick, a senior, contributed two touchdowns and two monster defensive plays to help Aliquippa steer away from a 10-8 deficit and accelerate toward a 20-10 victory over East Allegheny in a WPIAL Class AA first-round playoff game Friday at Carl A. Aschman Stadium.
Patrick’s hands told the story of the game. Around his right wrist he wore a handwritten tribute to Chris Wilson, the Central Catholic running back who died earlier this week. Patrick and Wilson were AAU basketball teammates.
“I dedicated this game to him.”
Opportunity passed through Patrick’s hands early in the first quarter. He fumbled, and East Allegheny recovered and immediately scored the game’ first touchdown.
“I thought, ‘Is this the way I want things to end?’”
His response was resounding.
Patrick intercepted a pass that led to a 5-yard touchdown run by Maurice Carter, who finished with 110 yards rushing. Patrick caught the go-ahead conversion pass from Rasheem Jones.
In the second quarter, with East Allegheny leading 10-8 and addressing a first down at Aliquippa’s 9-yard line, Patrick was part of the game’s biggest defensive stand. Stanley Pugh made a tackle for a 4-yard loss and then Patrick blitzed, sacked the quarterback and forced a fumble that rolled out of bounds 13 yards behind the line of scrimmage.
“I watch (Troy) Polamalu every Sunday for tips,” Patrick, whose brother (Darrelle Revis) plays defensive back for the New York Jets, said.
East Allegheny missed the resulting field goal attempt.
“Coach (Dan) Short always tells us to keep striving, no matter how deep they have the football,” Patrick said. “There’s always a way to stop them.”
In the third quarter, sophomore Darius Walker recovered the opening kickoff as it spun away from an East Allegheny player. The Quips took possession and Patrick caught a 24-yard TD pass with 50 seconds elapsed. He had his hands on the ball but it was punched loose by a defender. As he fell to the turf, Patrick pulled in the deflection and secured the go-ahead TD. The Quips led 14-10 lead and never relinquished command.
“I cost us a touchdown when I fumbled in the first half, so I had to get one back for us.”
Later in the third quarter, Patrick had runs of 8 and 9 yards to set up a 16-yard TD.
Playing for a friend, playing for the last time in his home stadium, playing to extend his season, Patrick shaped the game as a running back and defensive back.
“When you’re an athlete, you have to make big plays wherever you’re playing.”
The Quips defensive provided many big plays. Pugh and De’rhon Towler had interceptions, while Darius Walker and Dante Williams had sacks. Juantez Hollins, Ahman Milot and Derrick Walker provided fierce run defense.
“I thought we played terrific defense tonight,” Coach Mike Zmijanac said. “I wasn’t happy with our offense, but we’re moving on, and that’s all that matters at this time of the year.”
WEEK 8 (Oct. 17 2008)
ALIQUIPPA 36, RIVERSIDE 7
Eric Poole
Calkins Media
NORTH SEWICKLEY TWP. — Before the first quarter was out Friday night, Aliquippa had built a three-touchdown lead and put Riverside junior quarterback Dan Frederick on the sideline with a concussion.
Riverside never recovered, and the Quips cruised to a 36-7 victory in a MAC game. The win gave the Quips (5-2 in the conference) a playoff spot.
The Quips came out quick, notching three touchdowns in the first quarter. Two of those scores came on runs of 21 and 31 yards by Maurice Carter, who finished with 91 yards on 11 carries.
Quarterback Rasheem Jones opened the scoring for Aliquippa with a 1-yard run. Jones, who went 5-for-7 with 122 yards passing, picked up an aerial score for the Quips in the second quarter, on a 22-yard pass to De’rhon Towler.
That scoring toss gave Aliquippa a 28-0 halftime lead.
Riverside sophomore Matt Wilson did a creditable job replacing Frederick, completing 3-of-5 passes for 72 yards and leading a scoring drive for the Panthers, who fought Aliquippa almost even in the second half.
The only thing missing was a story book ending.
Immediately after halftime, Wilson helped engineer a 78-yard scoring drive, providing the big play with a 48-yard completion on a slant pass to Justin McCanna. Senior running back Cole Jackson finished that march with a 3-yard run.
Aliquippa’s Terry Patrick, who led all runners with 126 yards on 10 carries, answered back a few minutes later with an 11-yard run to wrap up the scoring.
Quips’ coach Mike Zmijanac said the Panthers turned in a strong effort in the second half.
“Those kids played their (butts) off the whole game,” he said. “They’re going to be a good football team a year from now.”
WEEK 7 (Oct. 10 2008)
ALIQUIPPA 35, NEW BRIGHTON 14
Andrew Chiappazzi
Times Sports Correspondent
NEW BRIGHTON — For a brief moment, it looked like the New Brighton Lions were ready to trade punches with Aliquippa and trade touchdowns in a Class AA Midwestern Conference battle.
Then Rashad Kenney touched the ball.
Midway through the first quarter, the 5-foot-4, 125-pound junior wide receiver fielded a punt at his own
2-yard line, disappeared into a mass of bodies and was next seen coasting to a stop in the end zone with a 98-yard touchdown. Kenney’s return was an early decisive blow for the Indians in a
35-14 win at New Brighton.
“At first, I didn’t see an opening,” Kenney said. “But when I started to move up field, the line started creating some openings and I just took it from there.”
Aliquippa scored first with a Maurice Carter
4-yard touchdown run, but New Brighton showed resolve. Running mostly behind Brandon Mosely, the Lions pushed their way to the Aliquippa 34 yard line. But Mosely was caught behind the line on third down and hurt his leg. That ended the drive and allowed the speedy Kenney to leave his mark.
“He changes the field position of games because of his speed,” said Aliquippa coach Mike Zmijanic. “He’s surprisingly tough and strong. Most of the time, teams don’t want to kick to him.”
The Quips ran away with the game following the punt return. Aliquippa scored on its first four possessions plus a punt return to make it 35-0 with 11 minutes left in the second quarter.
That score held until Trey Hall broke a 58-yard run for the Lions with just over four minutes left in the third quarter. Hall added another 75-yard run to cap a 167-yard performance for the Lions.
WEEK 6 (Oct. 3 2008)
ALIQUIPPA 28, CENTER 17
Chris Harlan
Times Sports Staff
ALIQUIPPA — Maurice Carter said there’s a feeling inside the Aliquippa locker room that usually isn’t there, especially this early in the season.
There’s desperation.
“We felt like if we lost one more we wouldn’t make the playoffs,” said Carter who rushed for 155 yards and two touchdowns in Friday night’s 28-17 victory over previously unbeaten Center. “There’s definitely some desperation.”
The Quips (4-2, 3-2) are fifth in the Midwestern standings and trying to chase down Mohawk (4-2). They’ve already lost to Beaver Falls and Beaver, so another loss would have been troublesome.
The key, Carter said, is handling their desperation.
The Quips scored 28 points in the first half, including an 89-yard touchdown run by Carter in the first quarter and a 2-yard run by the senior in the second quarter that helped the Quips build a 24-10 lead by halftime.
Teammate Terry Patrick also reached the end zone twice in the first half, scoring on a 30-yard pass from quarterback Rasheem Jones in the first quarter and a 10-yard pass from Jones in the second.
Combine the Quips’ first-half offense with an aggressive defense in the second half, and Aliquippa’s playoff hopes are still alive.
“The whole key is to get into the playoffs,” Aliquippa coach Mike Zmijanic said. “We lost two early. Now you’re fighting every week. You lose another one and you’ve got a problem.”
Center managed only 95 yards rushing, sluggish in comparison to Aliquippa’s 297 yards. The Trojans scored their only first-half touchdown on an 87-yard kickoff return by Damon Cotton immediately following Carter’s long first-quarter touchdown run. Chris Kimbrough added a 16-yard touchdown run in the third.
Center (5-1, 4-1) is third in the Midwestern standings, trailing first-place Beaver Falls (5-0) and second-place Beaver (5-1), meaning they’re still in position to claim one of the conference’s four playoff berths. But Center finishes the season with games against Ellwood City, Beaver Falls and Beaver.
“Every game from now on is the playoffs,” Center coach Larry Taddeo said. “You can’t take Ellwood lightly. That’s a playoff game. If something stupid happens there and we lose to Beaver and Beaver Falls then we’re not in the playoffs. I’m not doing that.”
Chris Harlan can be reached at charlan@timesonline.com
WEEK 5 (Sept. 26 2008)
ALIQUIPPA 62, MOHAWK 18
Jim Equels Jr.
Times Sports Correspondent
ALIQUIPPA — There was one word to describe Aliquippa’s two-week swoon, a span in which the Quips lost two consecutive games for the first time in seven seasons.
Unlikely.
But what about the possibility of a third consecutive loss? This one at “The Pit,” no less? To Mohawk?
Impossible.
Aliquippa (3-3, 2-2) scored five first-half touchdowns and limited a pesky Mohawk offense to 46 yards on the ground as it rolled to a 61-18 win Friday night in a Midwestern Athletic Conference game.
“Fear can be a great motivator,” Aliquippa coach Mike Zmijanac said. “They know if they lose again their butts are out of the playoffs. Sometimes when you’re scared you play harder.”
Terry Patrick led the Quips with 126 yards rushing and two touchdowns, including a 72-yard scoring run on the third play of the game. But it was the performance of Rashad Kenney that sparked Aliquippa’s victory. He returned two punts for touchdowns and set up another with a long distance return.
With the Quips holding on to a 14-6 lead, Kenney — a 5-foot-4, 125-pound junior — hauled in a punt at his 40 yard line and weaved his way for a 39-yard return to Mohawk’s 21. That set up Patrick’s second TD, a 6-yard run.
Moments later after Mohawk cut the Quips’ advantage to 21-12, Kenney, Aliquippa’s punter, fielded a low snap from center and chose to try and run for the first down. He got that and more as he broke a 50-yard run down the sideline to the Mohawk 5. Three plays later, Aliquippa quarterback Rasheem Jones scored on a 1-yard sneak.
“We’ve got a play like that but that wasn’t it,” said Kenney, one of the fastest track athletes in the WPIAL. “I just saw an opening and tried to make something happen.”
In the third quarter Kenney finally set up a TD for himself, as he hauled in a punt and ran 61-yards for a score. He later induced the mercy rule with a 55-yard punt return to give Aliquippa a 54-18 lead.
“I don’t like seeing games get out of hand like this and we had no intention of running it up on them,” Zmijanac said. “But they kept punting the ball to him.”
Kenney’s big game was a bit of redemption. In the first quarter, he helped set up Mohawk’s first score when he misplayed a punt inside the 10 yard line where the Warriors recovered at the 2 and later scored to tie the game at 6-6. After that, it was all Aliquippa.
“He gave them one but he got it back for us,” Zmijanac said. “He evened it out for us.”
Aliquippa’s defense did the rest, limiting Mohawk to 136 yards of total offense, compared to 355 for the Quips, all on the ground. Zmijanac said he needs that from his team the rest of the season.
“This was the first of five must-win games for us,” Zmijanac said.
WEEK 4 (Sept. 26 2008)
BEAVER 21, ALIQUIPPA 14
Bill Utterback
Times Sports Staff
BEAVER — When Denny DeLauter went to Ocean City this summer with a buddy, they didn’t play football on the beach. DeLauter didn’t even pack a football. What would a career lineman do with a ball?
When he returned to Beaver, DeLauter got some shocking news from coaches Jeff Beltz and Joe Lamenza. You’re not our starting guard this year, Denny. You’re our new tight end.
In the most dramatic moments of the most important game of September, the old guard caught a 34-yard touchdown pass from Kris Roper that carried Beaver to a 21-14 victory over Aliquippa Friday at Pat Tarquinio Field.
“I’m blown away,” DeLauter said after the game. “That’s my first touchdown, and I’m ecstatic. I’m honored that they gave me this opportunity.”
As DeLauter celebrated into the end zone, Roper sprinted toward Beltz and immediately embraced his head coach.
“I just thanked him for trusting me,” Roper said.
The Bobcats spent the first three weekends of the season building a reputation for their dynamic rushing offense and game-shaping linemen. They had to be a little more inventive to beat the Quips and created victory with their passing game and pass defense.
Bruce Fronk, R.J. Cook and Evan Nardone intercepted passes, and Chris George forced a fumble after a completed pass as Beaver moved its record to 4-0 in the Midwestern Athletic Conference. The Quips, with consecutive losses to Beaver Falls and Beaver, dropped to 1-2 in the conference.
The turnovers were titanic. Fronk’s interception set up a touchdown, Cook’s interception was in the end zone. Nardone and George forced turnovers in the fourth quarter after the Bobcats built their 21-14 advantage.
“We hadn’t seen any adversity until tonight,” Beltz, the head coach, said. “We talk about it, we preach overcoming it, but you never know how the kids will respond. Tonight, they proved they can play with the best.”
The Quips provided adversity. Terry Patrick rushed for 138 yards and two touchdowns, and Devin Polzot intercepted two passes for Aliquippa..
Patrick gave Aliquippa a 6-0 lead in the first quarter, and then used a 68-yard touchdown run on the Quips first play of the second half to create a 14-14 drama.
But Beaver responded to the drama.
In the second quarter, Nardone rushed 48 yards for a touchdown, winning a sprint with the Quips’ defensive backs. After Fronk’s interception, Nardone scored again to give Beaver a 14-6 lead at halftime.
Late in the third quarter, facing a second-and-9 challenge from Aliquippa’ s 34, Beltz called for the pass play. After a brilliant run fake by Roper, tight ends Luke Verone and DeLauter ran crossing patterns.
“Denny came open first,” Roper said.
The ball was perfectly thrown, dropping over the safety’s outstretched hands.
“I just kept thinking, ‘Don’t drop it. Don’t drop it. Don’t drop it,’” DeLauter said.
“I was thinking, ‘Catch it. Catch it. Catch it,’” Roper said.
DeLauter pulled opportunity out of the night sky and turned it into a touchdown.
“He’s a great athlete and he’s worked hard on the hands part,” Roper said.
The Quips had two changes to respond in the fourth quarter. George, a 265-pound defensive end, quieted the first response when he chased down Patrick on a screen pass and forced a fumble.
Aliquippa’s final opportunity ended when Nardone, after hearing some chatter from the Aliquippa sideline, anticipated a pass route and intercepted a pass at Beaver’s 10-yard line with 3:38 remaining.
Adversity was addressed and dismissed.
“We never thought they would score,” Nardone said. “No negative thoughts. Everything positive.”
WEEK 3 (Sept. 11 2008)
BEAVER FALLS 27, ALIQUIPPA 12
Staff Reports
ALIQUIPPA — As Aliquippa freshman Tyree Jones launched into the Star-Spangled Banner, he found himself uncomfortably alone in a stadium full of people. His partner, the electronic sound system, had abandoned him.
But, on the seventh anniversary of the Sept. 11 tragedies, Jones persisted. He continued singing, putting his heart into each syllable, and quickly discovered he was no longer alone. A chorus of voices from the Aliquippa bleachers joined him. Soon, everyone in the stadium was singing.
It was a night to celebrate unity and perseverance.
The Beaver Falls Tigers carried the celebration onto the football field, where Cody Cook, Todd Thomas, Admire Carter and a commanding offensive line combined voices in a 27-12 victory over Aliquippa in a Thursday night game at Carl A. Ashman Stadium.
Cook rushed for 183 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. His 85-yard touchdown run in the first half shaped the game.
Thomas rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown, and contributed a 62-yard run that led to Cook’s second touchdown. Thomas also made a breathtaking 38-yard reception, a 23-yard punt return that set up a touchdown, and a sack.
Carter contributed a 57-yard touchdown run and intercepted a conversion pass.
Kendall Dreher made a 24-yard reception from Anthony Omogross to set up a touchdown, and Alex Wiltse contributed a sack. The defense silenced Aliquippa and enhanced the chorus throughout the evening.
“This wasn’t about all the big plays,” Thomas said. “This was about everybody working together to make those big plays possible. This was about everybody working Monday thru Thursday to make this victory possible.”
Terry Patrick rushed for 130 yards and a touchdown for Aliquippa, and Darious Walker added a rushing touchdown in the game’s final minute.
A year ago, Beaver Falls led Aliquippa 27-19 in the second half, but the Quips rallied to claim a 33-27 victory.
“We showed we could fight for four quarters,” coach Ryan Matsook said. “Last year, we didn’t finish the game. They took it from us. This year we came to Aliquippa and finished the job.”
Beaver Falls moved to 3-0 in the WPIAL Class AA Midwestern Athletic Conference, while Aliquippa slid to 2-1 overall, 1-1 in the conference.
“This is a nice little steppingstone for us, but we’ve got a long way to go,” Carter said.
The Tigers revealed an offensive line that helped create seven plays of 24 or more yards. Linemen Ron Boxen, Nick Horinka, Andrew Wiltse, Chris Elkins and Ryan New drew significant praise after the game.
“Our big guys can wear you down,” Matsook said. “They condition for this. They run sprints three days a week to prepare for this.”
Boxen, a 6-foot-6, 305-pound senior, emerged as the leader of the line.
“I think he’s (an NCAA) Division I player, and this was his coming out party,” Matsook said. “I want to single him out tonight.”
Thomas, Carter and Cook preferred to embrace the linemen as a group.
“It was all because the linemen stepped up and did their job tonight,” Cook said.
“They made it happen,” Carter said.
“They were unbelievable,” Thomas said.
Thomas used the punt return to set up his own 2-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter. He followed with a sack on the next defensive series and the Tigers took possession at their own 15-yard line. Cook ran 85 yards to the end zone on the first play.
”I was thinking 4, maybe 5, yards, but the hole opened and I went through it,” he said. “I know Aliquippa has a lot of fast guys, but I wasn’t going to let them catch me.”
Cook, through three games, is averaging 162 yards rushing per game and has four touchdown runs of beyond 50 yards.
“He deserves every accolade and every yard he gets,” Matsook said. “He’s one of the hardest-working, most unselfish kids I’ve ever been around.”
The Tigers led 14-0 at halftime, but Patrick’s touchdown created a 14-6 drama.
Carter responded to the drama with a brilliant 57-yard run on a reverse to the right and a cutback move that allowed him to score inside the left pylon.
Thomas’s 62-yard run in the fourth quarter pushed Beaver Falls advantage to 27-6.
“We’ve got a lot of football left,” Matsook said. “But maybe this is the start of something.”
WEEK 2 (Sept. 5 2008)
ALIQUIPPA 47, ELLWOOD CITY 0
Randy Senior
Calkins Media
ELLWOOD CITY — Even with all the championship football that Aliquippa has been associated with in the past, coach Mike Zmijanac can recall when times weren’t so memorable. And he can sympathize with what Don Phillips is going through in Ellwood City.
“I told him there was no way he could fix a program in one year, and I should know because I was once part of a team that won 12 games in nine years,” Zmijanac said after the Quips romped past Ellwood City, 47-0, in a Class AA, Midwestern Athletic Conference game Friday night.
Aliquippa improved to 2-0, 1-0 in the conference. Ellwood City is 0-2.
“Coach Phillips will get them to play better, but right now we’re just physically superior,” said Zmijanac said, whose Quips scored twice in the first 4:58 and had seven different players score touchdowns.
“They’re a quick, physical, strapping team that can really come up and hit you,” Phillips said after his team was limited to 91 yards of total offense. “When they come off the line of scrimmage, their speed just takes over.”
Aliquippa didn’t take long to put its quickness on display. On the second play, senior Maurice Carter broke a 43-yard run to set up quarterback Rasheem Jones’ 16-yard touchdown on a keeper.
“I owe everything to my ‘big hogs’ up front — my linemen, Juantez Hollins, Ahman Milot, Stanley Pugh, Byron Leverette and Derrick Walker,” said Carter, who had 92 yards on four carries.
On its next possession, Aliquippa took advantage of a short punt and started at the Quips’ 45. Jones hooked up with Rashad Kenney on a 45-yard completion and Terry Patrick scored on a 5-yard run.
Donte Williams added a 6-yard touchdown run in the second quarter and junior Jerriel Goosby’s interception of a tipped pass led to Devin Polzot’s 8-yard touchdown reception. Carter’s 20-yard TD run followed Derrick Walker’s recovery of an Ellwood City fumble to give Aliquippa a 35-0 halftime lead.
“People were talking about us having a short week with Beaver Falls coming up on the schedule (at Aliquippa Thursday), but we approach every game the same way, whether it’s at Heinz Field or here,” Carter added. “We weren’t trying to look ahead.”
With the clock running in the second half because of the mercy rule, the Quips completed the romp as Darious Walker scored on an 8-yard run in the third quarter and Tyriq Dorsett scored on a 6-yard run.
WEEK 1 (Aug. 30 2008)
ALIQUIPPA 21, AMBRIDGE 0
Bill Utterback
Times Sports Staff
AMBRIDGE — Terry Patrick clutched a hefty trophy in his right hand as a golden medallion dangled against his Aliquippa football jersey. In the glow of victory, he posed with teammates for a flurry of photographs at midfield.
It was a dream portrait. It was the moment that drove them into the weight room in the winter and pushed them through summer camp. However, the dream is rooted in the chill of November and December, and not in the center of a hot August afternoon. Perhaps, this was a rehearsal.
Patrick was more interested in the victory, and the shutout, than the prizes. He rushed for 113 yards and scored a game-changing touchdown in the fourth quarter as Aliquippa defeated Ambridge 21-0 Saturday at Moe Rubenstein Stadium. The non-section game kicked off the 2008 season for both teams.
Donte Williams rushed for two touchdown for Aliquippa.
The medals and trophies were provided by the U.S. Marine Corps, who selected the Ambridge-Aliquippa game as one of 25 “Great American” rivalries they will celebrate across the country.
This is an enduring rivalry. The Quips dropped a 36-26 decision to Ambridge at home a year ago. The resentment persisted throughout the year.
“This means a lot,” Patrick, awarded a trophy as game MVP, said. “The shutout means a lot. They beat us last year, so we had to come back and get the shutout this year.”
Troy Jeter intercepted two passes, igniting Aliquippa’s first two touchdown drives. Jerriel Goosby contributed two sacks. Williams had a sack and a tackle for an eight-yard loss. Donald McKenzie had a sack. Patrick and Maurice Carter had tackles behind the line of scrimmage.
“The shutout means nothing,” coach Mike Zmijanac said. “The victory is what we wanted.”
But the shutout reflects something.
“Anytime you get a shutout, you know the effort was good,” Zmijanac said. “Our defense played very well today.”
The shutout reflected defensive preparation, and the victory reflected something more universal.
“I liked our conditioning,” Zmijanac said. “I thought we played hard all the way through the game.”
“We work so hard on conditioning all year,” Patrick said. “You could feel it today. We were strong all day, and we were strongest at the end.”
The Quips took an 8-0 lead after Jeter’s interception in the first quarter. Patrick ran twice for first downs before Rasheem Jones completed a 45-yard pass to Rashad Kenney. Williams followed with a 2-yard touchdown run.
The 8-0 drama persisted into the fourth quarter. After Jeter’s interception, Jones bulled his way through a 10-yard run in a third-and-eight drama. Patrick ran 17 yards for another first down. In a third-and-four challenge, Patrick accepted a pitchout and turned to seek opportunity. He found it behind Jones.
“That was our quarterback that made the block,” Patrick said. “He took out the cornerback, and I just cut back and found the opening.”
Patrick ran 39 yards for the touchdown that knocked out Ambridge. Williams scored his second touchdown later in the quarter.
“We had a great offensive line today,” Patrick said. “We had a great defense. We had everything we needed.”
Chris Harlan
Times Sports Staff
ALIQUIPPA — Maurice Carter said there’s a feeling inside the Aliquippa locker room that usually isn’t there, especially this early in the season.
There’s desperation.
“We felt like if we lost one more we wouldn’t make the playoffs,” said Carter who rushed for 155 yards and two touchdowns in Friday night’s 28-17 victory over previously unbeaten Center. “There’s definitely some desperation.”
The Quips (4-2, 3-2) are fifth in the Midwestern standings and trying to chase down Mohawk (4-2). They’ve already lost to Beaver Falls and Beaver, so another loss would have been troublesome.
The key, Carter said, is handling their desperation.
The Quips scored 28 points in the first half, including an 89-yard touchdown run by Carter in the first quarter and a 2-yard run by the senior in the second quarter that helped the Quips build a 24-10 lead by halftime.
Teammate Terry Patrick also reached the end zone twice in the first half, scoring on a 30-yard pass from quarterback Rasheem Jones in the first quarter and a 10-yard pass from Jones in the second.
Combine the Quips’ first-half offense with an aggressive defense in the second half, and Aliquippa’s playoff hopes are still alive.
“The whole key is to get into the playoffs,” Aliquippa coach Mike Zmijanic said. “We lost two early. Now you’re fighting every week. You lose another one and you’ve got a problem.”
Center managed only 95 yards rushing, sluggish in comparison to Aliquippa’s 297 yards. The Trojans scored their only first-half touchdown on an 87-yard kickoff return by Damon Cotton immediately following Carter’s long first-quarter touchdown run. Chris Kimbrough added a 16-yard touchdown run in the third.
Center (5-1, 4-1) is third in the Midwestern standings, trailing first-place Beaver Falls (5-0) and second-place Beaver (5-1), meaning they’re still in position to claim one of the conference’s four playoff berths. But Center finishes the season with games against Ellwood City, Beaver Falls and Beaver.
“Every game from now on is the playoffs,” Center coach Larry Taddeo said. “You can’t take Ellwood lightly. That’s a playoff game. If something stupid happens there and we lose to Beaver and Beaver Falls then we’re not in the playoffs. I’m not doing that.”
Chris Harlan can be reached at charlan@timesonline.com