WPIAL Class 4A championship preview: Aliquippa-Central Valley matchup one for the history books

Central Valley had its long win streak snapped by Aliquippa late last month, but as the clock neared triple zeroes, Warriors’ coach Mark Lyons said he had a feeling his team had not seen the last of the Quips this season.

“Obviously, we were on a collision course since the beginning of the season,” said Lyons, “and I don’t think that’s changed.”

No, it most certainly hasn’t.

About the only thing that has changed is the magnitude of the game itself. In what is the most highly anticipated matchup of this year’s WPIAL championships, No. 1 Aliquippa (11-0) will take on No. 2 Central Valley (11-1) in the Class 4A final 8 p.m. Friday at Acrisure Stadium. What makes this game so unique is that it’s the first time that defending PIAA champions have met for a WPIAL title. Aliquippa won WPIAL and PIAA Class 4A titles last season, while Central Valley did it in Class 3A. The Warriors are a three-time defending WPIAL champion and two-time defending PIAA champion. Should they win Friday, they will become the first team since Clairton (2008-2012) to pull off a WPIAL four-peat.

“They’re the two-time defending PIAA champs, so you know it’s going to be tough,” Aliquippa coach Mike Warfield said. “They play hard, they’re good up front, they’ve got good athletes, they’ve got a good quarterback, and they’re well coached, so it’s not going to be easy.”

Central Valley rode a WPIAL-best 36-game win streak into its meeting with Aliquippa at Freedom High School on Oct. 28 but exited the game having suffered a 35-24 loss. Now, in the rematch, it’s Aliquippa that comes in with the lengthy winning streak. The Quips have won 23 games in a row, their last loss coming against — yep, you guessed it — Central Valley in the second game of the 2021 season.

The schools located just 6 miles apart now meet on the district’s biggest stage, and neither team is a stranger to playing under the bright lights. Aliquippa is making its 15th consecutive appearance in the final and has won a record 18 titles overall. Central Valley has won five titles and is appearing in the final for the seventh time, not bad for a school that didn’t exist until 2010. The teams met one other time in the WPIAL final, and it was a memorable game. Central Valley slipped past Aliquppa, 13-12, in overtime in the 2019 Class 3A title game.

Aliquippa used a second-half rally to upend Central Valley in the October meeting. The Quips trailed, 21-14, at the break before scoring three touchdowns in the third quarter to storm ahead on their way to a 35-24 win. Aliquippa got big performances from sophomore running back Tiqwai Hayes (178 yards rushing, two touchdowns) and senior wide receiver D.J. Walker (146 yards receiving, two touchdowns).

“They captured the momentum quickly coming out in the second half, and we just never recaptured the momentum,” Lyons said. “We have to do a better job of possessing the ball.”

It will be a matchup of star running backs with Hayes and Central Valley senior Bret FitzSimmons. Hayes has rushed for 1,669 yards and 28 touchdowns, while FitzSimmons has run for 1,723 yards and 30 touchdowns.

“He’s a kid who works extremely hard on the field and in the classroom,” Warfield said of Hayes, who has scholarship offers from Pitt, Penn State and Michigan. “He was just 14 last year and now 15 this year. He gained a lot of experience in that state championship run. He just keeps getting better.”

FitzSimmons rushed for 83 yards and two touchdowns in the first meeting, the only game he has been held to under 100 yards this season.

“He’s just been a rock back there,” Lyons said. “He understands the offense and knows how to run the offense. He’s a young man who continues to get better.”

Both teams have been known over the years for having outstanding line play, and both coaches said they believe that this game will be won up front. Aliquippa’s super-sized offensive line includes tackles Naquan Crowder (6 feet 4, 341 pounds) and Kamari Matthews (6-4, 332) and guards Jason McBride (6-3, 298) and Neco Eberhardt (6-3, 286). McBride and Crowder also made their presence felt defensively in Aliquippa’s 42-7 semifinal win against No. 4 McKeesport. McBride returned an interception 15 yards for a touchdown, and Crowder scooped up a fumble and returned it 88 yards for a score.

Video of Crowder’s “big man” touchdown went viral. Warfield said he couldn’t get a word in when he tried to congratulate Crowder on his feat.

“He kept saying he looked like Le’Veon Bell or Marshawn Lynch out there,” Warfield said, laughing.

Central Valley got a strong game from senior quarterback Antwon Johnson in its 19-0 semifinal win against No. 3 Thomas Jefferson. Johnson rushed for a score and threw scoring tosses to seniors Deniro Simpson and Jayvin Thompson. On the season, Johnson has thrown for 1,315 yards and 16 touchdowns, while Thompson has a team-leading 37 catches for 683 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Not only do the teams own the top two scoring offenses in Class 4A — Central Valley 42.3 points per game and Aliquippa 40.7 — but they also boast the two stingiest defenses. Aliquippa surrenders only 9.5 points a game and Central Valley just 10. Central Valley has given up only seven points in two playoff games and Aliquippa just 14.

Much like FitzSimmons isn’t a one-man show at Central Valley, Aliquippa has quite a few offensive playmakers other than Hayes. Junior quarterback Quentin “Cheese” Goode has passed for 1,655 yards and 18 touchdowns. Walker (32 receptions, 584 yards, five touchdowns) is the top receiver, and sophomore running back John Tracy (508 yards, eight touchdowns) gives the Quips another dangerous runner in the backfield.

“They’ve got veteran players, guys who have played in big games,” Lyons said. “They’re just older and wiser.”

Talent, experience, success … these Beaver County heavyweights are filled with all of that, which should make this title match a must-see event.

“These types of games are won up front,” Warfield said. “They’re really good, but so are we. Whoever wins the battle up front more than likely wins the game.”