Sometimes, numbers just don’t tell the full story.
In the case of Cameron Lindsey, a four-star recruit and all-state linebacker with a remarkable resume and an undeniable swagger, the star senior’s legacy will remain intact at Aliquippa long after he’s gone for reasons that go far beyond the stat sheet.
“There’s no secret to it. There’s no magic potion to it,” said Quips coach Mike Warfield. “He comes to work every day, and you see the outcome and the results on Fridays.”
Fans, teammates, coaches and even opponents will remember Lindsey first and foremost for his bone-crunching hits, especially those who have felt it on the other side. They’ll also remember the Pitt recruit’s penchant for making game-changing plays on both offense and defense, with four defensive touchdowns over the course of his high school career — including one in Aliquippa’s 34-27 win against Bishop McDevitt in the 2021 PIAA Class 4A final and another in the Quips’ 35-21 win against McKeesport in the WPIAL Class 4A title game last month.
But most of all, when they look back on Lindsey’s career and what he contributed to the most tradition-rich program in all of Western Pennsylvania, one thing will stand out above all else — winning.
Lindsey is the leader of quite possibly the most successful senior class in Aliquippa’s long and storied history, with the Quips reaching four WPIAL championship games (winning three) and three PIAA championship games (winning two), compiling an overall record of 52-3, with their only three losses each coming against eventual state champions. Lindsey and his teammates capped it all off by becoming the first team in school history to complete an undefeated season, going out with a bang by demolishing Dallas in the PIAA Class 4A championship game at Cumberland Valley High School last week, 60-14.
“That’s all everybody has been talking about in our group, that we’re really undefeated champs and no one has done it before,” Lindsey said. “That’s something we can stick with forever, that we did it first. That was something that we talked about even last year when we were getting to this point, having a chance to do that. Coach Mike had said before, we were in the same position last year and we ended up crying.
“We just had to finish this year, and we got it done.”
Because of his stellar all-around play as a hard-nosed runner, capable receiver and extraordinary linebacker, Lindsey is the 2023 Pittsburgh Union Progress Player of the Year. All players in the WPIAL and City League were considered for the award, which was decided by the PUP sports staff.
Although his offensive numbers might not jump off the page, his unselfish nature allowed his teammates to shine on offense while he did most of the dirty work and cleaned up any mistakes they made on defense. When he did get his opportunities to show what he can do with the ball, though, he consistently made them count — and his defensive stats speak for themselves.
Lindsey finished his senior season with 363 yards rushing and seven TDs on only 50 carries, catching six passes for 66 yards and two TDs while adding two more defensive touchdowns. He registered 118 total tackles, 13 TFLs, two fumble recoveries, one interception and one sack — and no matter what, he was always at his best when the lights were brightest. Lindsey scored a trio of touchdowns in Aliquippa’s WPIAL championship win against McKeesport — two rushing, one fumble return — and added another rushing touchdown in the state championship win against Dallas, along with an earth-shattering “truck stick” on a helplessly overmatched defender.
Watching Lindsey plow over that would-be tackler likely triggered some painful memories for McKeesport coach Matt Miller, whose Tigers have been eliminated from the postseason by Lindsey’s Quips in three consecutive seasons — twice in the WPIAL semifinals before meeting at Acrisure Stadium in this year’s WPIAL title game. Needless to say, Miller will be as happy as anybody to see Lindsey graduate this spring.
“You see the splash plays of him against us, scooping and scoring in the championship game, but he’s always lined up in the right place,” Miller said. “He’s a physical player. You’re not going to make him miss. He’s a sure tackler. Obviously, he has a high football IQ, and when it’s time to make a splash play, he’s more than talented enough to be able to do that.”
Miller had a front-row seat for one of Lindsey’s most memorable hits, when he caused a fumble with a thunderous tackle on McKeesport quarterback Jahmil Perryman during Aliquippa’s 42-7 win in last year’s WPIAL Class 4A semifinals. Another one of Lindsey’s signature hits came in a dramatic 35-24 win against rival Central Valley on Oct. 28, 2022, when “Cam Bam” delivered a punishing blow on the kickoff coverage unit in the third quarter to help ignite the Quips’ second-half comeback to snap the Warriors’ 36-game winning streak.
No matter which hit was your favorite, you could rest assured knowing that whenever you went to see Aliquippa play over the past four years, you would witness at least one collision unlike any you’ve seen before — and even if you didn’t see it, you would most certainly hear it.
“Nowadays, the linebackers [at the next level], you’ve got to be able to run,” Warfield said. “Linebackers are like bigger, taller running backs. I think his body style fits that perfectly. He’s just going to get faster. He’s just going to get bigger.
“When people look at it, they see his hitting. But as far as his mental aspect of the game, he has that as well. He’s very knowledgeable about the game.”
For Quips offensive coordinator Darrien Fields, having Lindsey as his third option at running back gave him an abundance of riches that he made sure not to let go to waste. And as a former star quarterback at Aliquippa and Marietta College himself, Fields got to see Lindsey’s greatness firsthand as the Quips’ scout-team quarterback every day at practice.
“I told Cam, ‘You’ll never get dusty on my shelf, because you’re too good,'” Fields said. “Being from the community, him being one of my brother [quarterback Quentin Goode’s] best friends, I got to see him growing up. So I already knew who he was. He’s so mild-mannered and laid-back that it’s hard to assume he is the feisty, gritty, physical guy he is when he straps on the helmet on Friday nights.”
With his long, rangy frame, sideline-to-sideline quickness and natural ball skills, Lindsey fits perfectly into the modern prototype at linebacker while also bringing the lumber like no other. On top of all his impressive attributes, though, his cerebral nature is what truly separates him from most other linebackers of his caliber. With 55 varsity games under his belt, Lindsey has developed a memory bank full of plays, formations and schemes to draw from, and he uses that vast knowledge to rapidly diagnose plays before the snap and plot out his attacks, long before the offense even sees him coming.
By then, of course, it’s already far too late.
“He’s so wise beyond his years,” Fields said. “He recognizes routes. He recognizes concepts. He recognizes schemes up front. When you’re about to hit a crease, he knows that’s the crease he wants to hit. If you’re running somebody by him deep, he knows you’re trying to throw short in front of him. … It’s tough to trick him.
“It’s almost like, what can’t he do?”
Having carried the torch from his freshman to senior year, Lindsey will be leaving with Aliquippa’s unfathomable streak of 16 consecutive WPIAL championship game appearances still intact, along with three consecutive WPIAL titles and counting. Now that he’s moving on to play for his hometown school at the next level, Lindsey will be sorely missed by the Quips faithful, and nobody will miss having him around more than Warfield.
Lucky for him, Lindsey won’t be too far down the road.
“He’s one heck of a kid, man. I couldn’t be more proud of him,” Warfield said. “He has a beautiful family. He has parents who support him dearly. It’s just so good to see. It’s so deserving, because he puts the work in, he doesn’t complain. He just goes out and gets the job done.”
Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at srotstein@unionprogress.com.
