2023 WPIAL Class 4A football breakdown: Aliquippa begins quest for 3-peat

By: Michael Love
Sunday, August 20, 2023 | 8:01 AM

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No team has three-peated as WPIAL champion in Class 4A since the WPIAL went to six classifications in 2016.

Thomas Jefferson won back-to-back titles in 2016 and 2017, but South Fayette stopped the Jaguars’ attempt for a third straight in 2018.

TJ again won titles in 2019 and 2020, but Aliquippa, in only its second year in Class 4A, denied the Jaguars a third-consecutive crown.

Now the Quips, who defeated Central Valley for the championship last November, have put themselves in the driver’s seat for their own three-peat.

But Aliquippa again has a target on its back, and several teams are out to take down the Quips. That includes McKeesport, a WPIAL semifinalist last year which felt Aliquippa’s sting, 42-7, in the round of four.

“Until someone beats them, they are the favorite,” McKeesport coach Matt Miller said.

“They rolled through the WPIAL playoffs last year and then got to the state title game. I would rather them be the favorite than us. Every team in 4A wants to be where they’ve been the past four seasons. They don’t mind that pressure as they have handled it for years. It will be interesting to see how it plays out this season. There are a lot of really good teams out there ready to challenge for the title and some others who are ready to make big improvements.”

Going back further than 2016, when Class 4A was the biggest classification from its inception in 1980, no school has won three straight WPIAL titles.

Aliquippa’s former Carl Aschman Stadium, known also to many as “The Pit,” was completely renovated over the past year. The new-look home of the Quips, now named “Heinz Field” after a donation from from Kraft Heinz, will make its regular-season debut against Armstrong on Sept. 1.

Regardless of what field they played on last year, the Quips won football games. The 2022 WPIAL title was the Quips’ 19th overall, and they made it to the PIAA title game in Cumberland Valley before falling to District 3 champion Bishop McDevitt.

Armstrong, the defending Greater Allegheny Conference champion, gave Aliquippa a run for its money last year before falling 28-14. The River Hawks went 9-1 in the regular season and fell to McKeesport in the quarterfinals.

“When your only two losses are to Aliquippa and McKeesport, that’s a pretty good season,” Armstrong coach Frank Fabian said.

Standout signal caller Cadin Olsen, a freshman on the Penn football team, moved on because of graduation, as did several others who earned first-team all-conference honors.

But Fabian said first-team picks such as senior wideout Isaiah Brown and junior wideout Ian Olsen, are back to help Armstrong try and fend off the likes of Mars, North Catholic, Hampton and Highlands in conference play.

“There is just so much in terms of depth in the conference,” Fabian said. “It’s almost NFL-ish where it’s any given Friday. Anybody can beat anyone. We won the conference last year but played in a ton of close games.”

Central Valley, Aliquippa’s rival in the Parkway Conference, shined in its Class 4A debut last year. The Warriors’ only two losses came to the Quips.

“I thought it was a great experience for a lot of our guys,” Warriors coach Mark Lyons said. “We had a blend last year of seniors who had a lot of experience, but we were also really young, and those guys learned a lot and will be better for it this year.”

Central Valley won three straight WPIAL championships in Class 3A before making the move to Class 4A last season.

Thomas Jefferson always finds itself in the mix in Class 4A. The Jaguars are hoping to qualify for the WPIAL postseason for a 29th consecutive year.

TJ also has advanced to the WPIAL semifinals in 23 of the past 24 seasons.

“As it is every year at this time, we hope we’ve done enough to prepare ourselves for the grind of the season,” said Jaguars veteran coach Bill Cherpak, who has led Thomas Jefferson to nine WPIAL titles in 28 seasons at the helm.

“Our goals are always the same and they are WPIAL and state titles. We don’t have to say anything about it. The kids understand it, and they work hard because they want to live up to those standards and expectations.”

Last year, TJ experienced a rare playoff shutout, falling as the No. 3 seed to Central Valley, 19-0, in the semifinals at North Allegheny.

“The big thing coming into this season is that the teams that have been on the lower end of each conference have improved significantly and are more competitive than they’ve ever been. That makes the whole classification better,” Cherpak said.

In addition to Aliquippa, McKeesport, Central Valley, Armstrong and Thomas Jefferson, Montour, West Allegheny, and Blackhawk from the Parkway; Mars, Hampton and Highlands from the Greater Allegheny; and Latrobe and Laurel Highlands from the Big Eight were WPIAL playoff qualifiers last year.

Latrobe, the No. 11 seed, pulled off the biggest upset of the Class 4A tournament when it toppled No. 6 Highlands, 28-21, in overtime in the first round.

North Catholic and Blackhawk are the only schools in WPIAL Class 4A to have a new coach while 23 schools in the other five classifications begin their seasons with someone new at the helm.

Last year, there were 10 new coaches at Class 4A schools, including Eric Kasperowicz at Mars and Dan Knause at Trinity. All of them are back for their second seasons.

Kasperowicz, who landed with the Planets following a high-profile breakup at Pine-Richland, lifted Mars to a WPIAL playoff spot and a 6-5 overall record in 2022. Mars went 2-8 in 2021.

“Having a year under our belts with the new staff and system and a full offseason together, we have extremely high expectations this fall,” said Kasperowicz, who welcomes back last year’s leading rusher (Evan Wright), passer (Eric Kasperowicz) and receiver (Gabe Hein), as well as a host of other starters and key contributors.

Trinity won four games in 2022 and finished one win away from a playoff spot from the Big Eight.

Chris Rizzo, a Bethel Park native, comes home to lead North Catholic after spending several successful seasons at Ironwood High School in Arizona.

He hopes to guide the Trojans, playing in their second season in Class 4A, back to the WPIAL playoffs. North Catholic last year lost out on a three-way tiebreaker with Mars and Hampton for the third and fourth playoff spots from the Greater Allegheny Conference.

PRESEASON RANKINGS

1. Aliquippa (13-1)

The Quips made it back-to-back WPIAL championships last year, and they left no doubt as to who were the kings of Class 4A. Aliquippa defeated Montour, McKeesport and Central Valley by a combined 117-21 en route to the title. Aliquippa is the only school to win WPIAL championships in three different classifications. The Quips have reloaded this fall and hope to make it three in a row as a number of WPIAL blue bloods and others are hungry to unseat them.

2. Thomas Jefferson (8-4)

3. McKeesport (11-2)

4. Central Valley (11-2)

5. Armstrong (10-2)

THE STARS

ANTWAN BLACK JR.

Laurel Highlands, jr., WR/DB

The Mustangs’ standout has racked up a group of Division I offers including Pitt, Penn State and West Virginia. The speedy 6-foot-1, 170-pound athlete accounted for more than 500 yards and five touchdowns on offense last year and recorded 27 tackles on defense with a 104-yard interception return for a score. Black also is a threat to take it to the house on kickoffs.

TIQWAI HAYES

Aliquippa, jr., RB/DB

A major player in the Quips’ stampede to their 19th all-time WPIAL championship, Hayes logged 224 carries for 2,011 yards and 34 touchdowns in 2022. He collected 112 yards and three touchdowns as Aliquippa topped Central Valley, 34-7, in the WPIAL title game. Hayes owns more than a dozen Division I offers, including Ohio State, Penn State, Pitt, West Virginia and Michigan.

CAMERON LINDSEY

Aliquippa, sr., LB

The four-star outside linebacker ended his college recruiting process June 15 when he gave a verbal commitment to Pitt. He attracted numerous Power 5 offers, including ones from Penn State, West Virginia and Cincinnati. Lindsay, along with Hayes, has plans to bring home the Quips’ third consecutive WPIAL championship. He recorded 97 tackles on defense last year and added five total touchdowns on offense.

BRADY O’HARA

North Catholic, jr., TE/DE

The 6-foot-6, 245-pound Trojans standout put on 25 pounds of muscle in the offseason. O’Hara’s effectiveness on the defensive side of the ball as a disruptor earned the attention of the conference’s coaches, and he received all-conference first-team laurels. On offense, O’Hara’s talents could be used in a number of formations. He owns Division I offers from Pitt, Penn State, West Virginia, Marshall, UConn and Wisconsin.

EVAN WRIGHT

Mars, sr., RB/DB

The Planets returned to the WPIAL playoffs last year after a 2-8 overall mark in 2021, and Wright was a big part of that resurgence. The Greater Allegheny Conference first-team all-star carried the ball 157 times for 1,333 yards (121.2 average) with 18 touchdowns. He surpassed 100 rushing yards in eight of his 11 games, including a season-best 253 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries in a loss to conference-champion Armstrong.

DON’T MISS

10.13: Armstrong at Mars

The teams lit up the scoreboard in last year’s meeting, combining for 86 points. The River Hawks posted a 55-31 win en route to an undefeated Greater Allegheny Conference title. The loss was tough for the Planets, but it didn’t prevent them from clinching a WPIAL playoff spot. This year’s meeting again could figure into what is expected to be another tight conference playoff race.

10.27: Thomas Jefferson at McKeesport

The final game of the regular season could again decide the Big Eight Conference championship. The Jaguars closed out the 2022 regular season with four straight victories after a 3-3 start and the last of those wins was a 20-10 home triumph over the Tigers. The win for TJ, its first over McKeesport since the schools became conference foes in 2020, pulled it into a three-way tie for the conference title with the Tigers and Laurel Highlands.

10.27: Central Valley at Aliquippa

The Parkway Conference heavyweights close out the regular season with a matchup that could again decide the conference title. Both of Central Valley’s losses last year came at the hands of the Quips, including a surprising 34-7 rout in the WPIAL Class 4A title game. The Warriors had won four in a row against Aliquippa, including a 21-12 triumph in a 2021 nonconference game that marked the Quips’ only loss in 14 games en route to WPIAL and PIAA Class 4A championships.

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Aliquippa, Armstrong, Central Valley, Laurel Highlands, Mars, McKeesport, North Catholic, Thomas Jefferson