Aliquippa takes down No. 1 McKeesport to win 21st WPIAL football championship
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Saturday, November 15, 2025 | 4:07 PM
Aliquippa celebrates with the trophy after beating McKeesport in the WPIAL Class 4A football championship Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 at Pine-Richland High School.
Aliquippa head coach Mike Warfield gets the water bath after beating McKeesport in the WPIAL Class 4A football championship Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 at Pine-Richland High School.
McKeesport’s Kemon Spell drops Aliquippa’s Joseph Work during the WPIAL Class 4A football championship Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 at Pine-Richland High School.
Aliquippa quarterback Marques Council avoids McKeesport’s Kemon Spell on the way to a touchdown during the WPIAL Class 4A football championship Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 at Pine-Richland High School.
Aliquippa’s Akiva Woods scoots down the sideline past McKeesport’s Avon Hudson during the WPIAL Class 4A football championship Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 at Pine-Richland High School.
Aliquippa’s Qalil Goode breaks up a pass intended for McKeesport’s Javien Robinson during the WPIAL Class 4A football championship Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 at Pine-Richland High School.
McKeesport running back Kemon Spell celebrates after taking it to the house on the first offensive play for McKeesport against Aliquippa during the WPIAL Class 4A football championship Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 at Pine-Richland High School.
McKeesport’s Akeem Cochran avoids Aliquippa’s Issiah Genes during the WPIAL Class 4A football championship Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 at Pine-Richland High School.
McKeesport running back Kemon Spell takes it to the house on the first offensive play for McKeesport against Aliquippa during the WPIAL Class 4A football championship Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 at Pine-Richland High School.
Aliquippa’s Oleaster Longmire leaps past McKeesport’s Nicholas Beerman during the WPIAL Class 4A football championship Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 at Pine-Richland High School.
McKeesport’s Kaedyn Daniels gets a hold of Aliquippa’s Akiva Woods during the WPIAL Class 4A football championship Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 at Pine-Richland High School.
“Never doubt a Quip.”
Mike Warfield said people left this year’s Aliquippa football team at the local funeral home but that being a Quip means never giving up and being the team that fights longer.
Fight the longest the Quips did in Saturday’s Class 4A championship game, as No. 7 Aliquippa captured its WPIAL-record 21st title with a 21-12 win over No. 1 McKeesport (9-4) at Pine-Richland to return to the top of the WPIAL gridiron.
The win capped a district playoff run that now includes a win over each of the top three seeds in Class 4A after the Quips (9-3) toppled No. 2 Trinity in the quarterfinals and blanked No. 3 New Castle in the semifinals.
In its toughest test, Aliquippa, outside of one 68-yard touchdown run, held five-star recruit Kemon Spell, the top-rated junior running back in the country, to just 74 other yards on his final 18 carries and rode the heroics of senior quarterback Marques Council to gold.
“We knew we were playing with a little bit of house money. When we started the playoffs we told the kids ‘let’s do the impossible,’” Aliquippa coach Mike Warfield said. “They went out and played like it. They played free and fast. I’m proud of them.”
The game started with a three and out by Aliquippa and, on the Tigers’ first play from scrimmage, Spell went essentially untouched through a gap and sprinted 68 yards to pay dirt. However, the point after try was partially blocked and came up short, keeping the Tigers’ lead at 6-0 just 2:01 into the contest.
Aliquippa came up with quite the response.
The Quips used 15 plays to go 84 yards in 9:04 to take the lead with the drive capped by a spinning Council who raced 24 yards to the end zone for the first Quips’ score of the day.
“I dropped back, took a step and saw them dropping back so I just took the lane,” Council said. “I got as many yards as I could get and, fortunately, I got into the end zone.”
Warfield said the Quips had talked about needing the response.
“We knew (Spell would) get one,” Warfield said. “We had already talked about it. It might be 20. It might be 40. It might be 80. He might get two. But we knew as long as we kept working and grinding, we were going to be fine. That response was huge, if nothing else because it kept him off the field.”
After recovering a fumble coughed up by Akeem Cochran, Aliquippa extended its lead. Set up by a 53-yard pass from Council to Cleaster Longmire to the McKeesport 11, Council found Josh Lay for a 3-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-goal. The PAT pushed the Quips’ lead to 14-6 with 8:44 to play in the half.
It only took McKeesport a little over two minutes to respond. A big return by Cochran set the Tigers up with great field position at the Aliquippa 26-yard line. Five plays later, McKeesport got on the board again on a 6-yard run by Spell. His two-point run came up short in an effort to pull the score even, and it stood at 14-12 to the break.
The teams worked to a scoreless third quarter and Aliquippa had two chances to score to extend the lead in the fourth.
The Quips faced first-and-goal from the 2-yard line but turned it over on downs with an incomplete pass on fourth-and-goal from the 21.
The next time they got down there, things started to look bleak again, but on fourth-and-9 with the pocket disappearing, Council chucked up a jumpball, which cleared the McKeesport wall and dropped into the hands of QaLil Goode for a 24-yard touchdown pass. Reinado Romero’s PAT made it a two-score game and iced it for the Quips.
“Whenever you see 14 down there, you have to give him a chance,” Council said. “My initial reads weren’t there but most importantly he made a play for me. I knew he had it.”
Spell finished with 142 yards on 19 carries for the Tigers as the only 100-yard performer. It was the third straight loss in a championship game for McKeesport, which is still in search of its first title since 2005.
Council threw for 123 yards and two scores on 9-for-14 passing and an interception. Thought to be out for the year with an injury, Council’s return and title game heroics were a big reason for Aliquippa’s triumph.
“I didn’t think this would be possible, but I did at the same time,” Council said. “I just prayed. I’m a strong believer in God. I just kept my head up and kept showing up for my guys, and everything fell into place.”
Aliquippa will move on to the PIAA quarterfinals next week to take on District 10 champion Oil City, which is fresh off the fourth PIAA victory in program history.
But now Aliquippa gets to keep trying to prove people wrong and continue to persevere.
“It takes time to mold a group,” Warfield said. “Last game we asked them what it means to them to be a Quip and for me it’s never giving up. We’ll fight to the end.”
Tags: Aliquippa, McKeesport
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