Despite mismatch in enrollments, Aliquippa draws nonconference clash vs. Penn Hills

By: Chris Harlan
Friday, September 20, 2024 | 7:01 AM

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Aliquippa went to court to avoid a promotion to Class 5A football this fall, but the Quips still get a taste of that classification on Friday.

Their opponent — Penn Hills — has three times as many students and maybe twice as many players.

“That’s a great big difference,” Aliquippa coach Vashawn Patrick said. “When I looked at their roster, they had 80-some kids on it. We’re around 40 right now. They’ve got the pick of the litter from the kids they have. It’s a big difference in enrollment, but we’re going to be ready to play Friday at 7.”

Penn Hills (1-3) hosts Aliquippa (2-0) at 7 p.m. at Yuhas-McGinley Stadium. Ongoing litigation against the PIAA competitive-balance rule let the Quips remain in a Class 4A conference, but the WPIAL gave them 5A Penn Hills as a nonconference game.

The matchup has drawn more buzz than a typical nonconference game. They scrimmaged several years ago and have met at summer passing camps, but this is the first time the teams have played one another.

“You’ve got two historic programs,” Penn Hills coach Charles Morris said. “The foundations were built by the greats who played at each school. Everybody always wishes that these kinds of matchups happen. It’s fun for fans and both communities.”

Adding to the buzz, Patrick said the Quips were expecting Penn State coach James Franklin to be there.

Aliquippa running back Tikey Hayes is a Penn State commit while teammate Larry Moon III and Penn Hills’ Carter Bonner have Nittany Lions offers. Moon and Bonner are both sophomore defensive backs and wide receivers.

Traditionally, few WPIAL rosters have more talent.

“Penn Hills has a lot of great athletes,” Patrick said. “I’m excited to see what my guys can do against them and the physical type of team they are.”

Penn Hills’ is coming off a 54-0 victory over Fox Chapel. The Indians started their schedule with three challenging losses (Susquehanna Township, Woodland Hills and North Allegheny) but seemed to relieve some frustrations against the Foxes.

Senior quarterback Jay’mere Ellis passed for 151 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 102 yards and another score. The Indians also returned a blocked punt and a fumble for touchdowns in the bounce-back win from an 0-3 start.

“We’re starting to jell,” Morris said. “I knew we were going to have some early sputters with all the young guys and some of the transfers that came in. We just had to find that right mix for everyone.”

Aliquippa ran away with a 49-17 win over Mars last week. The Quips played without Hayes, who sat out with a hamstring issue. In his place, sophomore running back Sa’Nir Brooks rushed for 150 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries.

Patrick called Hayes a game-time decision for Friday but stressed that the priority is keeping the career 6,000-yard rusher healthy.

“I know the rigorous season we’re about to endure,” Patrick said. “I want to make sure he’s healthy at the end.”

PIAA enrollment data lists Penn Hills with 502 boys in grades 9-11, the grades used to determine a team’s classification. Aliquippa has 156 boys and qualifies for 2A football.

Regardless of those numbers, the Quips won’t enter Friday dwelling on that mismatch, Patrick said. And Morris stressed that his Penn Hills players certainly won’t overlook them based on their small-school size.

“No matter what classification they are, they’re a hell of a football team,” Morris said. “We definitely aren’t taking them lightly.”

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.

Tags: Aliquippa, Penn Hills