Reigning state champions Aliquippa, Central Valley clash in long-awaited Week 9 finale

By: Chris Harlan
Thursday, October 27, 2022 | 11:52 PM

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Two high school communities in Beaver County had Oct. 28 marked on their calendars since late February, when the WPIAL first released this season’s football schedules.

Their day has arrived.

At 7 p.m. Friday, Central Valley faces Aliquippa in a long-awaited regular-season finale at Freedom’s Jimbo Covert Stadium. The 2,500-seat stadium will welcome a sold-out crowd. Some fans stood in line for hours this week for tickets, since they aren’t available at the gate.

“The minute the schedules came out, everybody has been making plans and saying, ‘I can’t wait,’” Central Valley coach Mark Lyons said.

Why the hype?

First, the game features two undefeated Parkway Conference teams, meaning whoever wins earns the conference title and possibly a No. 1 seed in the WPIAL Class 4A playoffs. Both teams are 6-0 in the conference.

Third-ranked Central Valley is 9-0 overall. No. 1 Aliquippa is 8-0.

But there’s more.

They’re both reigning state champions having each celebrated in Hershey last December. Aliquippa won the PIAA Class 4A title. Central Valley won 3A before moving to 4A this season in realignment.

“Both teams have been through (these rivalry games) before, so it’s nothing new, but it is new,” Quips coach Mike Warfield said. “Both of us are coming off state championships, so in the Beaver County area, it’s exciting for everyone. So, we’re definitely looking forward to it.”

• Central Valley owns a 36-game winning streak, the longest active in the state.

• The high schools are about 6 miles apart, so the players and coaches know one another well. In fact, Warfield was an assistant for three years on Lyons’ staff before Aliquippa hired him as head coach in 2018.

• Nobody in recent years has played Aliquippa better than Central Valley. The Quips are 55-5 overall in the past five seasons. Of those five losses, four were to Central Valley, including 21-12 last year.

“I don’t think our guys let the game or the moment get too big,” Lyons said. “This is the easiest week to coach because our guys are locked in. They’re ready to go. You don’t need to motivate them.”

The teams have played six times since Central Valley became a school in 2010. Aliquippa won the first two in 2016 and ’17, but the Warriors have won the past four, including a 13-12 win in the 2019 WPIAL finals.

“Right now, they’ve got us,” Warfield said. “There’s nothing we can say about it. We’ve just got to come back. Every year is new. We’re not going to dwell on those.”

What Aliquippa won’t have this time is a true home-field advantage. Aschman Stadium was torn down this summer and is being rebuilt, so the Quips borrowed Freedom’s field for home games.

Statistically, both teams have compiled a string of lopsided wins this fall. Central Valley has outscored opponents 429-78. Aliquippa’s foes were outscored 330-66.

Each offense has a running back ranked among the WPIAL leaders.

Central Valley senior Bret FitzSimmons has 1,355 yards and 24 touchdowns on 97 carries. Aliquippa’s top rusher is Tiqwai Hayes, a sophomore with 1,204 yards and 20 touchdowns on 152 carries.

They’re the catalysts for the two offenses, but neither team could be called one-dimensional. Aliquippa quarterback Quentin Goode has 1,321 passing yards and 13 touchdowns. Central Valley’s Antwon Johnson has thrown for 970 yards and 12 TDs.

Central Valley is coming off a 55-7 win over West Allegheny in Week 8. That was the team’s fifth straight game of allowing a touchdown or less.

“The big question was: What are you going to do when you move up (in classification)?” Lyons said. “How are you going to handle that? Our guys haven’t changed their approach. That’s what I like about them.”

Aliquippa defeated Chartiers Valley, 61-7, last week. That was the fifth time in seven games that the Quips held an opponent to seven points or fewer.

“We’re starting to play in all phases of the game,” Warfield said. “Early in the season, we were missing a lot of pieces, but all of the pieces are here now. There are no excuses.”

Lyons compared the anticipation for Friday to some of the Rochester-Monaca games he coached a few decades ago. Both he and Warfield said looking ahead to Week 9 wasn’t an issue for their teams, but at times it surely happened.

“They’re kids,” Warfield said. “As adults, you can do so more than kids. I’m sure deep down and outside of the coaches’ (presence), they were talking about it.”

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, Central Valley