Aliquippa notches another shutout in win over Montour

By: Antonio Rossetti
Friday, September 16, 2022 | 11:47 PM

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After shutting out North Catholic last week, Aliquippa’s defense looked to be in peak form.

Nothing happened Friday night to change that view.

The Quips held Montour to minus-23 yards of offense in a 33-0 shutout victory in its Class 4A Parkway Conference opener at Thomas J. Birko Memorial Stadium.

Aliquippa (3-0, 1-0), meanwhile, notched 427 yards of total offense.

Tiqwai Hayes finished with 165 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries. Quarterback Quentin Goode went 22 of 30, throwing for 174 yards.

Montour (1-3, 0-1) held the ball for the majority of the first quarter, but Aliquippa coach Mike Warfield was satisfied when his team got the ball back and settled in early on.

“We started off pretty good,” Warfield said. “It was a slow game in the first half. They took over most of the time in the first quarter and then we fumbled the punt return and they got the ball back, so we didn’t have the ball a lot in the first half. But I was pleased with how we drove and I was pleased with the two-minute offense, but getting Tiqwai off to a good start is always a good thing.”

Montour head coach Lou Cerro wished his team took advantage of Aliquippa’s early mistakes.

“We played hard until the end,” Cerro said. “Our defense was on the field too long. It’s hard to play a team like Aliquippa who makes no mistakes. They fumbled a punt and we didn’t capitalize on it. They made a mistake and we needed to capitalize, but we didn’t.”

The Spartans came into the game off a one-point to South Fayette last week.

Aliquippa’s defense played a significant role in its first two games, and to start off the game, the Quips forced the Spartans to punt despite committing roughing the punter and pass interference penalties.

When the Quips got the ball, they were pinned in their own territory. However, Aliquippa found success on the ground. The Quips struck first after a 95-yard touchdown drive that was capped off by a Hayes 1-yard touchdown run.

“I just try to get as much yards as I can,” Hayes said. “Coach Mike tells me not to worry about touchdowns but just get as many yards as you can on each play, and that’s what I think of and go off of. That’s what I try to do every play.”

Later in the second quarter, Aliquippa extended its lead after a Cameron Lindsey 1-yard touchdown run. Isaiah Martinez punched in the two-point conversion on the ground, making the score 14-0.

After forcing a three and out, Aliquippa muffed a punt at its own 32-yard line. Nonetheless, Montour could not capitalize in Aliquippa territory, missing a 50-yard field goal attempt.

Aliquippa drove the length of the field near the end of the second half but came up empty, going into halftime with a 14-0 lead.

The Spartans caught the Quips off guard, recovering an onside kick to start the second half. Nevertheless, the Quips forced a three and out. CJ Sonson then pinned the Quips down at their own 1-yard line.

Aliquippa then had a six-minute, 99-yard drive that was capped off by a 13-yard touchdown run by Hayes, his second of the game.

The Quips notched another touchdown on their next drive that was topped off by a 2-yard touchdown run by Martinez. Aliquippa led 27-0 after the extra point was made by Malachi Shegog.

Late in the game, backup quarterback Marques Council connected with DeMarkus Walker for a 35-yard touchdown pass to make it 33-0.

Montour will look to rebound next week against Ambridge.

“We’ve got to play hard,” Cerro said. “We’ve got a big game next week and we have to win it. Ambridge probably needs to win it, so we’re excited for the challenge and to go on the road. We’ll see what we can do.”

For the Quips, they have shut out two straight opponents and want to continue their success next week against West Allegheny.

“We’ve got to take one game at a time,” Warfield said. “West A is a really good team. I watched them a little bit, I went to one of their games. They are a really good team, so it’s a matter of us preparing and looking at the tape and trying to get better week to week.”

Tags: Aliquippa, Montour