Aliquippa fends off furious upset bid from Latrobe in WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinal
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Friday, November 10, 2023 | 10:56 PM
Latrobe’s Alex Tatsch holds up the football after a pass from John Wetzel was ruled incomplete late in the fourth quarter against Aliquippa during their WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinal on Friday at Heinz Field.
Aliquippa’s John Tracy carries past Latrobe defenders during their WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinal on Friday, Nov. 10, 2023, at Aliquippa.
Aliquippa’s Tikey Hayes carries past Latrobe defenders during their WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinal on Friday, Nov. 10, 2023, at Aliquippa.
Aliquippa’s Tikey Hayes scores past Latrobe’s John Wetzel during their WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinal on Friday, Nov. 10, 2023, at Aliquippa.
Aliquippa’s Tikey Hayes celebrates after scoring against Latrobe during their WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinal on Friday, Nov. 10, 2023, at Aliquippa.
Aliquippa’s John Tracy carries past Latrobe’s Ja’Tawn Williams during their WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinal on Friday, Nov. 10, 2023, at Aliquippa.
Aliquippa’s John Tracy scores against Latrobe during the fourth quarter of their WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinal on Friday, Nov. 10, 2023, at Aliquippa.
Latrobe quarterback John Wetzel scores on a reception against Aliquippa during their WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinal on Friday, Nov. 10, 2023, at Heinz Field.
Aliquippa’s Tekoah Gilbert pressures Latrobe quarterback John Wetzel during their WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinal on Friday, Nov. 10, 2023, at Aliquippa.
Aliquippa’s celebrates after sacking Latrobe quarterback John Wetzel during their WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinal on Friday, Nov. 10, 2023, at Aliquippa.
Aliquippa’s Beno Williams pressures Latrobe quarterback John Wetzel during their WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinal on Friday, Nov. 10, 2023, at Aliquippa.
Latrobe’s Alex Tatsch carries past Aliquippa’s Jayace Williams during their WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinal on Friday, Nov. 10, 2023, at Aliquippa.
Aliquippa’s Mekhi Green returns an interception for a touchdown against Latrobe during their WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinal on Friday, Nov. 10, 2023, at Aliquippa.
Latrobe’s Ja’Tawn Williams catches a long pass in front of Aliquippa’s Demarkus Walker during their WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinal on Friday, Nov. 10, 2023, at Aliquippa.
Latrobe head coach Ron Prady reacts after a pass was ruled incomplete late in the fourth quarter against Aliquippa during their WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinal on Friday, Nov. 10, 2023, at Heinz Field.
Latrobe’s Alex Tatsch is tackled by Aliquippa’s Cam Lindsey and Tikey Hayes during their WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinal on Friday, Nov. 10, 2023, at Aliquippa.
Latrobe’s John Wetzel carries past Aliquippa’s Shamar Underwood during their WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinal on Friday, Nov. 10, 2023, at Aliquippa.
Aliquippa football coach Mike Warfield, his team and fans took a deep breath at the end of Friday’s WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinal at Heinz Field.
That’s because No. 9 Latrobe took No. 1 Aliquippa to the brink before losing 37-29.
After falling behind 25-7 at halftime, the Wildcats threw everything at the Quips in the second half and had fans on the edge of their seats.
Latrobe, after recovering an onside kick with 4 minutes, 57 seconds left, had the ball in Aliquippa territory down 31-29.
But the Wildcats’ dream of a huge upset came to an end when the officials ruled a fourth-down pass to Alex Tatsch fell incomplete.
Latrobe coach Ron Prady said he is convinced Tatsch caught the low pass.
“They blew it,” Prady said. “We viewed it on the iPad.
“Typically they get teams down 25-7 at halftime, and the game is over. That wasn’t the case tonight. Our kids showed a lot of heart and played their tails off.”
Aliquippa started quickly and looked to make the game a blowout in the opening quarter.
Demarkus Walker returned the opening kickoff 65 yards to set up the game’s first score, a 4-yard run by junior Tiqwai Hayes.
A Latrobe fumble on its first possession led to Aliquippa’s second score, a 34-yard pass from Quentin Goode to Walker.
“That opening kickoff return hurt, and we gave them a couple short fields,” Prady said. “Also, losing Jack (Drnjevich) on the opening kickoff hurt us on both sides of the ball.”
Drnjevich, a tight end and linebacker, suffered a lower body injury.
The Wildcats responded as John Wetzel scored on a 1-yard run. The score was set up by a 36-yard run by Tatsch, who rushed for 137 yards.
But Aliquippa quickly responded as Goode hit Michael Gaskins on a 4-yard pass to make it 18-7 in the first quarter.
“It was a great game,” Warfield said. “I knew it would be a dog fight. That’s what you get in 4A. We had our run early, and then Mekhi Green had the pick.”
Latrobe was on the move late in the second quarter when Green picked off Wetzel’s swing pass and raced 83 yards for the score to make it 25-7.
“We worked on that play all week,” Warfield said. “It paid off. I’m proud how our kids responded when they made their run.”
The Wildcats didn’t go back to Westmoreland County quietly. Chris Cochran went 24 yards on a jet sweep to make it 25-14 in the third quarter, and early in the fourth quarter Ja’Tawn Williams returned a punt 56 yards to the Aliquippa 32.
The Wildcats used a trick play to make it 25-22. Williams took a pitch from Wetzel, turned and threw a 32-yard touchdown pass to Wetzel.
Hayes responded with a 75-yard touchdown run, but Wetzel and Williams connected on a 49-yard pass to set up Tatsch’s 1-yard run.
Hayes finished with 243 yards rushing.
After Latrobe recovered the onside kick, its drive stalled at the 39.
John Tracy, who rushed for 81 yards, scored on an 11-yard run with 1:37 left as the Wildcats, out of timeouts, basically let him score to get the ball back.
“Our goal isn’t to play well,” Prady said. “We came here to win. I couldn’t be more proud of the effort.”
Williams, who played a key role in the comeback, said he wished he was a junior.
“I see big things from these guys next year,” Williams said. “They’re going to make some noise.”
Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.
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