Aliquippa defense bends, doesn’t break in victory over Quaker Valley

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, October 14, 2017 | 12:42 AM

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Nobody had scored a touchdown on Aliquippa's defense. Not New Castle. Not Beaver Falls. Not Beaver. Not Freeport. Not Ellwood City. Not South Park. Not Clairton. But then, suddenly, someone did.

Just after halftime Friday night, Quaker Valley quarterback Ricky Guss connected with wideout Isaiah McNair on a perfectly thrown 29-yard touchdown pass. How would the Quips respond?

“At first, we kind of didn't know how to respond but we had to calm down,” Aliquippa junior MJ Devonshire said. “It took us a minute, but we had to realize it's football. Other people make plays. Once we realized that, we got back into it and didn't give them any more points.”

The next six Quaker Valley drives ended with three interceptions, two failed fourth-down conversions and a punt as top-ranked Aliquippa stayed undefeated with a 22-7 victory at Chuck Knox Stadium in Leetsdale. Quips junior Larry Walker had the first two interceptions and Devonshire had the third.

The scoreless streak ended but the winning streak remains.

“I wasn't worried about it at all,” Aliquippa coach Mike Zmijanac said. “Obviously, they didn't score again, so (the defense) must not have been worried about it either.”

Aliquippa (8-0, 4-0) is ranked first in the WPIAL and state. Before Friday, the only points allowed were a field goal and pick- six interception. QV's touchdown, with 9:47 left in the third, cut Aliquippa's lead to 14-7.

“It mattered that they scored on us because the game was in doubt,” Zmijanac said. “Did (the scoreless streak) matter? It doesn't to me. … It was going to happen sooner or later, for crying out loud.”

The loss was the first for No. 3-ranked Quaker Valley (7-1, 4-1). Senior quarterback Ricky Guss carried the Quakers offense. He was the leading rusher with 54 yards, and the senior completed 11 of 28 attempts for 130 yards. But the Quakers saw three drives end with fourth-down incompletions.

“We played a decent game, we didn't play good enough to win,” Quaker Valley coach Jerry Veshio said. “We left plays out on the field that I thought we could have made it closer.”

Aliquippa tailback Avante McKenzie rushed for 94 yards on 17 carries and scored two first-half touchdowns. But with 9:47 left in the third, the Quips' lead was down to 14-7.

The lead remained just seven points into the fourth quarter until Quips quarterback Will Gipson connected with Devonshire on a 42-yard touchdown pass. On third-and-11, Gipson rolled to his right throw down the sideline.

“Will made a great throw and it landed right in my hands,” Devonshire said. “I was shocked when I caught it, for real.”

The play call wasn't designed to target Devonshire, but Gipson said he “improvised” on a throw designed to go “anywhere but to him.” The touchdown and Tariq Jones' two-point run gave the Quips a 22-7 lead.

“I trusted my receiver, that's why he's DI,” Gipson said. “He makes plays like that.”

The Quips offense was stagnant, so Zmijanac turned to Gipson on the third drive of the third quarter. Gipson, the team's backup quarterback, threw incomplete on his first three attempts Friday before finding Devonshire.

“I was a little nervous at first,” Gipson said, “but all the players cheered me up. (They said): ‘Will, you've got this. This is what they put you in for.' ”

With that one throw, the tension was lifted for him and his teammates.

“You're a lot more relaxed because … now it's a two-touchdown game, so they have to hurry up,” said Devonshire, whose interception with 2:45 left sealed the win. “They're antsy. They're trying to get points real quick. And they're just starting to throw stuff around.”

Chris Harlan is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at charlan@tribweb.com or via Twitter @CHarlan_Trib.

Tags: Aliquippa, Quaker Valley