Aliquippa rallies late, picks up thrilling 29-22 win over West Allegheny
NORTH FAYETTE TWP. – Don’t count out the Quips.
Aliquippa proved that once again Friday night with a thrilling 29-22 comeback win over West Allegheny in Parkway Conference action at Joe P. DeMichela Stadium.
Needing to cover 72 yards in 51 seconds while facing a 22-21 deficit could be seem insurmountable to many teams – not the Quips. They thrive in such pressure situations.
“If we don’t believe in us, who will?” Aliquippa senior quarterback Quentin “Cheese” Goode said. “At practice, we work with way less time than that from our own 2. It was just like second nature to us.”
Brock Cornell put the visitors in the tough spot when lofted a 17-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Hatton in the final minute. Andrew Cosnek added the PAT kick to give the Indians (3-2 overall, 1-1 Parkway) a 22-21 edge.
Aliquippa (4-0, 2-0) struggled, at times, against West Allegheny, but locked in for the last drive and made it look somewhat easy. Goode took over and directed the go-ahead march. He found Demarkus Walker for an 11-yard pass and hit Brandon Banks on a 37-yard rocket. After a holding penalty and an incompletion, Goode fired another laser to Banks, who was streaking down the far sideline. The senior Yale recruit got separation on the defender and snagged the ball in the end zone with 8 seconds to go. Tikey Hayes ran in the 2-point conversion for a 29-22 advantage.
“I just knew my quarterback was going to throw me the ball and all I had to do was catch it. I knew he’d put it right there and I caught it,” Banks said. “It was a big win. We needed it. We gave up a touchdown and had the ball with 51 seconds left. We practice that every day. Coach Mike always says that we’re going to need that one day and today was the day.
"We just executed our plans and converted.”
It's no coincidence that Goode and Banks came up big on that game-winning drive. Both are three-year starters on a team that has who the last two WPIAL Class 4A titles and reached the state championship game twice, with one win.
“This is Cheese’s third year starting and my third year starting and we have a couple others who have started for three years also,” Banks said. “This is kind of like second nature to us now.”
West Allegheny ran one final play from the Quips’ 47, but Cornell faced major duress in the backfield, scrambled around to extend the play and was tackled for a loss with no time left on the clock before he could launch a deep pass.
“It was an ugly win, but a win is a win at the end of the day,” Goode said. “I am just glad that we didn’t give up under pressure. That’s the one thing I am glad about. We came back and fought hard.”
Aliquippa struggled to find a rhythm for most of the game. Penalties hurt the Quips in the second half, too. They had a long Hayes touchdown run called back and buried themselves in the field position battle.
“We made a lot of mistakes. We made a lot of penalties at the wrong times,” Aliquippa coach Mike Warfield said. “This is a 4A football. Any given week, if you don’t come mentally or physically prepared, it could happen. I am pleased with how we responded.”
West Allegheny cashed in on its first possession. Brody Malatak’s 58-yard pass to Cornell fueled the drive. Roman Police capped it when he ran 16 yards for a score. Cornell ran in the 2-point conversion for an 8-0 lead.
Aliquippa responded later in the quarter. After pouncing on an Indians fumble, it took the team two plays to break the shutout. Goode lofted a 28-yard scoring strike to Arison Walker to cut the deficit to 8-7.
The Quips went ahead, 15-8, early in the second quarter. The team marched 73 yards. Jayace Williams ended the drive with a 5-yard TD catch from Goode. Hayes ran in the conversion with 8:18 remaining.
The hosts countered with a long run of their own. Noah Pfeffer’s 13-yard sprint on a fake punt kept the march going. West Allegheny cashed in when Cornell scored on a 4-yard quarterback keeper with 1:30 to go in the half.
The game remained tied at 15 until Hayes scored on an 8-yard run with 4:57 to go. The Indians blocked the PAT kick, which made it a 21-15 disadvantage.
Cornell’s TD pass in the final minute seemed poised to hand the Quips their first regular-season loss since a 21-12 defeat to Central Valley on Sept. 10, 2021, and first conference loss since a 45-6 setback to Central Valley on Oct. 25, 2019. However, the guests responded in a big way.
“It’s nice to show teams around the WPIAL that, if we’re losing, we’re not going to put our heads down like some other teams may do,” Banks said. “We are going to keep our heads high.”
It’s the second year in a row the two teams have battled to the final seconds. Last year, Aliquippa forced and recovered a late fumble deep in its own territory to hold on for the 19-16 win.
“It was an excellent ballgame. They are a well-coached team. I have a lot of respect for their coaching staff. They always have their players ready to play,” Warfield said. “They take us to the limit.”
Hayes, who was limited by leg cramps in the second half, led all rushers with 99 yards on 18 carries. Cameron Lindsey added 72 yards on 12 carries. Gooden finished 10 for 19 passing for 201 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Banks had four catches for 123 yards.
Cornell led West Allegheny with 60 yards rushing on 20 carries. He completed 2 of 6 passes for 39 yards.
This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Aliquippa rallies late, picks up thrilling 29-22 win over West Allegheny
