Five turnvovers, Quips end Selinsgrove's season
Dec. 1—EBENSBURG — There wasn't much to rehash on the field at Central Cambria High School on Friday night.
Selinsgrove knew it gave Aliquippa its best shot in the PIAA Class 4A semifinals, but too much of the Quips' running game and five Seals turnovers proved to be too much for Selinsgrove to overcome in a 52-32 setback.
"That's a good football team we played over there," Selinsgrove senior standout Tucker Teats said. "They came to play, and we made too many turnovers that probably cost us the game."
It wraps one of the greatest seasons in school history. Selinsgrove finishes the year at 13-1-1, and Teats broke every single-season rushing record, and the career rushing touchdown record this season. The Seals overcame their nemesis in Jersey Shore, beating the Bulldogs for the first time since 2017, and claiming the school's first district football title in that span.
"You finish at 13-1-1, which makes them the second-best team in school history behind the state championship team (in 2009). We made the state semifinals which doesn't happen all the time," Selinsgrove coach Derek Hicks said. "But that doesn't take away from what this team did.
"I told them they are going to be shocked at the banquet when they see how many individual and team records they set this season."
The Quips (13-0) advance to next week's state championship game at 7 p.m. Thursday at Cumberland Valley High School. They will face Dallas (15-0), which upset defending state champion Bishop McDevitt in double overtime.
Aliquippa rolled up 413 yards rushing with John Tracey going for 258 yards and three scores, while Penn State recruit Tiqwai Hayes added 122 yards and two scores.
In addition to the five turnovers, the key to the game came early. Ethan Miller ripped off a 43-yard run on the first play from scrimmage for the Seals, but Selinsgrove was forced to punt, and pinned the Quips on their own 8. It took just six plays for the Quips to score — a 24-yard jaunt for Hayes — and take a 6-0 lead with 8:46 left in the first quarter after a missed extra point.
On the kickoff, Malachi Shegog hit a Selinsgrove up man with a squibbed kick, and Cam Lindsey pounced on it at the Seals 46. Two plays later, Tracey scored from 46 yards out and after the two-point pass failed, the Seals trailed 12-0, 4:02 into the game.
"We lived this year on turnovers and tonight we made some mistakes we don't normally make. Coming in I thought we needed to get a lead early to get some confidence and put some doubt in their mind," Hicks said. "It kind of went the opposite. We had to change our alignment on kickoffs because you never know where they are going to go. That one ended up like an onside kick that they recovered."
Selinsgrove answered right back with a Mark Pastore sneak on fourth-and-goal to cut the lead to 12-7, and it was 18-13 after Miller's 15-yard TD grab fom Pastore, but the Seals never solved the Aliquippa running game. Hayes answered with an electric 56-yard TD run, where he waited behind the line for the hole to open, then hit the jets, and wasn't touched on the scamper.
"They are both great running backs. It's not just the speed. It's the patience both guys showed," Hicks said.
After Hayes' TD run, the Seals had a poor snap in the shotgun, and the Quips jumped on it at the Seals 8. Quarterback Quentin Goode scored on a 10-yard run with 2:38 left in the half to take a 32-13 lead at halftime.
The Seals had one last blast of hope to open the third quarter. Ryan Gavason forced a Hayes fumble on the first play of the third quarter, and the Seals recovered. Hayes also left the game for two series with an injury. The Seals drove to the 9, but fumbled away the ball, and most likely any hope of the comeback.
The Quips answered with a nine-play drive capped by Tracey's second TD run of the game — he would add a TD grab and a 93-yard TD run later — pushed the lead to 38-13.
Selinsgrove ran the ball well — both Miller and Teats topped 100 yards — and the Seals had 339 yards of offense, but couldn't shake the turnover bug.
Miller had 136 yards, while Teats finished with 116. Teats wraps his amazing season with 2,353 yards and 33 rushing touchdowns.
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PIAA CLASS 4A PLAYOFFS
SEMIFINAL
at Central Cambria, H.S., Ebensburg
ALIQUIPPA 52, SELINSGROVE 32
Selinsgrove (13-1-1);7;6;0;19 — 32
Aliquippa (13-0);12;20;13;7 — 52
SCORING SUMMARY
First quarter
A-Tiqwai Hayes 24 run (kick failed)
A-John Tracey 42 run (pass failed)
S-Mark Pastore 1 run (Carter Young kick)
Second quarter
A-DeMarkus Walker 27 pass from Quentin Goode (pass failed)
S-Ethan Miller 15 pass from Pastore (kick blocked)
A-Hayes 56 run (run failed)
A-Goode 10 run (Walker pass from Goode)
Third quarter
A-Tracey 40 run (kick failed)
A-Tracey 25 pass from Goode (Malachi Shegog kick)
Fourth quarter
S-Miller 1 run (Young kick)
A-Tracey 93 run (run failed)
S-Tucker Teats 2 run (Young kick)
S-Miller 1 run (Young kick)
TEAM STATISTICS
;Sel;Quips
First downs;22;18
Rushes-net yards;54-212;38-413
Passing yards;157;86
Passing;11-19-2;6-13-0
Fumbles-lost;4-3;2-2
Penalties-yards;6-35;14-99
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — Selinsgrove: Ethan Miller 16-136, 2 TDs; Tucker Teats 26-116, TD; Brett Rice 2-3; Mark Pastore 8-(-29), TD; team, 2-(-14). Aliquippa: John Tracey 15-258, 3 TDs; Tiqwai Hayes 13-122, 2 TDs; Jace Williams 1-15; Quentin Goode 1-10, TD; Avery Coleman 3-3; Keon Lee 3-0; Cameron Lindsay 2-5.
PASSING — Selinsgrove: Pastore 11-19-2 for 157 yards, TD. Aliquippa: Goode 6-13-0 for 86 yards, 2 TDs.
RECEIVING — Selinsgrove: Gavin Bastian 6-58; Miller 2-34, TD; Caleb Hicks 2-34; Teats 1-31. Aliquippa: DeMarkus Walker 2-34; TD; Josh Lay 2-26; Tracey 1-25, TD; Lindsay 1-1.
