Aliquippa shuts out Tigers, 36-0

The previous time Aliquippa played Beaver Falls, the Quips were stunned in the WPIAL championship and saw their eight-game winning streak over the Tigers come to a screeching halt.

Host Aliquippa hit the gas Friday night and revved up another streak by pulling away for a 36-0 victory against their Class 3A Beaver Valley Conference rivals. Avante McKenzie rushed for 157 yards on 13 carries for the Quips (2-0, 1-0). He scored on runs of 3, 2, 7 and 58 yards. Aliquippa jumped to a 120 lead in the first quarter behind McKenzie’s first two touchdown runs. They broke open the game by tacking on18 points in the second quarter for a 30-0 halftime lead. McKenzie’s final score occurred in the third quarter. That enforced the mercy rule and the second half ended with the clock running.

Aliquippa had no trouble finding the end zone, but the Quips were unable to tack on the 2-point conversion to any of their six touchdowns. They tried four passes and two runs, but did not convert any of them.

Quips quarterback Eli Kosanovich completed 5 of 10 passes for 153 yards with no touchdowns and one interception.

Aliquippa did most of its damage on the ground, piling up 272 yards rushing to just 37 for the Tigers. The Quips held a 425-96 advantage in total yardage. Despite the wide score, the game hardly had any sloppy play. Each team had four penalties and one turnover. Beaver Falls lost a fumble.

The loss snapped a 13-game winning streak for defending WPIAL and PIAA champion Beaver Falls (0-1, 0-1). It also marked the debut of new Beaver Falls coach Nick Nardone, who inherited just one starter on each side of the ball.

Aliquippa defeated the Tigers in last season’s opener as well before the Tigers ripped off 13 consecutive victories. The game originally was scheduled for Saturday, but was moved up a day due to the threat of inclement weather.