Quips, Sharon: Mirror images
When Aliquippa meets Sharon with a spot in the PIAA title game on the line, the field will be dotted with superior athletes, a bigarmed quarterback and a swarming defense.
Sounds a lot like Aliquippa, right? That’s just the half of it.
Sharon, the back-to-back District 10 champion, has a similar makeup to the WPIAL champion Quips. They will meet at 1 p.m. Saturday at Slippery Rock University in the PIAA Class 3A semifinals.
“Some of the things we try to do, they do,” said Aliquippa coach Mike Warfield. “They have skill guys, we have skill guys. They have a good running back, we have a good running back. It’s going to be interesting.”
The Tigers (11-3) boast offensive powers in senior running back Jordan Wilson (1,893 yards and 26 touchdowns) and junior quarterback Lane Voytik (2,624 yards passing and 27 scores), the cousin of former Pitt quarterback Chad Voytik.
The Tigers also have a pair of playmakers in junior receivers C.J. Parchman (1,020 yards, 10 scores) and Ty Eilam (625 yards, 7 touchdowns).
“They do look a lot like us,” said Aliquippa star defensive back and receiver M.J. Devonshire. “They look good on film. They do a lot like us, they have a good spread offense with a good
running back.”
While the Tigers have piled up the yards and touchdowns, turnovers have mounted as well. Voytik has 13 interceptions and against a ball-hawk like Devonshire and the rest of the Quips defense, those kind of miscues can end up being costly.
“If they can’t keep the ball on offense, we should be able to score more points,” noted Devonshire. “We want to give our team more opportunities.”
And when Aliquippa has opportunities, it usually takes advantage of them. The Quips rolled through the district playoffs by scoring 40 or more points in each of their three games. Quarterback Eli Kosanovich is the team’s single-season record holder with 2,798 yards to go with 35 touchdowns and only three interceptions. Previous versions of the Quips have been runfirst teams and Kosanovich’s ability to air it out has highlighted the explosiveness of his receivers and opened up the ground game even more.
Running back Avante McKenzie has piled up 1,510 yards rushing and found the end zone 30 times. Top receiver and big-play threat Will Gipson has hauled in 53 passes for 1,494 yards and 18 scores.
While the Tigers are plenty experienced on offense, they do start a number of underclassmen on the defensive side of the ball. The experienced playmakers of Aliquippa want to capitalize on youthful mishaps if they see them.
“They’re young, somewhat, on the defensive end,” said Devonshire. “They got a lot of juniors and sophomores. I know from my own experience, you attack guys like that.”
Devonshire is another receiving option with 456 yards and eight scores. He makes his mark on each game in numerous ways, however, as he has seven interceptions and has returned eight punts for scores. One more punt return to the house will tie a national record. That kind of impact and versatility is why he has the likes of Pitt, West Virginia, Iowa and Virginia Tech as his college finalists.
Sharon lost to WPIAL champion Quaker Valley in last year’s state playoffs. If the Tigers are to advance, they will yet again have the District 7 winner in their path.
Aliquippa is coming off its record 17th WPIAL championship. The Quips routed Derry, 42-19, at Heinz Field Nov. 17 in their 11th consecutive championship game appearance. For some programs, winning at Heinz Field is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. For Aliquippa, it is business as usual and the Quips are not expecting a letdown game.
“There’s no hangover,” Warfield said. “We just can’t allow that to happen. Our kids, our older group that’s been playing at this level for a long time, our seniors won’t allow that to happen and our coaches won’t allow that to happen.”