The first WPIAL Championships are here! Due to the structure of the overall statewide bracket, the WPIAL Champions in 6A and 4A enter the PIAA playoffs in the quarterfinals. The other four classifications have their champions enter in the state semifinals, which means the 6A and 4A Championship Games happen a week before the other four. The 6A and 4A Championship Games will be held at Pine-Richland on Saturday. This will be the fourth playoff meeting between Aliquippa and McKeesport since the Tigers moved down to 4A in 2020. Aliquippa has won the three prior meetings. This is also a game for the history books as the two teams both rank in the Top 6 in the WPIAL in all-time wins.
On this week’s edition of the WPIAL Blitz Show, we discussed the Championship matchup in depth as well as diving into the eight semifinal matchups in the other classifications. You can check out previews of those games in separate articles.
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1. McKeesport (9-3) vs 7. Aliquippa (8-3)
How They Got Here
McKeesport is appearing in their third straight championship game. The Tigers got off to a hot start by dominating Delaware Valley in the KDKA Kickoff Classic. But an injury sidelined star RB Kemon Spell for a few weeks and the Tigers lost 3 of their next four. When Spell returned for conference play, McKeesport returned to their dominant fashion. The Tigers average 48 points per game when Spell plays, which is amongst the highest total in the entire WPIAL. Even including the games without Spell, the Tigers are still the highest-scoring team in 4A.
This game will key on the defensive side of the ball, as these are two of the top three defensive squads in 4A. Aliquippa’s offense was not as explosive this year as in prior seasons but their defense was outstanding. One of the reasons for the Quips inconsistent offense was a mid-season injury to QB Marques Council. In the playoffs, Council returned from what was reported as a season-ending injury. The Quips rallied around him and their defense stymied Trinity then shut out New Castle in the semifinals.
Recent History
This will be the fourth playoff meeting in five years for the Quips and Tigers. In 2020 McKeesport’s enrollment moved them down to 4A while the PIAA’s success formula forced Aliquippa up into 4A. The two teams met in the semifinals in 2021 and 2022 then in the Championship Game in 2023. Aliquippa won all three prior meetings. McKeesport is appearing in their third straight WPIAL Championship Game. Aliquippa lost in the semifinals last year, breaking a run of 16 straight championship game appearances. The Quips run dated back to their time in AA.
Championship Pedigree
This game will feature the most combined wins of any teams in a WPIAL Championship. Aliquippa’s semifinal victory over New Castle was the 799th in school history and the Quips can become the first WPIAL team (and 5th statewide) to reach the 800-win plateau. McKeesport ranks 6th in all-time victories with 735. This gives the two teams a combined 1,534 all-time victories.
Aliquippa has won the most WPIAL titles of any school with 20. The Quips won three straight titles from 2021-2023 including two state titles in that span. Overall, Aliquippa has won five state Championships also the most of any WPIAL school. Head coach Mike Warfield, who has won 4 WPIAL and 3 state titles, returned to the sidelines this season and done an incredible job coaching the Quips back to the title game. McKeesport has four WPIAL titles. The first was a co-championship shared with New Castle and Jeannette in 1932. The Tigers won WPIAL Championships in 1938 (defeating Johnstown), 1994 (defeating Upper St Clair), and 2005 (defeating Woodland Hills). The later two Championship seasons also included AAAA State Championships.
Dramatis Personae
The Tigers three losses all came without star junior RB Kemon Spell in the lineup. Spell is the top-ranked junior RB in the nation and put up 1614 yards and 30 TDs this season despite missing a few games with an injury. Spell ran for 187 yards and 4 TDs in the opening round against Chartiers Valley and 331 yards and 3 TDs against Thomas Jefferson in the semifinals. McKeesport runs a triple-option attack and usually doesn’t throw much but QB Matthew Miller (886 passing yards, 10 TDs; 221 rushing yards, 6 TDs) has been able to make plays through the air when he needs to. The Tigers have a four-star talent on the outside in WR Javien Robinson (317 yards, 5 TDs) who is ranked in the Top 10 WRs in the nation among the junior class. In addition to Spell and Miller, Akeen Cochran (374 yards, 6 TDs) has been a home-run hitter in the triple-option, averaging over 15 yards per carry.
Aliquippa got Championship-winning head coach Mike Warfield back on the sidelines this season and are in the finals for the 17th time in 18 years. The Quips season hit a road bump when Yale-commit QB Marques Council Jr (1078 yards, 10 TDs) suffered an apparent season-ending injury. But Council suited up in the first round of the playoffs and attempted a handful of passes, including connecting with Josh Lay for the game-winning touchdown. Wide receiver Qa’lil Goode stepped in at QB when Council was out. On the season, Goode has totaled 180 passing yards; 390 receiving yards, 139 rushing yards, and 10 total TDs. The aptly-named JJ Work (973 yards, 10 TDs) has shouldered the load of the ground game and ran for 144 yards and a touchdown in the first round and another 176 yards and a touchdown in the semifinals. The aforementioned Josh Lay leads the Quips in receiving (505 yards, 2 TDs). In a game between two of the top defenses in 4A, keep an eye out home run-hitting RB Akiva Woods (451 yards, 5 TDs) who scored on a 70-yard run in the fourth quarter to tie the game against Trinity. The Quips ground game will run behind powerful two-way lineman Justus Starks who has a handful of D1 offers.
