There’s tradition. There’s star players.
There’s elation. There’s agony.
There’s familiarity.
When Aliquippa and Beaver Falls face each other Friday night in a Class AA WPIAL semifinal, it will be the fourth time in two seasons the squads have met in what has become a heated battle over the years.
The Quips have won five of their last seven meetings with the Tigers – losing in the regular season last year and this year – and are the reigning WPIAL champions.
Oh, did we mention the schools sit just 11 miles from each other.
“It’s like playing your cousins,” Aliquippa coach Mike Zmijanac told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “Everyone knows each other. There are lots of friends on the coaching staffs. A lot of the players actually are related somehow to one another, or the coaches. Or at least the kids have known each other for a long time.
“Familiarity can breed a rivalry, especially when both schools have had the kind of success that we’ve both had.”
That success goes back to the days when Mike Ditka and Ty Law played for the Quips and someone named Joe Namath suited up for the Tigers.
Last season, Aliquippa exacted its regular season loss by stopping Beaver Falls 8-6 in the WPIAL finals.
This year, the Tigers (10-1) handed the Quips (10-1) their only loss of the season in a 21-14 victory in Week 3.
“We’re battling for the gold,” Tigers coach Ryan Matsook told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “They had it last year and it’s their championship until someone takes it off them. We’re going to have our hands full Friday night.”
Both teams come into the contest on highs.
Tigers running back Cody Cook, who rushed for 237 yards against Aliquippa last time, owned Sto-Rox in a 35-22 win by running for 303 yards and four touchdowns to surpass the 4,000-yard plateau for a career.
The Quips might have one-upped their counterpart in their quarterfinal contest.
Aliquippa quarterback Rasheem Jones, who did not play the first time these two met this season, rallied his team to an unbelievable win.
In relief of Mikal Hall, Jones faced a 12-point fourth quarter deficit and turned it into a 47-34 win over South Fayette.
Trailing 27-15, Jones was the catalyst on two touchdowns and put the game out of reach on a 1-yard score with 25 seconds left.
With both quarterbacks likely to see action, the Quips will look to move to the WPIAL title game for the 20th time where it has won 13 times, while looking to claim its first PIAA state crown since 2003.
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