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Aliquippa races past McGuffey
The Quips head coach unleashed 5-11 sophomore Mikal Hall in the first half and he managed to get Aliquippa a 6-0 lead over McGuffey. Then, Rasheem Jones, a 6-3, 180-pound senior, got his turn in the second half and led the Quips to three more touchdowns.
When it was over, Aliquippa had a 27-7 victory over McGuffey in the first round of the WPIAL playoffs.
Aliquippa, the defending WPIAL champion, moved to 9-1 and will play South Fayette in next week's quarterfinals. McGuffey, the second-place team in the Interstate Conference, finished the football season at 7-3.
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Jones was ineligible for the first six weeks of the season and Zmijanac has been working him back into the rotation. Jones was starting at defensive back and finally got in at quarterback in a win over Freedom last week.
"He threw a touchdown pass but we pulled him because the game was out of hand," Zmijanac said.
Against McGuffey, Jones was nearly unstoppable. He capped the first drive of the second half with a two-yard run that gave Aliquippa a 14-0 lead.
"That was the turning point," said McGuffey head coach Derek Bochna. "We needed a stop there and didn't get it."
Jones stretched the lead to 21-0 when he went around right end for an eight-yard score with 1:09 to play in the third quarter. Jones finished with 76 yards on just eight carries and the Quips rambled for 280 yards on 47 carries.
Jones' best runs came on back-to-back scrambles that covered 44 yards and turned a first-and-31 at the Aliquippa 40 into a first-and-10 at the McGuffey 16.
"It's nice to have a Division I quarterback as a backup," Zmijanac said.
Aliquippa's defense, and in particular defensive tackles Pete Riggins and Khalil Seaburn, ground up McGuffey's running game. The Highlanders gained only 71 yards on 29 carries and did not have a first down in the second half.
"Their speed really got to us," Bochna said. "They get off the football so fast. Their linebackers, we just couldn't get to them. They play man defense and say go ahead and throw. They put pressure on you so you can't."
The Highlanders fell behind 27-0 when Tyriq Dorsett, a speedy senior, scored on a nine-yard run with 6:32 to play. But they avoided the shutout when Logan McAnany scooped up a fumbled snap and raced 34 yards for a touchdown with 3:10 left.
It was one of the few things McGuffey, making its second straight playoff appearance, had to cheer about.
"A playoff game was our goal," said Bochna. "We played a home game in Week 10 and I wish it had come out better. But the kids worked hard and that's a big factor why we were here in the first place.
Notes
Darius Walker scored on a six-yard run to open the scoring. ... McGuffey's Matt Reginelli missed a 41-yard field goal before halftime that was wide left but had the distance. ... This was the first game in which McGuffey trailed at home all season.
