WPIAL Class 4A championship preview: McKeesport vs. Aliquippa

Flash back to just a few short weeks ago, when mighty Aliquippa sat with an overall record of 5-3 and a record of 2-2 in conference play heading into the final week of the regular season following a 34-20 loss on its home field against Montour.

Sitting in his office after the game, Quips coach Mike Warfield knew his team would need to defeat Ambridge in its last game just to qualify for the postseason — this after reaching the WPIAL championship game in an astonishing 16 consecutive seasons from 2008-23. And yet, there was no panic in his voice, no real sense of urgency.

Fast forward 3½ weeks later, and would you look at that? After a one-year hiatus, No. 7 Aliquippa (8-3) is back in the WPIAL championship game for the 17th time in the past 18 seasons.

“This is where the kids want to be, where the coaches want to be, and definitely the community,” Warfield said. “It really doesn’t matter where we play. I know one year we played at NA against TJ. We’re just blessed to be here and grateful to be here.”

So used to being viewed as the team to beat, though, the Quips find themselves playing a bit of an unfamiliar role this time around — the underdog.

That’s because the team waiting on the other side is top-seeded McKeesport (9-3), featuring a player viewed by many as the most tantalizing prospect to come out of Western Pennsylvania since former Jeannette legend Terrelle Pryor. That would be junior running back Kemon Spell, an ultra-rare physical specimen with a blend of power, balance and speed that has drawn comparisons to Philadelphia Eagles star Saquon Barkley.

Warfield, though, is quick to point out that football is still a team sport, not an individual one.

“He’s very talented. But he has a talented team around him,” Warfield said. “This isn’t tennis. This isn’t golf. This isn’t wrestling. You can’t do it all by yourself. He has some players around him. Coach [Miller] and his staff always have their players prepared and ready to go. We have to be prepared for all 11 on the field each time.”

The consensus No. 1-ranked running back in the nation in the 2027 class, Spell recently became the Tigers’ all-time leading rusher, coming off a 315-yard, three-touchdown performance in last week’s 28-3 WPIAL semifinal win against defending champion Thomas Jefferson. For the season, Spell has 1,614 yards rushing and 27 TDs, putting him within reach of the school’s single-season rushing record of 1,945 yards while entering Saturday’s contest with 3,761 yards rushing for his career.

That being said, McKeesport coach Matt Miller knows that after back-to-back runner-up finishes, the only thing Spell has on his mind is that WPIAL championship trophy.

“When the bright lights turn on, he really steps it up,” Miller said. “He loves the lights, he loves the attention. He really thrives on it. The bigger the game, the bigger he plays.”

For Aliquippa, after losing senior quarterback Marques Council to what appeared to be a season-ending knee injury, the Yale recruit made a miraculous return just in time for the postseason. Sure enough, Council fired a game-winning TD pass with 19 seconds left in his first game back to beat No. 2 Trinity, 21-14, in the WPIAL quarterfinals. Then, the Quips’ defense pitched a shutout last week in a 14-0 victory against Parkway Conference rival New Castle to avenge a loss from earlier in the season.

“Obviously, their defense is their strength,” Miller said. “It seems like over the last couple of weeks, their defense kept them in games when they didn’t have their QB. Now with him back, it makes them a more complete team. Defensively, they fly to the ball. They are physical and fast. It’s something we’ve been working on all week.

“They still have to make tackles on our guys in the open field, and hopefully we can get them in those situations.”

With Council back in the fold, standout senior Qa’lil Goode is able to shift back to his natural spot at wide receiver after filling in under center during his absence. There, he teams up with fellow senior Josh Lay to provide Council with a pair of reliable receiving targets, as Lay leads the team with 29 receptions for 505 yards, while Goode has 19 catches for 390 yards to go with 10 total TDs.

Elsewhere, J.J. Work anchors the backfield with 973 yards rushing and 10 TDs, followed by Akiva Woods with 451 yards and five TDs on just 59 carries.

“One thing you can’t count out is the Quips’ heart and the Quips’ soul, what it means to be a Quip,” Warfield said. “Through those trying times, I think the kids really started to realize what it means to be a Quip. I think the kids really started trusting and believing, and they kept working, and this is the result of that. It’s not just an athletic lesson, but a life lesson, and I’m pleased with it.”

More than just any other regular championship game, there will be plenty of history at stake when these two storied programs take the field at Pine-Richland High School at 12:05 p.m. Saturday. For one, Aliquippa will be seeking its 800th victory all time, while the Tigers enter the game with 735 wins and counting. That makes it the most combined wins ever between two teams competing in a WPIAL final.

Also, McKeesport has spent the duration of the season honoring and looking back on the 2005 WPIAL and PIAA Class 4A championship team that remains the school’s last team to capture WPIAL and state titles. How fitting would it be, 20 years after star running back Travis McBride led the Tigers to glory, if Spell carried McKeesport back to the promised land this Saturday?

“We’re counting on the offensive and defensive line. I think the trenches are going to play a huge role in this game,” Miller said. “I like my team. I like what we’ve been doing the past seven or eight weeks. We’re healthy. We’re excited about getting there on Saturday. It will be a good game.”