ELLWOOD CITY — For the second consecutive week, Aliquippa was without its head coach Mike Warfield as it continued Western Hills Conference play in Week 9 after missing Aliquippa’s past two games due to personnel reasons.
While Warfield wasn’t on the sidelines, it didn’t stop Aliquippa from posting its fourth consecutive conference victory, defeating Ellwood City 55-6.
“The seniors have stepped up and have become true leaders in practice over the past several weeks,” Aliquippa associate head coach Vashawn Patrick said. “We definitely miss coach Mike on the sidelines, but we emphasize that this is a player-led team and these seniors have risen to the occasion and the underclassmen have followed them.”
Throughout conference play, Aliquippa’s offense has put up over 40 points in three of its four games. However, its defense has had an even bigger impact, allowing just 13 points during Western Hills action.
In its previous two games against OLSH and Beaver Area, Aliquippa’s (6-2, 4-0 Western Hills) defensive unit has held teams scoreless, forcing turnovers and stifling their opponent's offenses.
While it gave up a late third-quarter touchdown against Ellwood City (0-9, 0-4), the Quips' defense still made several key stops and forced turnovers when it mattered the most to set the table for the offense.
“The first couple games of the season our defense was rocky, but after that, we all started playing together as a team,” Aliquippa senior linebacker Avery Coleman said. “Our communication has gotten a lot better along with our tackling, which has helped us out a lot.”
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Aliquippa’s offense was humming right from the jump against Ellwood City, taking advantage of the short field position that was set up by its defense and reaching the end zone.
The Quips put up 49 of its points in the first half, with the team scoring six of seven scores via the run.
Aliquippa senior running back Avery Coleman scampered for a pair of 26-yard touchdown runs, including one from the fullback position out of the I-formation.
Akiva Woods, Dameir Perry and Javari Carter each found the end zone while Anthony Ingram finished the night with two total touchdowns, one from Handsome Lynn for a five-yard touchdown reception and another off a pick-six in the first quarter.
“It starts up front and this line continues to put their heads down and work,” Patrick said. “Coach Bob [Koger] and Juantez [Hollins], along with Darrien Fields’ scheme, our line is making holes for these running backs.”
Now, Aliquippa will face one of its biggest tests in conference play to date, taking on Hopewell in Week 10 at Heinz Field in a de facto Western Hills Conference championship game, marking the first meeting between the cross-town rivals since 2019. Warfield will be on the sidelines for the final regular season matchup between the Quips and Vikings.
As for Ellwood City, it will close out its season at home against Beaver Area. Both matchups are set for 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 30.
Ethan Morrison is the sports reporter for the Beaver County Times. Contact him at emorrison@usatodayco.com and follow him at EthanMorrison26 on X.
This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Aliquippa football remains perfect in conference play without head coach