Articles

Quips shut down Washington in showdown of undefeated AA teams

Category: Sports Published on Wednesday, 28 November 2012 11:17 Written by Smokin' Jim Frazier - Courier Sports Writer

Aliquippa (13-0) Head Coach Mike Zmijanac doesn’t keep track of career milestones. He admitted as much prior to the start of the WPIAL Championship Trophy presentation ceremony.

The pleasant and unseasonably warm temperatures that gave the east coast a feeling of summer in late November might have caused some Washington (12-1) players to believe that they really had a chance to upset the Quips.

ELUDES DEFENDER—Terry Swanson of Aliquippa eludes a Washington defender in the Quips 34-7 win, Swanson rushed for 206 yards.

The WPIAL’s leading rusher junior Shai “Shy” McKenzie, entered the game with 2,689 yards and 42 touchdowns, but the Quips held him to only 33 yards on 18 carries. It was Aliquippa’s junior Terry Swanson who stole the show by rushing for 206 yards, including a 60 yards touchdown to lead the Quips to a 34-7 victory.

The best–kept secret in football isn’t one anymore, other than perhaps if you see Swanson out of uniform.

Swanson and Dravon Henry are the only set of teammates in the WPIAL to have rushed for more than 1,000 yards.

Aliquippa won a record 15th WPIAL football championship. The Quips are a Class A school that plays up in classification to Class AA. The two best area teams are Aliquippa and Clairton. It would make for a dream matchup. Will they ever face one another?

“We had a deal to play Clairton at the beginning of the 2012 season,” said defensive coach Greg Gill. “But, the WPIAL would not approve of the game. I hope someone can make that game happen and the Bears will find out what Aliquippa is all about.”