Defense continues dominant stretch as Aliquippa breezes past Oil City in PIAA quarterfinals

To think that Aliquippa was nearly in danger of missing the WPIAL playoffs entirely.

After losing to Class 4A Parkway Conference foe Montour — pretty decisively, at that — on Oct. 17, the Quips were sitting at 5-3. Some whispers might have grown about their championship, or even playoff chances. After all, would they have enough to topple the title favorite in top-seeded McKeesport?

What happened the five weeks since really shouldn’t have come as that much of a surprise.

Aliquippa won its 21st WPIAL title and stifled McKeesport star running back Kemon Spell for most of the game. On Friday night at Slippery Rock’s Mihalik-Thompson Stadium, the Quips (10-3) breezed past District 10 champion Oil City (10-2), 28-6, in the PIAA Class 4A quarterfinals.

Perhaps one of the driving reasons for