The Aliquippa Quips will face off against the Mars Fightin' Planets at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Aliquippa will be coming into the game with an undefeated record on the line.
It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Aliquippa had no problem doing just that on Friday. They came out on top against Greater Latrobe by a score of 37-29. Given Aliquippa's advantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania football rankings (they are ranked 16th, while Greater Latrobe is ranked 81st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Among those leading the charge was Tiqwai Hayes, who rushed for 136 yards and a touchdown while picking up 7.6 yards per carry. Mekhi Green got in on the action as well, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Mars waltzed into Friday's contest with six straight wins but they left with seven. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past Central Valley 24-21.
Mars' success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Evan Wright led the charge by rushing for 123 yards and two touchdowns. Wright is absolutely dominating the rushing yard category: he's posted at least 100 every time he's taken the field this season. Another player making a difference was Luke Goodworth, who threw for 180 yards and a touchdown.
Aliquippa pushed their record up to 10-0 with that win, which was their seventh straight at home. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 42.3 points per game. As for Mars, their victory bumped their record up to 10-2.
