Dallas celebrates after its 26-23 overtime win against defending state champion Bishop McDevitt in the semifinals last Friday. The Mountaineers play Aliquippa for the PIAA Class 4A state championship at 7 p.m. Thursday at Cumberland Valley High School in Mechanicsburg.
Fred Adams file photo | For Times Leader
Aliquippa and running back Tiqwai Hayes are playing in their third straight state championship game. The Quips beat Bishop McDevitt in 2021 and lost to the Crusaders in the 2022 finals. Dallas prevented a rubber match by knocking off McDevitt last week in double overtime.
Sean Simmers | AP file photo, The Patriot-News
Fred Adams file photo | For Times Leader
When Dallas thinks back how it ended up playing on a cold December night for a state championship, a couple games in the summer heat always come up.
“Abington and Crestwood,” senior lineman Brady Rosencrans said. “We knew what coming out of it was like. We knew we had to keep pounding them and keep the foot on the gas because when you get in those (‘oh no’) moments, you got to know what to do.”
Dallas kept knowing what to do all the way to 15 consecutive victories no matter what it faced. The Mountaineers (15-0) now have one more huge hurdle to clear when they play Aliquippa (14-0) for the PIAA Class 4A championship at 7 p.m. Thursday at Cumberland Valley High School in Mechanicsburg.
Dallas opened the season with road games against Abington Heights and Crestwood. The Mountaineers trailed Abington Heights 21-14 in the third quarter and then scored 17 consecutive points to win 31-28.
The following week, Dallas was down 21-7 at halftime to Crestwood. The Mountaineers gained and then lost the lead twice in the second half before prevailing 42-35.
“I keep going back to week one and two,” Dallas coach Rich Mannello said. “You can’t minimize how important that was. That Abington game, that was a tough night in heat on the road down. Guys playing two ways in that kind of heat.
“Then the Crestwood game, that was on its way to a bad night. We walked into that locker room at halftime, I don’t know if I’d ever been in one that quiet. And then they came together. (Nick) Farrell blocked a punt and it was on.”
If the first two games weren’t enough, Dallas had to hold off a spirited comeback bid by Williamsport in the fourth quarter for a 28-20 win in Week 3. Two other games — against West Scranton and Lake-Lehman — were moved to Saturday afternoon after the school and other schools in the area received bomb threats.
And, of course, came the three-point win over Valley View in the District 2 Class 4A championship game followed by overtime wins against Bonner-Prendie and defending state champ Bishop McDevitt. In all three, when the Mountaineers lost the momentum they grabbed it back.
“I talk about resilience all the time,” Mannello said, “but they just don’t get rattled. We saw it when we were getting those stupid bomb scares and stuff. They never flinched. They just adjusted to everything we asked them to. And at that point, this group is different. They just roll with it.
“They are not going to be intimidated. Nothing is too big for them. They just play football.”
The 26-23 win against McDevitt came against an opponent deep in Division I college recruits. Aliquippa doesn’t bring the same pedigree, but it is a program very familiar to state championship games. The Quips have played in nine of them — including in 1988 vs. Berwick and 1991 vs. Hanover Area — and have four championships. They knocked off McDevitt for the crown in 2021.
While McDevitt’s air assault was the main concern last week, Aliquippa attacks on the ground.
Running back Tiqwai “Tikey” Hayes is a Penn State recruit. Hayes was also offered by Michigan and Ohio State among others. Hayes had TD runs of 24 and 54 yards in a 52-32 win over Selinsgrove in the semifinals. The Quips led 45-13 going into the fourth quarter. Backfield mate John Tracy added scoring runs of 40 and 93 yards as the duo combined for over 400 yards rushing.
“The back is going to Penn State for a reason,” Mannello said. “They’re big up front. They run well. The back that also comes in has another gear. He’s a good player.”
Quarterback Quentin Goode is Aliquippa’s all-time leading passer. He has a strong arm capable of making throws all over the field.
“The quarterback I think is fantastic,” Mannello said. “He’s orchestrating. You can tell he runs the show and does a great job with the ball and just handling the offense. He’s got a rocket for an arm.”
The Quips defense is led by Pitt recruit Cameron Lindsey at linebacker and Yale commit Brandon Banks at defensive back.
Dallas is making its third state finals appearance. The Mountaineers won the Class 2A title in 1993, defeating Washington 31-7. They lost to Thomas Jefferson 46-7 in the 2019 Class 4A championship game.
