PIAA FOOTBALL

ERIE -- Players are plentiful; playmakers are precious. And while the former come and go with the passing of time, the latter remain indelibly etched in our collective consciousness.

Being an Aliquippa guy, head football coach Mike Zmijanac knows the distinction between the two.

"These are Aliquippa kids ... Aliquippa kids never surprise me,’’ Zmijanac said after his Quips advanced to PIAA Class AA title tilt via a 20-7 victory over Sharon in the western regional finale Saturday afternoon at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

WPIAL champion Aliquippa (14-0) will meet Mount Carmel (13-1) next Saturday at noon at Hersheypark Stadium for the commonwealth’s crown.

With backup quarterback Quanear Gaskins turning in a 5-for-7 passing performance that included a pair of 15-yard touchdown tosses and a defense that shut out Sharon until 6:43 remained, Aliquippa annexed a win that many -- excluding Zmijanac -- may have felt was only a remote possibility.

"We won a state championship in basketball four years ago; we didn’t have a guy make the All-Section team,’’ Zmijanac, also the school’s cage coach, emphasized. "They never surprise you because they have a lot of heart, a lot of courage, like most kids in a lot of places do. But I’m especially proud of them because that’s where I’m from.’’

Perhaps personifying the plethora of playermakers, in addition to the improbable Gaskins, was Bernard "Josh’’ Lay.

In last week’s win over Waynesburg for the WPIAL championship, Lay broke his throwing hand. However against Sharon, he lined up as a slotback or wide-out and caught a 40-yard second-period Gaskins pass that set up the game’s initial score. Then with Aliquippa ahead 14-0 at the outset of the fourth frame, he supplied insurance when he had the presence of mind to pick up a Jason Fromm fumble and sprint 38 yards for a TD.

"They make plays! They’re athletes and they know how to make plays!’’ Zmijanac gushed, "and, hopefully, we put them in position to make plays, and they make them. The fumble on the backward pass, you know, our kids are alert.

"I’d like to say this, because people don’t realize this,’’ Zmijanac explained. "Because we’re inner-city kids and all that. My kids are pretty damn smart! My kids are a lot smarter than they give ‘em credit for. My kid (Lay) picked the ball up over there. A lot of kids, they’d turn around and walk away. But that’s a credit to him and to the defensive coaches ... they’re taught the right way and it was a big play in the game.’’

Gaskins was thrust under center last week in lieu of Lay and responded by throwing a 27-yard game-winning TD pass on his initial attempt of the season. He seemed self-assured against Sharon.

"He was killing me, man!’’ Zmijanac quipped regarding the Quips’ slender senior. "He turned the wrong way three or four times and called the wrong play. But you know what? He came through when he had to, and that’s a hellava lot of pressure to put a kid under, to play in the state semifinals the first time at quarterback. But he threw two touchdown passes. He’ll remember that the rest of his life.’’

The second-and-12 play on which Gaskins and Lay collaborated for 40 yards with 3:29 remaining in a scoreless half typified the Tigers’ plight. On release, the ball slipped out of Gaskins’ hand and fluttered, forcing both Lay and cornerback Carmone Parchman to change direction. But in so doing, Parchman slightly slipped on the slick turf, while Lay turned and cradled the underthrown pass. On the ensuing play, Gaskins split a pair of Sharon defenders with a 15-yard strike over the middle to Dwight Hines, then his shovel pass to Jon LeDonne tacked on a 2-point conversion as Aliquippa assumed an 8-0 margin at intermission.

"Sometimes the football gods are riding the right bus and sometimes they’re not,’’ mused Sharon mentor Jim Wildman. "That’s a situation where (Gaskins) might throw that nine other times and nine other times it might get picked off. But today it didn’t happen and they scored.

"I think people will recognize the fact that we didn’t lose to some ‘dog’ today; we lost to an awfully good football team that executed, got some breaks, and was able to take advantage of the breaks. We did not execute well and couldn’t overcome the breaks they got,’’ Wildman summarized.

The Quips commenced the second half coercing Sharon to go 3-and-out on its opening offensive series, then Aliquippa answered with a 12-play, 58-yard, 7-minute, 11-second scoring march. On a third-and-11 play from Sharon’s 15-yard line, Quips’ tight end Quentin Goode -- who stripped a punt-returner, recovered the fumble, then hauled in Gaskins’ game-winning pass last week -- hauled in a Gaskins’ pass in the left corner of the end zone with 2:36 remaining in the third period for a 14-0 lead.

Following Lay’s fumble return 54 seconds into the final frame, Sharon responded with its lone score. Driving 65 yards in seven plays and three minutes and 47 seconds, quarterback Mike Schneider fired 14 yards into the end zone to Terrance Phillips on a third-and-6 play for his 17th TD toss of the season. Jim Morocco kicked the conversion, trimming the Tigers’ deficit to 20-7.

On Aliquippa’s ensuing series Sharon coerced Karl McBride’s fifth punt, assuming possession at midfield with 5:40 remaining. However the sequence was set back when Justin LeDonne sacked Schneider for a 9-yard loss on a second-and-12 situation. Although he did manage a 12-yard connection with Fromm on third-and-19 from the Quips’ 27-yard line, Schneider’s final pass of the day found Phillips in the right flat on fourth down, but only for two yards.

Sharon entered the contest averaging 319.5 yards and 39.5 points per game and, paced by Parchman’s 2,038 yards rushing and 34 touchdowns, had outgained opponents 209.4 to 112.2 on the ground. However against Aliquippa, Parchman was limited to 69 yards on 18 totes; Schneider was sacked four times for 31 yards in losses, and the Tigers were tamed to the tune of 44 yards rushing and 155 total yards.

"I don’t know that we run-blocked very well; I don’t know if we picked up the blitzes very well; it might be a combination of things. But offensively, we were not effective when we had to be,’’ Wildman (199-74-6 in 24 seasons) assessed.

However, the veteran mentor expressed pride in a team that lost only to Ohio Division IV titlist Ursuline and Aliquippa.

"A lot of people on the outside don’t understand the amount of time that a coach or a group of coaches spends with kids. And really, once you begin on the first of August, you’re probably talking about 25-30 quality hours a week that you spend with kids. And when you multiply that times three, and in some cases, four years, that’s more waking time than you spend with your own family.

"So there are a lot of strong ties. These are quality kids. They’re not just good football players or good athletes; they’re good students, they’re role models in the school. I’m sure their parents are just as proud, if not more proud of them, than I am,’’ Wildman summarized.

Notes: Justin LeDonne, Monroe Weekley, McBride and Justin’s twin Jon recorded quarterback sacks for Aliquippa. ... Jason Fromm picked off a second-quarter Gaskins’ pass. ... Sharon quelled the Quips’ offense -- averaging 365.4 total yards and 33.6 ppg. -- by allowing only 195 total yards, including 110 rushing. Gerris Wilcox, an 1,856-yard tailback, managed only 76 yards, albeit a game-high, on 25 totes. ... Parchman concluded the campaign with 2,107 yards rushing, seventh-best in Herald annals. ... Perhaps Schneider’s most impressive pass was a 34-yard fourth-quarter gem to Marlin Jackson on a second-and-12 play. All the while with the 240-pound Weekley draped all over him.

WEST MIFFLIN, Pa. -- It’s probably pretty safe to say the Wilmington Greyhounds haven’t been dominated in quite some time like they were Friday night.

WPIAL champion West Allegheny (13-1) ran and passed the ball virtually at will on Wilmington en route to a convincing 37-7 victory in the PIAA Class AAA semifinals before nearly 3,000 fans at West Mifflin High School’s Titans Stadium.

Led by incomparable junior quarterback Tyler Palko, the Indians rolled up 405 yards of offense, including 300 on the ground, and 17 first downs to advance to their second consecutive state championship game. "That’s a tribute to the offensive line, that’s a tribute to making the proper checks at the line of scrimage, and that’s a tribute to the coaches and scout team," said Indians coach Bob Palko." That’s a team thing. ... It was just our game. We just try to take advantage of what the defense gives us. We’re just hoping we can continue it."

Palko’s squad will get that chance at 7 p.m. Friday when they face Strath Haven (14-0), a 21-0 winner over Manheim Central, at HersheyPark Stadium in what will be a rematch of the 1999 title game that was won by Strath Haven, 21-7.

"We’re humbled by it all," said Palko. "We’re going to try to represent western Pennsylvania the best we can. We’re going to show up, play hard and do our best."

In addition to a decided edge in total offense, the Indians also enjoyed a 3-0 edge in turnovers as any hopes the Greyhounds might have had slipped away with a pair of fumbles and one interception.

"You can’t make any mistakes against a good football team," said Wilmington coach Terry Verrelli. "And we just couldn’t stop them offensively. We just didn’t play very well. You’ve got to play defense and we didn’t do a good job tonight there at all."

It’s likely the trio of Palko, and running backs Jamey Fitzgerald and Kellen Campbell had a little something to do with that.

"That’s what we try to do," Bob Palko said. "We try to make people defend the field. We try not to be predictable. People know we’re going to run the ball, but we can throw it."

Tyler Palko, the coach’s son, certainly can. A 6-2, 225-pound southpaw who is a major Division I recruit, finished 8 of 14 for 105 yards and three touchdowns. As has been his calling card all season, Palko didn’t throw often, but when he did he was cooly efficient.

But if Palko was the nail, Fitzgerald and Campbell, a pair of 1,000-yard rushers, were the hammer that ended the Greyhounds’ storybook season, combining for 268 yards on only 28 carries. Fitzgerald totaled 159 yards on 16 carries, while Campbell added 109 yards on 12 carries with touchdowns of 9 and 47 yards.

"They’ve got good linemen, that’s obvious," Verrelli said, pointing to a key behind the Indians’ offensive success. "If you control the line of scrimmage with your linemen, you’re going to move the football. It’s that simple, no matter who the backs are. And then they passed when they had to. Those are the killer plays there. And then they’ve got you on your heels and it’s difficult to stop the run, too."

At the game’s outset, it appeared West Allegheny might have trouble stopping the Greyhounds’ vaunted Wing-T attack as Wilmington drove from its own 20 on the game’s first possession to the Indians’ 29 before a Joe Slappy interception of a Matt Coad pass at the 9 snuffed out the drive.

After forcing a punt on West Allegheny’s ensuing possession, the Greyhounds took over on their own 8 where disaster struck again. On third-and-five, Coad lost the handle on the ball with Palko recovering at the 10. Three plays later it was 7-0 following a 3-yard toss from Palko to Slappy and the first of four Derek Javarone boots.

Wilmington was held on its next possession, and following a punt, the Indians proceeded to march 86 yards on 11 plays in 4:51, moving ahead 14-0 at the 4:02 mark of the second quarter on Palko’s second scoring strike, a 9-yard bullet to a wide open tight end Manny Rojas.

Following the intermission, West Allegheny, which is 47-6 the past four seasons, embarked on a 10-play, 70-yard, 5:04 drive that was capped by Campbell’s 9-yard burst to move ahead 21-0 as a light snow began to fly.

After forcing another Wilmington punt, the Indians effectively put the game away on a laser-like, 4-play, 88-yard, 1:12 drive that pushed the lead to 27-0 on a picture-perfect rainbow pass from Palko to Mike Craig with 3:16 left in the third period. Fitzgerald’s 65-yard run on the drive’s first play set up the score.

It took only one more play from scrimmage for the Indians to regain the ball when Wilmington’s Brandon Whiting was stripped of the ball and Palko recovered again, this time at the Greyhounds’ 15. Javarone’s 29-yard field goal -- his 15th in two seasons -- made it 30-0 at the 1:28 mark.

A 5-yard Jonathan Hall dash at the 9:36 mark of the fourth quarter and Campbell’s 47-yard run with 7:20 remaining closed the scoring and the Greyhounds’ season.

"It’s been a tremendous season for these kids," Verrelli said. "They don’t have anything to hang their heads about, and they’re not. And they’re not stupid. They know what they’ve accomplished for an entire new team.

"I’m sure they’re very proud of themselves and they should be. Just for them to get here was amazing, especially when I sit back and think about where they came from. I still don’t know how they did it, but I’m awful proud of them."

Wilmington finished with 238 total yards and 12 first downs as Whiting closed out his superb junior season with 122 yards on 17 carries, giving him 1,619 yards on 173 carries with 28 touchdowns.

"My hat’s off to them and Coach Verrelli," said Palko. "I really admire that group of kids to get as far as they did when no one thought they could do it."

Notes: Prior to Bob Palko’s arrival at West Allegheny, his alma mater, the Indians had appeared in the playoffs only once and had only three winning seasons in 48 years. ... Verrelli finished the season with his career coaching mark at 155-82-3, fifth-best in Herald annals. He trails only Sharon’s Jim Wildman (199-73-6), Greenville’s Bob Stone (192-45-6), Farrell’s Lou Falconi (177-63-5) and Reynolds’ Frank Amato (156-67-9). Greenville’s Ed Snyder was 156-70-11, including a 4-4 mark at Southington.

WEXFORD, Pa. -- Actor Tom Hanks in a movie once told a group of women baseball players: "There’s no crying in baseball." You’ll never hear Sharpsville High coach Paul Piccirilli say that about football!

"It’s nice to see them crying," said Piccirilli about his sobbing Blue Devils only moments after dropping a 27-3 decision to WPIAL champion Rochester in the Western Regional Class A Championship game at North Allegheny High School stadium. "It shows they care; it shows they have the will to win."

Unfortunately, while there was a will, there wasn’t a way for the young Sharpsville team which couldn’t stop Rochester’s talented running back Kirby Griffin, who rushed for 172 yards and three touchdowns in ending a Cinderella season for the Blue Devils.

"You see them on film, but when I walked up to that kid on the field I thought he was a tackle," said Piccirillli about the 6-foot-2, 205-pound Griffin. "He hits the holes so hard, he bulls you over.

"We did a pretty good job holding the other backs, but they pound at you. At the end, our guys were really tired. If we played them 10 times, they might win 9 out of the 10. But there’s always that one chance. We just couldn’t make the big plays. We had some chances and for a team like us, we have to make the big plays. But the 27-3 final doesn’t really tell the story."

And it doesn’t. Throughout the first half, the Blue Devils played the Rams pretty even. In fact, Sharpsville jumped out to a 3-0 lead on a booming 35-yard field goal by Ray Rotell in the first quarter that would have been good from 55.

Midway through the second quarter, Griffin’s talent started to show through. Rochester drove 80 yards to score, with Griffin ripping off a 39-yard sprint on the march then later capping the drive with a 24-yard run, on which he ran over one tackler, then juked two others near the goal line. The PAT kick by Jevone Bradley made the count 7-3 with only 3:33 remaining in the half. But what a 3:33 it was!

Rochester got a big break when a punt went off the side of Rotell’s foot and the Rams took over at the Sharpsville 38 with 2:10 left. However, the Devils came up with a big defensive play when Bill Stiger intercepted a halfback pass by Jermaine Moye at the 9 with just over a minute left. But even after a penalty moved the ball back to the 4, the Devils weren’t about to run out the clock. Halfback Ron Haywood ripped off runs of 11 and 33 yards. Then Sharpsville completed a 37-yard halfback pass from Jeff Watson to Brandon Pavone to put the ball at the Rochester 15 with 11 seconds left.

Unfortunately, Rochester turned the tables when Bradley picked off a Stiger pass and returned it to the 33 to run out the clock.

"That interception hurt," said Piccirilli. "I thought we might have at least come away with a field goal."

But to rub salt into the wounds, when the play and the half ended, Sharpsville was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. That penalty was marked off on the kickoff to start the second half and it played a major role in the outcome of the game.

Rochester kicked off from the Sharpsville 45 and the ball sailed high into the wind. When it hit the turf, it bounced off a Sharpsville player who had slipped on the snowy carpet and Rams’ freshman Nate Waldron recovered at the 13.

After a 3-yard loss, Griffin swept the left side for a 19-yard touchdown and after the PAT kick, the Rams were up 13-3.

Neither team could get anything going for the rest of the third period, but the Rams put the game on ice with 6:49 left when Griffin scored on a 30-yard run. The point-after kicked sailed through the goal post and the traditional Hershey kisses were sailing through the air over the stands.

The Rams scored once more with 4:01 left after a Griffin interception when Moye went in from 2 yards out.

"That first half we played as tough as we played all year," said Piccirilli. "But when the second half opened that one mistake got them going. We don’t have the strength to catch up against a team like that.

"All year up to now our will to win overcame our lack of size and power.

"But we have nothing to be ashamed of. My hats off to our four seniors (Dennis Songer, Shawn Taylor, Ryan Kudelko and Adam Tarr), this was their team. Some year down the road they’ll be talking about this at their class reunion.

"We were an unlikely team to get this far and its something for us to build on. Next year is our year."

And it’s also possibly a year when the Blue Devils leave someone else crying at the finish of the state semifinal contest!

Notes: Sharpsville finished the season at 10-3, while Rochester carries a 12-2 record into the state championship game against Southern Columbia next Friday in Hershey. ... Rochester coach Gene Matsook takes the team to state in his first year as head coach. His brother Dan coached the Rams when they won state in 1998. ... Haywood, a junior, led the Blue Devils rushing attack with 100 yards on 14 carries, finishing the year with 900 yards.. While the senior Griffin sparked the Rams, Moye also went over the century mark in rushing with 105 yards on 20 carries. ... Brandon Pavone had all four of Sharpsville’s pass completions for 72 yards. He was wide open on a possible touchdown pass in the third quarter, but couldn’t find the ball in the lights and it sailed behind him. ... Stiger had an interception and fumble recovery to lift the Devils on defense, while Blase Iorio and Shawn Taylor sparked the line with numerous stops, including teaming on a sack for an 8-yard loss. ... The Rams controlled the game so well on the ground, they threw only two passes.