Twin Valley marched 83 yards on the opening series to take a 7-0 advantage over Aliquippa. Myers rumbled 37 yards for the first score of the night. The 6’1, 215-pound junior ended up with 49 yards on nine carries. The standout linebacker also contributed seven unassisted tackles. The Quips answered immediately with a 1-yard touchdown run by JJ Work. The senior broke off a 13-yard run on fourth-and-3 to keep the drive alive. Work went over 1,000 rushing yards for the season during that possession. The Raiders, however, blocked the extra point to maintain a 7-6 edge with 2:41 left in the first quarter. A 80-yard kickoff return by Drew Engle set up Twin Valley at Aliquippa’s 4-yard line. On fourth-and-goal, sophomore quarterback Maverik Foster kept the ball for a 1-yard touchdown with 41 seconds to go in the quarter. The District 3 champs were in front 14-6 after twelve minutes.

Ryan Rementer, a senior linebacker, picked off a pass by Marques Council and returned it 30 yards to the Quips’ 1-yard line with seven and a-half minutes to play before halftime. A 1-yard TD run by Myers made it 21-6. Rementer piled up a team-high eight solo tackles. With 1:04 left in the second quarter, Aliquippa blocked a 23-yard field goal attempt by Nate Shaffer. The Raiders got the ball right back though when Keenan Munn came up with another interception. The junior linebacker returned it to the Quips’ 10-yard line. On fourth-and-goal from the 2-yard line, Myers scored as time expired and Twin Valley took a 28-6 lead into the locker room. The Raiders began four series inside Aliquippa’s 20-yard line. Twin Valley was in control despite having less than 100 total yards at the break.

Council, a Yale commit, bounced back in a big way during the third quarter. He launched a deep pass over the middle to Qa’lil Goode for a 48-yard touchdown. The two-point conversion failed. The five-time state champs then went 66 yards for another score. Council hit Antonio Reddic on a post for a 19-yard TD pass. Council’s throw on the two-point try was incomplete with 4:06 remaining in the quarter. The Raiders, who were on top 28-18, were forced to punt again on their next possession. Akiva Woods capped a 60-yard drive with a 39-yard touchdown run. The PAT was blocked, but the Quips had pulled within 28-24 with 36 seconds to go in the third period. Aliquippa, a program with 801 all-time wins, wasn’t going away quietly.

The 21-time WPIAL champions took over at their 30-yard line with 6:19 to play. On fourth-and-11, Council found Goode for a 25-yard completion. Council then hit Woods for a 20-yard gain with three minutes left. Council and Woods hooked up again for 27 yards with 2:14 remaining. The scrappy Quips had reached Twin Valley’s 11-yard line. Myers put a halt to their momentum by sacking Council with a minute to go back at the 25-yard line. On fourth-and-24 with 35 seconds on the clock, Munn broke up Council’s pass in the end zone to seal the victory.

Engle, who made six solo tackles, ran for 65 yards on 20 carries. The Army lacrosse commit surpassed 4,000 career rushing yards, a school record. The Raiders, ranked #1 in the state in Class 4A by PennLive, were limited to 113 total yards. Foster was 4-of-7 through the air for (-5) yards. Aliquippa’s defense lived up to the hype. The Quips were giving up just 12.8 ppg. coming into Friday’s state semifinal. While Twin Valley struggled offensively, the Raiders found a way to keep their historic season alive. The boys from the valley still have one more hill to climb to reach their ultimate goal.

#3 seed Bishop McDevitt knocked off fourth-seeded Solanco 38-20 in the District 3-5A Championship at Warwick. Head coach Jeff Weachter earned his 300th victory. The (11-2) Crusaders won their record 19th District 3 title and fifth in a row. They’re (72-9) all-time in the District 3 playoffs. Solanco ends its season at (11-2).

#2 seed Harrisburg cruised past top-seeded Central York 38-10 in the District 3-6A Championship at Cedar Cliff. The (13-0) Cougars have captured five consecutive District 3 titles and eight overall. The Panthers finished (11-2).

Twin Valley led 7-0 early in the second quarter when Dominic Summers blocked a punt which set up the Raiders at the 3-yard line. Engle’s 2-yard run made it 14-0 with eight and a-half minutes remaining in the first half. On the ensuing possession, Twin Valley brought heavy pressure again on fourth down and the Braves weren’t able to get off a punt. Ryan Rementer capped a 33-yard drive with a 13-yard touchdown run on a counter. The Raiders kept momentum in their favor as Keenan Munn recovered an onside kick at Octorara’s 41-yard line. After a penalty, Lucas Myers broke free up the middle for a 46-yard touchdown run and a 28-0 advantage. Munn recovered a fumble on the next series which gave Twin Valley the ball at the Braves’ 31-yard line. Engle took it from there with a dazzling touchdown run. He started up the middle, got bottled up, bounced it to the left, cut back across the entire field, and raced down the right sideline for a 31-yard score. The Army lacrosse commit put the Raiders in front 35-0 with 4:38 left before halftime. “I bounced it outside and saw a couple more guys out there so I went the other way. It just opened up. My O-line does a fantastic job blocking for me and it starts with them,” explained Engle. After using its timeouts, Twin Valley got the ball back with 1:30 to go in the first half. Ben Grundy took a quick pop pass from Maverik Foster and sprinted 62-yards down the left sideline. After a scoreless first quarter, the (5-0, 2-0) Raiders exploded for 42 points in just ten minutes. “I think we were fired up, a little bit mad we didn’t score,” replied Engle.

Myers ripped off a 62-yard touchdown run down the right sideline to extend the lead to 49-0 with 5:18 to play in the third quarter. “He’s one of the hardest workers on the team. It also keeps us fresh. He does give me a little bit of a break which is nice. I love working with him,” noted Engle. Myers finished with 132 yards on only seven carries. The 6’1, 215-pound junior reached the end zone three times. Engle added 82 yards and two scores on ten carries. The 5’11, 185-pound senior was named an All-American by USA Lacrosse earlier this year. Foster was 8-of-10 for 134 yards and a touchdown. Twin Valley piled up 413 total yards including 279 on the ground. The Raiders are averaging 56.6 points per game at the midway point of the regular season.

Octorara got on the scoreboard on the final play of the third quarter thanks to a 47-yard run by Brayden Mastripolitto. The 5’11, 175-pound junior entered the night with 631 rushing yards and 11 TD. The (3-2, 1-1) Braves were without starting quarterback Mason Prokay for the second straight game. Sophomore Gavin Davis was under center again due to Prokay’s injury. Prokay is a standout javelin thrower. The 6’3, 210-pound senior finished 11th at Nike Outdoor Nationals this summer. Twin Valley’s defense was spearheaded by Rementer. The 200-pound senior linebacker had a team-high seven tackles. The Raiders have outscored their opponents 283-46. “We’re just focused about getting better every day, never satisfied and just keep working hard,” said Engle.