Game of the Week: Twin Valley vs. Aliquippa, presented by Kevin Miller of Berkshire Investment Group

By Mike Drago Last updated Nov 28, 2025

PIAA Class 4A semifinal

Twin Valley (13-0) vs. Aliquippa (10-3)

Kick: Friday, 7, at Mifflin County High School, Lewistown.

Series: First meeting.

How they got here: Twin Valley top-seeded beat Susquehanna Township 41-21 last week in District 3 Class 4A championship game. . . Aliquippa beat top-seeded McKeesport 21-12 for District 7 championship and Oil City 28-6 last week in PIAA quarterfinal.

Coaches: Twin Valley – Brett Myers, fourth season, 39-10. . . Aliquippa – Mike Warfield, seventh season, 84-9.

PIAA playoff history: This is Twin Valley’s first semifinal appearance. . . Aliquippa has won state championships in 2023, 2021, 2018, 2003, and 1991. It is 10-3 in the semifinal round and 20-8 overall.

Fast fact: Aliquippa became just the fourth football team in Pennsylvania to win 800 games when it beat McKeesport in Week 12. The Quips, who played their first game in 1910, are at 801. Mount Carmel is first with 912. The others are Easton (902) and Berwick (856).

Raiders update: Earned first district title last week with 41-21 win over Susquehanna Township, holding the No. 1 seed scoreless in the second half after trailing 21-20 at halftime. . . District championship was fourth for coach Brett Myers, who won three at Middletown from 2016-18. . . Drew Engle rushed 31 times for 281 yards last week, both career-highs. . . He rushed for 750 yards and scored 12 TDs in three district playoff games. . . Extended his program records to 1,855 yards in a season, 3,972 in his career, 36 touchdowns in a season and 60 in a career. . . Junior RB Lucas Myers, who topped 1,000 yards in district semifinal, has 1,098 yards and is averaging 10.0 yards per carry. . . Soph Maverik Foster, the Lancaster-Lebanon League’s top-rated passer, is completing 71.6 percent of his throws with 16 TDs and zero INTs. . . Averaging 52.3 points per game, second-most in the state. . . Played error-free football for the eighth time last week and have committed league-low 6 turnovers in 13 games. . . Plus-13 in turnover differential. . . Set program record with 11^th win with 55-15 win over West Perry in district quarterfinal. . . Finished regular season ranked No. 1 in the Lancaster-Lebanon League in total offense, total defense, scoring, scoring defense, and pass defense during the regular season; No. 2 in rush defense. . . Have mercy-ruled 10-of-13 opponents. . . Ranked No. 1 in state for past five weeks by PennLive.com.

Did you know? With 681 points (in 13 games), Twin Valley is the highest-scoring team in Berks history. It broke the record of 670 set by Wyomissing in 16 games in 2021.

Marques Council Jr.
(Pittsburgh Post-Gazette photo)

Quips update: Were 5-3 in mid-October after losing to Montour 34-20 but have won five straight since, including a 14-0 district playoff win over New Castle, which had beaten them 18-12 in September. . . Finished third in Parkway Conference, behind New Castle (9-3) and Montour (7-4). . . Entered districts as No. 7 seed. . . Won record 21^st WPIAL championship over McKeesport on Nov. 15. . . QB Marques Council Jr., a Yale recruit, missed four games during the regular season with a knee injury, and was announced out for the season in mid-October but returned for start of the playoffs. . . Council has thrown for 1,299 yards and 13 TDs, with 7 INTs. He’s completing 52.8% of his passes. . . WR/DB Qa’Lil Goode, who has offers to Yale and Duquesne, leads team with 12 TDs, is second with 28 receptions, leads team with 7 INTs and 3 fumble recoveries and has 5 defensive scores. . . RB JJ Work, a transfer from Central Valley and a Slippery Rock recruit, leads team with 1,100 rushing yards; he’s averaging 6.0 per carry. . . RB Kiva Woods averages 7.4 yards per carry. . . Josh Lay leads team with 32 receptions. . . DE Tekoah Gilbert leads team with 180 tackles and 16 tackles for loss. . . DL Justus Starks, who is drawing DI interest, has 11 tackles for loss. . Defense held McKeesport five-star RB recruit Kemon Spell, who has offers from Notre Dame, Michigan, and Tennessee, to 26 second-half yards. . . Saw streak of 17 straight district championship-game appearances snapped last year, with 7-3 finish. . . Seven all-league picks from that team returned this season. . . That team included Penn Stae RB recruit Tikey Hayes. . Saw several top players transfer out following last season: RB Sa’Nir Brooks, who went to Baltimore powerhouse St. Frances Academy; Kent State recruit Daiveon Taylor, who went to Moon; four-star prospect RB Larry Moon, who went to IMG Academy; OL Jamar Allen, who went to St. Frances; and Division I prospect RB/WR Nasir Wade, who went to Hopewell. . . Not ranked in state Top 10 until Week 13 win over McKeesport; currently No. 3.

Fast fact: One of Aliquippa’s five PIAA championship-game losses came to Wyomissing 17-14, in 2012. It also lost to Berwick, Mount Carmel, Southern Columbia, and most recently to Bishop McDevitt, in 2022.

Fast fact: Aliquippa’s first two state championships came in Class 2A. After being bumped up by PIAA Success Formula, won at 3A in 2018 and in 4A in 2021 and 2023.

Winner faces: District 11 champ Southern Lehigh (13-1) or District 12 champ Cardinal O’Hara (10-4).

Championship: Thursday, Dec. 4., Chapman Field (Cumberland Valley High School), Mechanicsburg, 7.