Aliquippa won their fifth PIAA State Championship in school history on Thursday, blowing the doors off the Dallas Mountaineers in a 60-14 bloodbath.
The Quips’ talented backfield—which sports a pair of future Division 1 athletes in Tiqwai “Tikey” Hayes and Cameron Lindsey—accounted for more than 400 rushing yards, averaging a first down on every play. The championship win completed Aliquippa’s first-ever undefeated season, and Hayes was quick to point out the significance of that perfect record after the game.
“We can now say we’re the best team in Aliquippa history,” Hayes said. “We was hungry. You can’t stop a hungry Quip. It’s impossible.”
Hayes made the headlines, rushing for 222 yards and three touchdowns on just 18 carries. In a testament to the Quips’ all-around talent, though, his 12.3 yards per carry was the third-best margin on the team: John Tracy gained 16.9 yards per tote, while Lindsey managed 14.5.
Quips Spread the Wealth
Hayes practically glowed when talking about how first-year offensive coordinator Darrien Fields coached the unit to success, praising Fields’ devotion to spreading the ball around and using each of his talented weapons.
“We’ve got the best offensive coordinator in the WPIAL and the PIAA. We call him the magician,” Hayes said. “They’re [Lindsey and Tracy] over here doing their thing, you’re doing your thing. You can’t lose like that. We preach teamwork, unselfishness.”
Fields graduated from Aliquippa in 2015, playing quarterback during his time in high school and at Marietta College. He laughed when he heard Hayes’ compliment, saying that giving each of his playmakers their chances to shine helped earn him that reputation.
“Obviously, everybody likes to get the ball, so they like me,” Fields said. “They understand that it’s not a slight to them if they don’t have the game that they want. They understand that the ball is going to come around, we all share the wealth. I think that they like that, because I prove it.”
Fields continued, describing how his balanced approach complements Aliquippa’s stable of offensive stars.
“When you have a four-star like Cam Lindsay or a talent like John Tracy, he’ll [Hayes] take the side seat: Tikey never takes the back seat, but he’ll take the passenger seat and let them get theirs too, because that just opens it up,” Fields said. “Other teams don’t know who we’ll get the ball to, and that’s when our quarterback wheels and deals because they want to pack it in.”
Family Ties Power Aliquippa
Fields’ ties to the Quips run deep, as his younger brothers Quentin and QaLil Goode start at quarterback and defensive back, respectively, for the team.
“First year, undefeated state champs, first time in Aliquippa history—with my brothers—there’s nothing better than that,” Fields said. “My mom got an early Christmas present for sure.”
QaLil Goode, a sophomore, made a major impact on defense, snagging three interceptions in the first half and returning the last for an 87-yard touchdown. Goode said that beyond the championship stakes, he felt like he had to make plays because his older brother Quentin was playing in his last game as a senior.
“I had to go out with a bang. It’s his last game,” Goode said. “I couldn’t leave anything. I had to leave it all out there on the field.”
Goode broke down what he saw on his pick-six, which gave Aliquippa a 40-14 lead heading into the half.
“I was over top in cover 2, he threw the ball, I broke, undercut it and I was gone. I had some great blockers,” Goode said, crediting senior defensive end Jayace Williams for breaking upfield and setting a block near the goal line that helped him complete the house call.
Quentin Goode beamed when describing his younger brother’s performance, particularly as one of the younger members of the team.
“I’m so proud of him. Proud ain’t even the word,” Goode said. “For him to only be a sophomore and come in, catching three picks, one pick-six at the biggest stage of his life? Who knows what the future holds for him.”
Mind For The Game
QaLil Goode’s athleticism was obvious to anyone in attendance, but Fields focused more on his younger brother’s intelligence when describing what makes him stand out.
“He’s young, but he’s so mature, so smart for his age that you never know what he might be able to do,” Fields said. “He’s a big time player, man, and he didn’t start at the beginning of the year. But when he got his chance and his opportunities, he took them. That’s all we try to talk about, that’s all our mom preached to us. If you get an opportunity, take it.”
Fields said that while QaLil is only a sophomore, he’s already making a name for himself as a leader on Aliquippa’s defense—perhaps the talent for coaching runs in the family. Goode even imparts knowledge to older players like Hayes, who already has Power 5 offers in hand.
“He’s smart on the defense. Tikey, when he’s playing corner, he tells me ‘QaLil tells me what to do every play,’ and on offense, Cheese [Quentin Goode] tells him what to do on every play,” Fields said. “He knows that he’s in good hands with both of my brothers, they’re so smart and I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
Perhaps Darrien Fields would be interested in taking on the OC job at Pitt! Snag the future stars while they are young and unknown since the big-named programs seem to have first dibs on current star quality coaches.