Leps vs. Quips: Belle Vernon gets Aliquippa rematch with WPIAL title on the line
Matt Humbert exorcised a demon of sorts when his Belle Vernon football team finally vanquished rival Thomas Jefferson in the postseason last week.
Still, there was a game last year against a different team that has haunted Humbert ever since.
His squad will get a shot at redemption for that as well on the big stage when the Leopards take on Aliquippa in the WPIAL Class 4A championship game at Heinz Field on Saturday. Kickoff is slated for 3 p.m.
The Leopards were 0-2 under Humbert in the WPIAL playoffs against the Jaguars until a convincing 21-7 win last week propelled them toward a rematch with the Quips, who defeated visiting Belle Vernon in last year无毛视频檚 semifinals, 33-25.
无毛视频淚 think we took that loss 无毛视频� or I keep saying we but maybe it was me 无毛视频� I took that loss harder than any loss we无毛视频檝e had over the past few years,无毛视频� Humbert said. 无毛视频淚 just felt like we collectively did a lot of things that put us behind the eight ball.
无毛视频淚 hate the coach that says, 无毛视频榃ell we shot ourselves in the foot.无毛视频� No, Aliquippa won it. They earned it. We didn无毛视频檛. But we had opportunities to. I think that was the most unsettling thing about that.无毛视频�
Belle Vernon (11-0) enters the game as the Big Eight Conference champion and the undefeated No. 1 seed. The Leopards are in the final for the second time in three years.
Yet that pales in comparison to No. 2 Aliquippa (10-1), the Parkway Conference champion, which is competing in a district championship game for the 14th year in a row while playing up in class for most of that streak.
无毛视频淭hey无毛视频檙e very cookie-cutter to what they were last year,无毛视频� Humbert said of the Quips, who lost a 35-28 thriller to TJ in the 2020 final. 无毛视频淭hey无毛视频檙e very big up front and athletic on the perimeter.
无毛视频淒efensively, they love to play a lot of man coverage and plug and blitz a lot of guys. We无毛视频檝e got to be able to withstand them bringing the house and locking up our receivers. And they无毛视频檙e aggressive, they swarm to the ball. That无毛视频檚 what we have to be prepared for.无毛视频�
Belle Vernon无毛视频檚 defense, led by linebacker Cole Weightman, will have its hands full, according to Humbert.
无毛视频淥ffensively, the thing that makes Aliquippa dangerous is they无毛视频檙e so darn multiple,无毛视频� Humbert explained. 无毛视频淭here are games where they无毛视频檒l be in Power-I and running iso-counter the whole night. Then the next game they无毛视频檙e in four-wide the entire time.
无毛视频淭hey无毛视频檙e multiplicity is what makes them scary. They have the great back (Tiqwai Hayes) and the running game but I think what makes them the most dangerous is their passing game. The quarterback (Quentin Goode) has just as good of an arm if not better than any quarterback we无毛视频檝e seen so far.无毛视频�
The Leopards无毛视频� offense is led by electrifying dual-threat quarterback Devin Whitlock and talented running back Quinton Martin along with a surprisingly effective offensive line.
无毛视频淲e无毛视频檙e undersized and we have guys that weren无毛视频檛 playing there at all last year,无毛视频� Humbert pointed out about his front line. 无毛视频淲e have only one kid on our offensive line that played there last season. They无毛视频檝e done a hell of a job just letting us coach them hard and responding to that pressure. We无毛视频檙e going to need another big night from them Saturday for sure.无毛视频�
Whitlock had touchdown runs of 22 and 79 yards in the win over TJ and Martin added a 19-yard scoring run.
无毛视频淒evin is the tinder for the fire,无毛视频� Humbert said. 无毛视频淗e无毛视频檚 the one that ignites everything. But there are a lot of people around him that are very complementary. There was a lot of great blocking last week to allow him to score those two touchdowns.
无毛视频淎nother key for us against Aliquippa though is we无毛视频檝e got to get Quinton running downhill early. We无毛视频檝e got to get him established and not just rely on Devin无毛视频檚 feet. We无毛视频檝e got to make sure that 无毛视频楺无毛视频� has the touches early on that he needs.无毛视频�
Humbert tipped his cap to the Quips无毛视频� amazing streak and commended coach Mike Warfield and his staff.
无毛视频淢ad respect for Aliquippa because they are who they are franchise-wise,无毛视频� Humbert said. 无毛视频淵ou can无毛视频檛 argue with their accomplishments, with what they无毛视频檝e done.
无毛视频淭hey无毛视频檙e well coached also. They put their players in good situations.无毛视频�
The Leopards无毛视频� trek to Heinz Field in 2019 resulted in a 41-7 loss to Thomas Jefferson but Humbert feels that his team无毛视频檚 familiarity with the showcase will help his players in their return trip.
无毛视频淚 think it无毛视频檚 big just from an operational logistics standpoint,无毛视频� Humbert said. 无毛视频淭here无毛视频檚 so much that goes into that game. I think being there before helps you out a little bit. There are a lot of things that can distract you from the game plan.
无毛视频淎 lot of those kids remember that trip down there. We无毛视频檙e just hoping to kind of get the bad taste out of our mouth from 2019.无毛视频�