Saturday, October 04, 2003

From local dispatches

The battle for the Class AA Midwestern Athletic Conference title has become a four-team race thanks to Beaver Falls.

Beaver Falls did something that is rarely accomplished this time of year ... it won a football game at Aliquippa’s Carl A. Asch-man Stadium, better known as “The Pit.”

The Tigers got 186 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 24 carries from ReShaun Tarver in defeating No. 1-ranked Aliquippa, 33-18, last night.

Beaver Falls’ victory, coupled with Beaver’s 31-0 victory at New Brighton, has four teams tied for first place in the MAC. Aliquippa, Beaver, Beaver Falls and New Brighton are all 3-1. Aliquippa is 5-1 overall, while Beaver Falls is 4-2.

“We wanted to prove people wrong who said we couldn’t beat them,” Tarver said. “We needed to stop their offense because we knew we could score.”

Beaver Falls didn’t do a great job of containing the Quips, who finished with 358 yards. But the Quips fumbled six times, losing five, and had a pass intercepted.

Beaver Falls scored 19 points in the fourth quarter and got some help from Aliquippa. The Quips fumbled the snap on a punt and the Tigers recovered on the Aliquippa 32 with 7:49 left to play. Six plays later, Cameron Mobley hauled in a 16-yard pass from quarterback Jordan Potter to give Beaver Falls a 20-12 lead with 4:08 left.

The Tigers then got the ball back on a short, pop-up kickoff, falling on the ball at the Aliquippa 33. Tarver went to work and carried on three consecutive plays, scoring on a 20-yard burst with 3:44 remaining.

Aliquippa got a touchdown on a 10-yard pass from Sjavante Gilliam to Michael Washington, but Beaver Falls recovered the ensuing onside kick and Tarver scored on a 4-yard run at 1:15 to secure the victory.

“It feels good to win at ‘The Pit.’ A lot of people say they’re afraid of ‘The Pit,’ but they must not have ever gone through Beaver Falls,” Tarver said.

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