(Photo by Sly Washington)

Two teams that have claimed WPIAL gold for Beaver County will take their shot tonight in making one step closer to obtaining PIAA gold.

Bob Barrickman joined Matt Drzik on A.M. Beaver County to preview the two games tonight–Central Valley vs. Central (Martinsburg) and Aliquippa vs. Jersey Shore–that feature the two top teams in Beaver County looking to prove that they are the best in the state as well. The Central Valley/Central game will be on Beaver County Radio tonight with a 6:30 pregame and a 7:00 kickoff.

Central Valley enters their match with a 13-0 record for 2021 and a 25-game winning streak overall, tying the all-time Beaver County record. Their last game was a victory in the Class 3A WPIAL Championship over North Catholic at Heinz Field by a 52-15 decision. Central (Martinsburg) enters the game with a 14-0 record following a 35-6 win over Grove City last week.

Aliquippa is the only team of the four aforementioned schools with a loss this season at 11-1; that loss being to Central Valley back on September 10 by a score of 21-12. Since then the Quips haven’t missed, winning ten straight including last week’s 28-13 victory over Belle Vernon to secure the Class 4A WPIAL Championship. Jersey Shore comes into their match with the Quips following a 30-6 win over Meadville, holding a record of 14-0 on the year.

If both teams win tonight, as Barrickman points out, it’ll be the first time since 2002 that multiple teams from Beaver County have made it to Hershey, when Hopewell and Rochester took the trip 19 years ago. The Beaver Valley has had at least one team represented at Hershey each year since 2014, with Central Valley making three appearances during that span (2014, 2019, 2020) and Aliquippa appearing twice (2015, 2018).

To hear the full interview with Bob and Matt, click on the player below!