(File Photo)

Story by Ryan Gerazounis, Beaver County radio

(Pittsburgh, PA):  Beaver County was well represented at the 2023 WPIAL high school football championship games on Friday at Acrisure Stadium. The Southside Rams, Beaver Falls Tigers and Aliquippa Quips had all qualified for their chance at WPIAL Gold.

In Class A, the Southside Rams faced off with another Class A powerhouse, Fort Cherry. Unfortunately the Rams fell short 42-28 and was eliminated in the first contest of the day.

The #10 seed in Class AA, Beaver Falls, had revenge on their minds when they faced Steel Valley on Friday afternoon, after being eliminated in this very game last season to the Ironmen. The Tigers fought hard to the end and walked away with a 14-12 win over the top seeded AA team and punched their ticket to the state playoffs.

In AAAA, the Aliquippa Quips were making their 16th straight appearance at Acrisure Stadium on Friday. This years opponents were the McKeesport Tigers. McKeesport proved to be a tough challenge for the Quips but when the final whistle blew it was Aliquippa standing victorious by the score of 35-21.

Beaver Falls and Aliquippa will move on to the state playoffs next weekend to continue their quest for PIAA Gold. Southside has been eliminated from playoff contention.

(File Photo of Acrisure Stadium when it was Heinz Field)

(Brighton Twp., Pa.) Beaver County Radio 99.3 ,1230 WBVP, and beavercountyradio.com  will broadcast live all four WPIAL Championship Games from Acrisure Stadium on Friday. The action will get underway at 11:00 with the Class A game. Robert Mangino and Bruce Frey will have coverage starting at 10:30 AM. Mangino and Frey will also have coverage of the Class AA game as Beaver Falls takes on Steel Valley. The second half of the day will feature Mangino and Mike Azadian with the AAA final featuring  Avonworth and Belle Vernon. The final game of the day will feature Aliquippa and McKeesport.
If you can’t tune into the game you can click the link below to listen on-line via beavercountyradio.com:

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CHICAGO (AP) — Miguel Andújar had thee hits and drove in three runs, Joshua Palacios hit a pinch-hit three-run homer in the ninth inning, and the Pittsburgh Pirates held off a late rally by the slumping Chicago Cubs to win 8-6 on Thursday night.

The loss was the 10th in the last 13 games for the Cubs, who fell into a tie with Miami for the final NL wild-card spot.

“We didn’t play our style of baseball,” Cubs manager David Ross said. “When we hit, we didn’t pitch. Some calls didn’t go our way. We’re not going to win when we don’t play clean baseball. Guys that don’t make mistakes, made mistakes. That’s just where we’re at right now.

“We got nine games left to play our style of baseball. We got to play better.”

Pittsburgh’s Johan Oviedo (9-14) threw six scoreless innings, giving up four hits. The right-hander walked five but escaped trouble on multiple occasions and held the Cubs hitless in eight at-bats with runners in scoring position.

Connor Joe and Ji Hwan Bae each drove in a run for the Pirates, whose bullpen surrendered six runs in the last three innings.

The Pirates took a 2-0 lead in the third when an error by shortstop Dansby Swanson on a potential double play set the stage for Andújar to drive in Joe and Bryan Reynolds with a two-out double into the right-center field gap.

Andújar knocked in another run in the fifth. His hits and RBIs all came against Kyle Hendricks (6-8), who went six innings and gave up seven hits and three runs (one earned).

“Obviously a little frustration, but no panic at all,” Hendricks said. “We still know what we’re capable of. We’re right where we want to be. It’s all in our control. We just got to play fundamental baseball and get back to playing the brand of baseball that we’re used to.”

The Pirates made it 5-1 in the eighth inning when Bae drove in Jared Triolo with a two-out RBI triple. Joe scored Bae with an RBI single before he was thrown out at second.

Mike Tauchman had an RBI double in the eighth and scored later on an RBI groundout from Nico Hoerner to get the Cubs within 5-4.

“This is a playoff-type atmosphere,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “The crowd was in the game. They got back in the game because the Cubs kept punching back. I think you saw from our young players that they continue to go, continue to play, continue to execute and it was fun to watch.”

Palacios homered in the ninth to make it 8-4.

Swanson hit a two-run homer in the ninth off All-Star David Bednar before the closer retired the next three batters.

Southside 55

Northgate 6

Seton La Salle 49

Quaker Valley 0

Avonworth 45

Hopewell 6

Central Valley 34

Chartiers Valley 6

Moon 14

Penn Hills 13

Beaver 49

South Park 23

Ambridge 22

Blackhawk 16

Aliquippa 42

Montour 18

Rochester 42

Summit Academy 6

Mohawk 45

Riverside 0

Ellwood City 34

Freedom 14

Beaver Falls 63

New Brighton 20

Neshannock 27

Western Beaver 26

West Allegheny 46

New Castle 0