Aliquippa Quips vs. Mars Fightin’ Planets — Friday Night Preview

One of the more intriguing WPIAL matchups this Friday, September 4, has the Mars Fightin’ Planets traveling to Aliquippa to face the Quips at 7 p.m. at The Pit. It’s a non-conference matchup, but it should tell us quite a bit about both teams early in 2026.

Aliquippa enters its season opener with plenty of expectations. The Quips are coming off another WPIAL championship season — their 21st WPIAL title — and have moved back down to Class 3A for 2026. Aliquippa is currently ranked No. 2 in Class 3A in one local WPIAL ranking, behind Hopewell.

The big storyline is the start of a new era at quarterback. Junior Handsome Lynn is expected to take over the offense, and he’ll have several weapons around him, including Akiva Woods, Cameron Cannon, Avery Coleman and Anthony Ingram.

Aliquippa did not play last weekend, so Friday will be the Quips’ first actual game of the season. That makes the opening quarter especially interesting. Mars already has a full game under its belt, while Aliquippa will be trying to shake off the normal first-game mistakes.

Mars Already Has a Game Under Its Belt

Mars comes into Friday 0-1 after losing its opener to Seneca Valley, 27-14. That result doesn’t necessarily mean the Planets should be overlooked. Seneca Valley gave Mars an opportunity to play against a larger-school opponent before taking on one of Western Pennsylvania’s most tradition-rich programs.