After inheriting a Quaker Valley team in April that exceeded expectations in winning the 2017 WPIAL and PIAA Class 3A championships, new coach Ron Balog adopted a “Don’t-fix-what-isn’t-broken” approach entering the season opener Friday night against Central Valley.
The Quakers, however, still had some major questions. New starting quarterback Ethan Moore — a standout baseball prospect committed to Kent State — would have to prove himself after inheriting the reins from program great Ricky Guss, who now is at Robert Morris University. And after losing seven starters on both sides of the ball, numerous players would have to step up in larger roles.
Quaker Valley left the game with at least a few answers after defeating visiting Central Valley, 18-0. Moore appeared to be comfortable on his feet and showcased his arm strength, logging 156 passing yards while completing 7 of 15 attempts, 85 rushing yards, two passing touchdowns, one rushing touchdown and an interception.
“I wanted as much continuity as we could possibly have when I got here, so that’s why we have basically all the coaches back, scheme is basically the same, maybe a tweak here or there based on our personnel for this year,” Balog said. “But I just wanted continuity, and this is what continuity did. It got us a win tonight.”
Quaker Valley maintained complete control in the first half. In his first career start, Moore got things started with highlight plays on both sides of the ball.
First, Moore picked off a deep pass from Central Valley quarterback Ameer Dudley and ran it back to the Warriors 44. On the first snap of the ensuing offensive drive, Dudley kept the ball and ran it 44 yards to get Quaker Valley on the board, 6-0. The Quakers proceeded to miss the first of their three 2-point conversion attempts.
After forcing a Central Valley three-and-out, the Quakers struck again. With 48 seconds to go in the first quarter, Moore found wide receiver Ryan Jackovic for a 39-yard touchdown throw, expanding the lead to 12-0.
“The kid’s got a great arm,” said Jackovic, who tallied 83 receiving yards, a touchdown and an interception. “You know that from baseball, going to Kent State. That ball he threw to me was just perfect, mid-stride. He threw some other ones I should’ve caught, it’s so humid, so sweaty.
“I think his throwing and running capability is cool for a quarterback and I love what he’s doing.”
Two big catches by running back Michael Aspiotes put Quaker Valley in scoring position once again late in the second quarter. Facing third-and-10 at their 12, Moore found Aspiotes for a 10-yard catch, leading to a new set of downs.
Facing a second-and-13 a snap later, Moore launched a deep pass to Aspiotes, who used two timely blocks to turn the catch into a 69-yard reception that carried to Central Valley’s 12.
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A holding penalty undid a 12-yard touchdown run by Moore, but it ultimately didn’t matter. Moore followed the penalty with a 25-yard touchdown run, giving the Quakers an 18-0 advantage entering halftime.
Some second-half errors — a fumble and four penalties — prevented Quaker Valley from gaining enough momentum to expand the lead. But Balog is confident that the Quakers will improve in time to play perennial powerhouse Aliquippa next week.
“We gotta clean that up.” Balog said. “We gotta clean a lot of stuff up, but we’ll do that and get ready for next week.”
Omari Sankofa II: osankofa@post-gazette.com and Twitter @omarisankofa.
First Published: September 1, 2018, 2:15 a.m.
Updated: September 2, 2018, 4:28 a.m.
