Nov 6, 2014 4 min read

Ten WPIAL head coaches this season faced with conundrum of how to stop Apollo-Ridge senior Tre Tipton.

There is no easy answer.

The Pitt recruit lines up at wide receiver, running back and even quarterback. He tossed four touchdowns with 501 passing yards, caught 19 passes for 342 yards and has 78 rushes for 984 yards. He averages 12.6 yards per carry with 17 touchdowns.

“He has natural athletic ability, but he also has the skill where he sees a lot of things on the field,” Apollo-Ridge head coach John Skiba said. “The luxury of having him is he has been through so much. He’s played for four years, and he’s a matured young man. He’s definitely going to do well at Pitt.”

The 11th head coach to face the talented 6-2, 175-pound athlete is Washington’s Mike Bosnic. The third-seeded Prexies (10-0) will attempt to slow down one of the most prolific offenses in WPIAL Class AA tonight in the quarterfinals at Latrobe High School. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

The winner will advance to the semifinals next week to play either No. 2 Aliquippa or No. 8 Mt. Pleasant for a spot in the championship game at Heinz Field.

“Tipton’s a terrific player, well-deserving of being a Division I player,” Bosnic said. “He’s really fast, explosive and just a real dangerous player. I don’t know if you can stop him. You have to find ways to slow him down.”

Few teams have done that. The No. 6 Vikings (9-1) are averaging 46.9 points per game – third-best in Class AA. Along with Tipton, opponents must find a way to contain sophomore quarterback Duane Brown.

Brown, a converted running back, is the team’s leading rusher with 1,172 yards and 28 touchdowns. He also has thrown 13 touchdowns and passed for 758 yards. When Apollo-Ridge was searching for a quarterback in preseason workouts, Skiba turned to Tipton and Brown.

Tipton had reservations about converting to the position full-time, but agreed to spell Brown in wildcat sets. Despite a lack of experience, they are completing 52 percent of their pass attempts.

“It’s definitely been a different kind of year to have those guys back there,” Skiba said. “We are very fortunate to have them. I really think (Tipton) would have been a very good quarterback if he would have been there full time. He just really understands the offense.”

Brown matches Tipton’s explosiveness and his accuracy improved. Bosnic spent five hours watching film on the Vikings last Saturday and the duo immediately grabbed his attention. Apollo-Ridge also has senior Jonah Casilla, who scored four touchdowns in the first-round victory over Beaver Falls last week.

“Tipton and Brown are really special players,” Bosnic said. “They have a really good football team. They have other guys around them that play with a lot of intensity and are playing good football. The team feeds off those two. They elevate the team with their play.”

Tipton’s athleticism allows A-R’s staff to be creative and has alleviated the weakness on the offense line. Junior left tackle Eric Moran (6-6, 322) is the lone prototypical linemen. The other four starters average just under 200 pounds.

Though the Vikings are allowing 22.6 points per game this season, they are allowing more than 32 per game against playoff teams. Facing a strong Wash High line has Skiba concerned.

“I am absolutely blown away with how well they play up front,” Skiba said. “I think that’s the biggest fear factor we have going in. It’s not just size. They are great technicians and they get after you. That’s the biggest challenge for us. I know they are going to give us fits.”

While the battle on the line will hold great weight, the Prexies are aware that open-field tackling will be critical to prevent Tipton and Brown from breaking big runs. Senior Malik Wells will be one of the key components in slowing the two down.

“We just have to get to the ball,” Wells said. “If we get to the ball and don’t give them a chance to make moves, we have a good chance of stopping them.”