AMBRIDGE — The turning point in Friday night's WPIAL Class AA quarterfinal football playoff game wasn't a single play.

It was Aliquippa's ability to hang on to the football.

The Quips suffered turnovers on three straight possessions between the second and third quarters, as Mars turned a 20-6 deficit into a 20-all stalemate late in the third quarter.

That's when the Quips (9-2) put the game away by scoring touchdowns on three consecutive drives in a 42-20 win over the Planets at Ambridge's Moe Rubenstein Stadium.

Mars quarterback John Brake scored his second touchdown of the game on a 1-yard sneak with 3:23 left in the third period, and Ryan Schroth's extra point tied the game at 20.

Aliquippa struck back with ease, marching 56 yards in six plays, with quarterback Rasheem Jones scoring on a 2-yard sneak of his own.

The drive was aided by a 15-yard personal foul penalty on Mars following a catch by Aliquippa's Jonathan Baldwin to the Planets 44.

"It's a call that helped keep their drive going," said Planets coach Scott Heinauer. "We didn't agree with it, but what can you do? The bottom line is their athletes just took over the game."

Though the Quips missed the two-point conversion, they held a 26-20 edge with just over a quarter to play.

Needing to sustain a drive, the Planets lost seven yards on their next series and gained no yards on the following drive.

Both failed marches set up Aliquippa for two fourth-quarter touchdowns.

The Planets were forced to pass late in the game, but Brake ended the night completing just one pass for positive yardage and was sacked six times, including three times by linebacker Donte Williams.

"We knew we needed to throw the football tonight," said Heinauer. "They started bringing some guys off the edge and we had some breakdowns in pass protection."

"Throwing the ball is not Mars' forte," said Aliquippa coach Mike Zmijanac. "And we were able to make some plays against them."

Passing does seem to be Jones' forte. The sophomore completed 10 of 11 passes for 159 yards and a touchdown.

But it was the one pass he misfired on that changed the complexion of the game.

Jones was looking to add to his team's 20-6 lead late in the first half when he threw a pass designed for an out route and his intended receiver ran a go route.

Mars junior cornerback Chris Herold gladly picked off the mistake and returned it 55 yards to the Quips 10.

Billy Bair, who ended the game with 138 yards on 19 carries, scored two plays later from the 3 with four seconds left in the first half to cut Mars' deficit to 20-13.

"It was a bad throw," said Zmijanac "But it was my mistake to even call that play in the first place. That just may be the dumbest coaching move I've ever made."

Aliquippa's Daron Cox and Terry Patrick both coughed up the football on the Quips' first two drives of the second half, with Mars' Nolan Nearhoof and Herold recovering, respectively.

"We knew they would turn over the football at some point," said Heinauer. "They've done it all year."

But both backs also would help Aliquippa bring down the curtain on the Planets' season by scoring touchdowns in the final period.

Cox ended the game with 143 yards on 23 carries and Patrick had 96 yards on nine attempts.

Cox scored the game's first touchdown on a 3-yard run with 2:54 left in the first quarter.

Brake answered with his first scoring run of the game from 4 yards out for Mars.

Both teams failed on two-point conversion attempts and the game was tied at 6-all.

Jones found senior wideout and Division I recruit Jonathan Baldwin for a 32-yard touchdown in the second quarter and Patrick added a 1-yard scoring run for a 14-point lead before the Quips' turnover problems began.

The loss ends the Planets' season with a record of 9-2.

"Our kids played their hearts out and they didn't give up," said Heinauer. "That's all I care about."

Aliquippa 42, Mars 20

Mars 0 13 7 0—20Aliquippa 6 14 6 16—42M A8 First Downs 2143-184 Rushes-Yards 40-312(-2) Passing Yards 1592-5-1 Passes (Comp.-Att.-Int.) 10-11-1182 Total Yards 4710-0 Fumbles/Lost 2-25-45 Penalties-Yards 7-45

First QuarterA — Daron Cox 3 run (pass failed), 2:54

Second QuarterM — John Brake 4 run (run failed), 8:32A — Jonathan Baldwin 32 pass from Rasheem Jones (Cox run), 7:04A — Terry Patrick 1 run (run failed), 3:25M — Bill Bair 3 run (Ryan Schroth kick), :04

Third QuarterM — Brake 1 run (Schroth kick), 3:23A — Jones 2 run (run failed): 56

Fourth QuarterA — Patrick 43 run (Cox run), 9:14A — Cox 7 run (Patrick run), 5:50

Individual Statistics

Passing: Mars, John Brake 2-5-(-2)-1; Aliquippa, Rasheem Jones 10-11-159-1.

Rushing: Mars, Shane Kaclik 6-33, Bill Bair 19-138, John Brake 12-(-3), Anthony Ciafre 5-18, Team 1-(-2); Aliquippa, Daron Cox 23-143, Donte Williams 5-42, Terry Patrick 9-96, Rasheem Jones 2-5, Jonathan Baldwin 1-26.

Receiving: Mars, Shane Kaclik 2-(-2); Aliquippa, Donte Williams 1-(-1), Jonathan Baldwin 4-52, Tyler Jeter 1-16, Daron Cox 1-17, Rashad Kenney 3-75.