Aliquippa is once again being forced to play up by the PIAA.
Trib-Live’s Chris Harlan reported that the PIAA has informed Aliquippa it will be forced to reclassify to Class-5A in WPIAL and PIAA play starting in 2024. Harlan further reported that Aliquippa will once again appeal the decision.
This obviously isn’t the first time that Aliquippa has been forced to play up despite having an enrollment that is on par with Class-1A schools. It boils down to the PIAA’s competitive balance formula.
Under that formula, schools that accrue a certain number of points through postseason success and transfer students are forced to reclassify over the next two-season period.
With four points given for a PIAA championship berth, three points for a semifinals berth, two points for a quarterfinals berth, etc., the Quips were successful enough (two state championship berths) and deemed to exceed the transfer threshold over the last two seasons. That, in the PIAA’s eyes, is grounds for reclassification.
But the competitive balance formula doesn’t factor into account the circumstances around both Aliquippa’s voluntary decision to play up from its 1A enrollment or how some of Aliquippa’s transfers land in the system due to situations out of their control.
Aliquippa volunteered to play up at the Class-3A level initially, but the continued success of the program and the PIAA deeming the Quips over the transfer threshold forced a move to Class-4A in 2020. And it happened once again in 2022.
A successful appeal allowed the Quips to stay in Class-4A over the last two seasons, and head coach Mike Warfield will need a successful appeal once again to avoid playing at the 5A classification over the next two seasons.
Aliquippa has certainly been successful on the football field over the last few years, with a 74-6 record since Warfield arrived as the head coach in 2018, but there are significant factors in play when it comes to forcing a school to make such a jump — healthy and safety concerns, primarily.
The PIAA recently released enrollment numbers for Pennsylvania high schools, and Aliquippa checked in with an enrollment of 156 students. That’s Class-2A level — up slightly from its 1A enrollment over the last two-year cycle.
Class-2A enrollment is considered by the PIAA to be between 144 and 216 students. Class-5A enrollment is between 424 and 619 students.
If they were a private school I can completely understand the PIAA decision, but they are public with a dedicated sports program that gets results. So if you’re going to force them to play up maybe they should relegate some of the teams that continuously are 1-9 or 2-8 every year.
They should be playing Class 1A. based on enrollment. They are already playing 3 levels up at 4A. Nothing like punishing a team for being successful. These bureaucrats that run the PIAA need their heads examined.
who will be the toughest local competition in 5A ?
Why isn’t 7 time state champion Souther Columbia being reclassified based upon the competition formula.
The comments show that people speak without knowing facts. Aliquippa is NOT a single A enrollment school, based on the numbers that they themselves submitted to the PIAA. Yhey are have a double A enrollment. The reason that they are forced to move up each cycle is due to the number of transfers. I know, only private schools do this, so this must also be a mistake (again) based on data submitted by the school. If the conversation is around safety, that’s one thing, and probably valid, but clearly people argue this because they are a public school. The people… Read more »