Aliquippa football will stay 4A after winning lawsuit against PIAA

ALIQUIPPA, Pa. (KDKA) -- After a long, hard fight, a judge has finally ruled in a dispute affecting the future of Aliquippa High School football.

Aliquippa won its lawsuit against the PIAA, preventing the school from being moved up to class 5A because of the state's competitive balance rule. The Quips will remain in 4A for football this upcoming season unless the PIAA appeals Common Pleas Judge James Ross' decision.

Ross, who heard three days of testimony, made it clear his decision only affects this upcoming season. 

Aliquippa filed the lawsuit because the district thought it was unfair moving up to 5A, having to play schools that had three or four times as many students, claiming it threatened the health and safety of the student athletes.

Quips head coach Mike Warfield said Aliquippa is pleased with the judge's ruling, especially because they won every argument.

"It's been our concern from day one, is the health and safety," Warfield said. "Also they never allowed us to start from our enrollment. That's all we asked for. When this rule was initiated, we had the competitive spirit before the competitive rule and they never allowed us to start from our enrollment, they started us with where they told us to play. That's where we chose to play. I don't want to be forced to play up three, four classes higher than our enrollment." 

Aliquippa was moved up from 4A to 5A after winning the state championship this past season. The district's attorney, Tina Miller, said the competitive balance rule and competition classification formula are irrational and unconstitutional.

Aliquippa was already given a 5A schedule, and now with this ruling, the WPIAL will have to adjust schedules and conference realignments in order to move Aliquippa back to 4A. 

Some 5A coaches seem happy they don't have to face Aliquippa anymore, but that's not the case for the 4A coaches.