Aliquippa football will remain in Class 4A after the judge issued a preliminary injunction against PIAA

By means of: Chris Harlan

Thursday May 23, 2024 | 12:02 pm

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Aliquippa will remain in Class 4A football next season, a Beaver County judge ruled Thursday.

The school district won its first battle in the lawsuit against the PIAA when Judge James Ross granted Aliquippa's request for a preliminary injunction. As a result, the football team will avoid a pending promotion to Class 5A under the PIAA competitive balance rule for the time being.

“Aliquippa will be retained in the 4A classification … for the 2024 football season, pending final determination of the merits in this case,” Ross wrote in his order. He made it clear that his decision only affected the upcoming season.

The three-day hearing at the Beaver County Courthouse began with testimony April 23 to 24 and ended on Friday. Aliquippa filed a lawsuit with plans to expose the competitive balance rule as flawed and unfair, saying the Quips should not be forced to play opponents with three or four times the number of students.

The rule affects football teams that have success in the state playoffs and add three or more transfers in a two-year cycle. These teams will be moved to a higher classification.

The WPIAL has already issued Aliquippa a Class 5A football schedule, but that should now be changed. WPIAL chief operating officer Vince Sortino, who oversees the league's schedules, referred questions to the PIAA.

PIAA director Bob Lombardi declined comment.

“It's still so upsetting that we had to get to this point because they took it personally,” Aliquippa football coach Mike Warfield said of the PIAA leadership. “Based on their history, they're going to fight anyone who goes against their decision-making, and they have $15 million to do it.”

Aliquippa avoided a promotion to Class 5A in 2022, in part by raising health and safety concerns during the PIAA appeal hearing. However, the PIAA later specifically removed health and safety as a basis for an appeal, a decision the judge criticized in his ruling Thursday.

“(You)on cross-examination, Dr. Lombardi admitted that the PIAA did not undertake any study and did not seek medical advice or input in making the decision to eliminate health and safety as a consideration factor in connection with an internal appeal,” Ross said. “Aliquippa claims this change was made in response to their 2022 call.”

Lombardi testified that the PIAA eliminated health and safety as a reason for an appeal after deciding that a team affected by the League Formula would not be at greater risk of injury if they played in a higher classification due to its on-field success.

“This is not a legitimate explanation for the failure to gather medical data or opinions or to conduct a thorough investigation before implementing such a policy change,” Ross said in his decision, “particularly if one makes assumptions regarding health and safety from people. male teenagers. The testimony and evidence at the preliminary hearing showed that the PIAA has more than sufficient resources to fund an investigation on this subject.”

The judge noted that in a 2022 letter to Aliquippa, the PIAA cited health risks to opponents as one of the reasons the football team could not return to Class 3A.

“This gives the appearance that the PIAA will consider health and safety when it benefits a decision it has made, and reject or refuse to consider it in other situations,” Ross said.

Aliquippa presented five witnesses at the hearing, a list that included orthopedic surgeons Stephen Hribar and Patrick DeMeo, Superintendent Phillip Woods, athletic director Jennifer Damico and Warfield, the football coach. Lombardi and chief operating officer Mark Byers testified before the PIAA.

Aliquippa voluntarily played two classifications – from Class A to 3A football – before the PIAA adopted the competitive balance rule in 2018. The Quips were moved to Class 4A in 2020.

“It's the right thing to do,” Aliquippa senior Cameron Lindsey said of the judge's decision. “We shouldn't even be playing in 4A, but I'm glad they made the right decision to keep us in 4A.”

State Rep. Rob Matzie (D-Beaver), a critic of the PIAA competitive balance rule, praised the judge's decision.

“Today's ruling is a temporary victory not only for Aliquippa football, but for all student-athletes across our Commonwealth,” Matzie said in a statement. “The court has clearly identified player safety as the most important factor in its decision. This is the core issue that I, and many others, have cited as the main reason for the Quips to stay in 4A.

“Additionally, the court found that Aliquippa 'established a likelihood of success based on the merits' of their case, which further speaks to the need for a revision to the PIAA league classification formula. In that light, I will continue to work – through the legislative process if necessary – toward a fairer and more equitable method of ranking our schools for athletic competition.

Chris Harlan is a TribLive sports reporter. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at [email protected].

Keywords: Aliquippa