Aliquippa football will allegedly enter the 2024 season with a new coach at the helm for the first time in quite some time.
Quips head coach Mike Warfield is taking a leave of absence due to personal reasons and assistant Vashawn Patrick is expected to take over in the interim, according to a report by the W.P.I.A.L Edition.
It’s a major blow to an Aliquippa squad that is still battling the PIAA in court to stay in the WPIAL Class-4A in the 2024 season.
BREAKING NEWS:
Sources are reporting that Legendary Aliquippa Head Coach Mike Warfield is taking a leave of absence due to personal reasons.
Assistant Coach Vashawn Patrick is expected to take over this position in the interim.
Please respect the privacy of the Warfield…
— The W.P.I.A.L. Edition (@TheWPIALEdition) July 15, 2024
Warfield was hired by Aliquippa in 2018 and since being hired, the Quips went 74-6 and won the 2018 WPIAL 3A title and three straight WPIAL 4A titles between 2021-23 — and three PIAA titles in four appearances.
Aliquippa capped off a 14-0 campaign with a dominant 60-14 win against Dallas High School in the WPIAL 4A title game earlier this month, and Warfield was named the Steelers High School Coach of the Year and a nominee for the NFL Don Shula Coach of the Year.
It was the first Aliquippa squad to go unbeaten and claim WPIAL and PIAA titles — which is surprising considering the illustrious history of the Quips program.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.“I think it means more to the kids because this was something they wanted to accomplish,” Warfield told the Pittsburgh Union Press, with the publication naming him Coach of the Year. “It was a challenge for them. And, you know Aliquippa kids, when you challenge them, they’re going to try to step up to the plate and make it happen. This is something that they’ve wanted and I’m happy and so proud of them to go out and work every day to reach that goal.”
Warfield, who starred at Aliquippa in the 1980s before attending Catawba College and playing quarterback, arrived at Aliquippa after spending time at rival Central Valley as an assistant in the 2010s.
Warfield has not only continued — and built upon — the legacy of Aliquippa football but he’s been a proponent of emphasizing the academics and off-the-field success of the program.
The WPIAL updated the Aliquippa schedule in 2024 after the Quips won an appeal to stay in Class-4A, which the PIAA is still challenging, and for now, the Quips will play in the Parkway Conference with Ambridge, Blackhawk, Montour, New Castle and West Allegheny. The Quips are slated to open the season against back-to-back WPIAL and PIAA Class-3A champs Belle Vernon.
Penn State has a long history recruiting players in the Aliquippa football program, currently having Zuriah Fisher on their roster and holding a commitment from 2025 4-star running back Tiqwai Hayes.
