Austin Bechtold

Aliquippa football has won an appeal against the PIAA, and the Quips will be back in 3A.

Yeah, how about that?

For the upcoming cycle.

So just to quickly fill in the blanks for those who maybe don't follow high school athletics that much, there are six classifications in this state for football.

Aliquippa for many years, based on enrollment...

was a 1A school, which is the smallest classification, intentionally played up two classes in 3A in large part because they're so good that they could do it and still win.

Also, just geographic rivalries were more favorable, I believe, in 3A than if they had stayed in 1A or gone to 2A.

So they had played in 3A.

They were so good and then also had a certain number of transfers that there was a state competitive balance formula that required them to move up to 4A.

And then they tried in the last cycle, the PIA, to move Aliquippa to 5A.

They stayed in 4A, but now upon appeal, they will be back in 3A, which is where they wanted to be all along for the upcoming cycle.

So congrats to the Quips, your reaction to all of this story unfolding.

I would have had no problem if they had said if the rules were met, the requirements were met, which it seems like they were with transfers and success, Aliquippa has to play up a classification or two classifications.

But it should be based on their actual enrollment forcing them to play up from 1A into, let's say, 2A or 3A.

They're actually a 2A school by enrollment now, so they're only going to be playing up 1A.

one classification, but the whole concept of forcing them to play in 4A and trying to make them play in 5A to me was so illogical.

And it's incredible that Al Quippa continued to have success in 4A.

And this wasn't the best roster that the Quips have ever had.

I think they lost maybe three players to transfer who would have been

Francis Academy so really it's a really high profile school yes absolutely it's an incredible story that Aliquippa continues to do this and maybe they get what they maybe finally have wanted for many years now and that's playing in 3A all right final topic for you Limits