JUST THE FIRST BATTLE. THE QUIPS UPCOMING SEASON WILL LOOK A LOT DIFFERENT NOW, THANKS TO COMMON PLEAS JUDGE JAMES ROSS, WHO’S RULING THURSDAY ALLOWS ALIQUIPPA TO AVOID A PENDING PROMOTION TO CLASS FIVE A, BUT HE ALSO MADE IT CLEAR THAT THAT RULING ONLY PERTAINS TO THIS FALL. I DON’T LOOK AT THIS AS A CELEBRATORY EVENT SIMPLY BECAUSE THIS IS WHAT IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN FROM THE BEGINNING, SUPERINTENDENT DOCTOR PHILIP WOODS SAYS. IN SOME WAY THIS IS A VICTORY. BUT HE ALSO KNOWS THIS IS A PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION, JUST ONE STEP IN THE PROCESS. FOR NOW, THOUGH, ALIQUIPPA WILL REMAIN IN CLASS FOUR A AVOID ADDING A RECLASSIFICATION THAT DISTRICT LEADERS AND PARENTS AGONIZED OVER. JUDGE ROSS WAS A VOICE OF REASON. DONALD WALKER, THE THIRD, IS AN ALIQUIPPA COUNCIL MEMBER AND A PARENT OF A QUIPS FOOTBALL PLAYER. IT’S NOT ABOUT THAT. OUR KIDS ARE SCARED, SIR. IT’S ABOUT OPERATING IN A SPACE THAT KEEPS THEM SAFE. THE MATTER OF HEALTH AND SAFETY PLAYED A PROMINENT ROLE IN A THREE DAY COURT HEARING THAT PITTED ALIQUIPPA AGAINST THE PIAA, WITH THE QUIPS ARGUING THEY SHOULD NOT BE FORCED TO PLAY AGAINST TEAMS WITH 3 OR 4 TIMES THE AMOUNT OF STUDENTS. IN HIS RULING TODAY, JUDGE ROSS CITED THE TEAM PHYSICIAN WHO TESTIFIED LED TO AN INCREASE IN INJURIES WHEN ALIQUIPPA MOVED UP FROM THREE A TO FOUR A, AND HOW THIS WILL FURTHER INCREASE IF REQUIRED TO PLAY IN FIVE A, THE JUDGE ULTIMATELY CONCLUDING THAT THE QUOTE FOREGOING DISCUSSIONS MAKE CLEAR THAT THE HARM PRESENTED IS THE INCREASED RISK OF INJURY TO ADOLESCENT FOOTBALL PLAYERS. WE’RE SATISFIED. I’M WE’RE HAPPY FOR THE KIDS THAT WE DON’T PUT OUR KIDS IN HARM’S WAY. UM, AND JUST NOW GET READY TO PLAY FOOTBALL. RIGHT NOW, THE QUIPS ARE STILL ON THE SCHEDULE TO PLAY AGAINST CLASS FIVE A OPPONENTS, BUT THE SUPERINTENDENT AND DOCTOR WOODS SAYS HE LOOKS FORWARD TO SEEING THAT NEW REVISED C
Aliquippa football staying in Class 4A this season
Beaver County judge issues preliminary injunction
Updated: 11:37 PM EDT May 23, 2024
It was the news that people in the Aliquippa School District had been hoping for, and it came through on Thursday.Aliquippa’s request for a preliminary injunction was granted by Beaver County Judge James Ross, which means that the Quips will stay in Class 4A for the 2024 football season.”Of course, then I had to report to the board, report to a couple of internal people. We’re excited,” Aliquippa Superintendent Phillip Woods said.The ruling came after the school district filed a lawsuit seeking to block Aliquippa’s move up to Class 5A under the PIAA competitive balance rule, citing concerns about health and safety.In his ruling, Ross pointed to previous testimony from Aliquippa’s team physician, who recounted the increase in injuries when Aliquippa moved up from 3A to 4A and “how this will further increase if required to play in 5A.””We’re satisfied,” Aliquippa head coach Mike Warfield said. “I’m more happy for the kids that we’re not going to put our kids in harm’s way, and now just get ready to play football.”Ross ultimately concluded that “the foregoing discussion makes clear that the harm presented is the increased risk of injury to adolescent football players.”Woods has seen no sign that the WPIAL will appeal.”The next thing we did was contact the directors of the WPIAL, and provided them a copy of the injunction so that they can provide us back with a 4A schedule, and they got back to us and said that they will be spending the next couple of days and the weekend working on it,” Woods said.Once the district gets the Quips’ 4A schedule, they can start to prepare for the season.”The community is excited. It’s a small town, so word travels pretty quickly,” Woods said.He says that, while in some aspects this is a victory, there’s a job ahead.”Now we have got to get with our legislators to get them to do what they said they were going to do, challenge to the PIAA board, have them revamp and look at their policies and procedures at that level and make the necessary changes,” Woods said.
It was the news that people in the Aliquippa School District had been hoping for, and it came through on Thursday.
Aliquippa’s request for a preliminary injunction was granted by Beaver County Judge James Ross, which means that the Quips will stay in Class 4A for the 2024 football season.
“Of course, then I had to report to the board, report to a couple of internal people. We’re excited,” Aliquippa Superintendent Phillip Woods said.
The ruling came after the school district filed a lawsuit seeking to block Aliquippa’s move up to Class 5A under the PIAA competitive balance rule, citing concerns about health and safety.
In his ruling, Ross pointed to previous testimony from Aliquippa’s team physician, who recounted the increase in injuries when Aliquippa moved up from 3A to 4A and “how this will further increase if required to play in 5A.”
“We’re satisfied,” Aliquippa head coach Mike Warfield said. “I’m more happy for the kids that we’re not going to put our kids in harm’s way, and now just get ready to play football.”
Ross ultimately concluded that “the foregoing discussion makes clear that the harm presented is the increased risk of injury to adolescent football players.”
Woods has seen no sign that the WPIAL will appeal.
“The next thing we did was contact the directors of the WPIAL, and provided them a copy of the injunction so that they can provide us back with a 4A schedule, and they got back to us and said that they will be spending the next couple of days and the weekend working on it,” Woods said.
Once the district gets the Quips’ 4A schedule, they can start to prepare for the season.
“The community is excited. It’s a small town, so word travels pretty quickly,” Woods said.
He says that, while in some aspects this is a victory, there’s a job ahead.
“Now we have got to get with our legislators to get them to do what they said they were going to do, challenge to the PIAA board, have them revamp and look at their policies and procedures at that level and make the necessary changes,” Woods said.
Source
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