Mark Madden: PIAA officials clearly insensitive to Aliquippa's reality

There are usually two sides to every story.

But not in the case of Aliquippa High School football being forced to play at the 5A level despite having 2A enrollment. The Quips are getting railroaded by the PIAA.

Consider Southern Columbia, a school in Central Pennsylvania that has won the last seven state football championships in 2A.

Southern Columbia’s success dictates being bumped up as per the PIAA’s classification method. But the team hasn’t absorbed enough transfers to trigger promotion. The formula requires three transfers over two years.

Southern Columbia is a predominantly white school district.

Aliquippa, which won 4A state titles in 2023 and ’21, is a predominantly Black school district. It had five transfers over the past two seasons. So the PIAA is moving them up to 5A.

But these transfers weren’t star players. There wasn’t athletic intent.

“Most of the students being labeled as transfers were born and raised in Aliquippa,” said Tina Miller, an attorney representing Aliquippa. “None of these students came to Aliquippa with athletic intent, nor did they contribute to competitive balance.

“Under the competition formula, a school is penalized for having transfer students who never get one minute of active play.”

Aliquippa’s five transfers combined for one touchdown, 136 passing yards and 4 rushing yards over the past two seasons.

Aliquippa is a transient, low-income community. It’s not like a rich family moving into Upper St. Clair because dad got an executive position. Aliquippa is very different. People come and go. Family situations dictate. So does employment, but not like in white suburbia.

Aliquippa is good people, but a tougher life. It’s no storybook. It’s often just about finding a place to live.

The PIAA decision ignores all that. It’s not cognizant of problems specific to a community like Aliquippa. One size doesn’t fit all.

Has any member of the PIAA executive board ever been to Aliquippa?

Aliquippa currently has 156 boys in grades 9-11. Class 5A schools have hundreds more. Upper St. Clair has 504. Peters Township has 497. The enrollment disparity is enormous.

The talent disparity isn’t.

Aliquippa is an old-fashioned WPIAL football powerhouse. Has been for decades. Aliquippa’s best 11 will be able to compete with any school in 5A’s best 11. The Quips will battle like wolverines and win their share.

But, in the context of 5A, Aliquippa will lack depth.

When injury and happenstance dictate that depth gets utilized, Aliquippa will face physical mismatches. Aliquippa’s second-string linemen figure to be primarily underclassmen and might weigh 30 to 40 pounds less than, say, Peters Township’s backups at those positions.

That could (and will) lead to kids getting hurt. The PIAA isn’t taking safety into account.

Then there’s funding. How much does Aliquippa have to spend on football compared to 5A schools?

One report says that Aliquippa spends $97,981 on athletics.

Upper St. Clair spends $774,337. South Fayette spends $676,738. Peters Township spends $547,481.

The implications of this are ugly, especially given the comparison with Southern Columbia.

The white school gets to win at the same low level forever. The Black school keeps getting bigger obstacles put in its path.

The PIAA can cite its “formula” ad nauseam. But that formula was devised by an organization clearly insensitive and unknowing when it comes to the harsh reality a community like Aliquippa faces.

The formula isn’t carved into stone tablets. It can be flawed and is.

Aliquippa will challenge the decision in court. It’s regrettable when the legal system gets mixed up in sports, but it’s a last resort.

This situation stinks. It’s not remotely fair. The racial optics are terrible.