(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

The Aliquippa Quips football team will remain in Class 4A.

The announcement comes following a 21-4 vote by the PIAA to accept the team’s appeal Wednesday night. The Quips were originally set to play up to Class 5A despite an enrollment qualified for Class 1A due to the competitive-balance rule put in place by the state.

The appeal was brought forth after assertions by several personnel, chiefly Aliquippa superintendent Phillip Woods and football head coach Mike Warfield that moving the Quips up another classification would result in a risk to player safety, and an unfair positioning among larger schools. The Quips had previously been moved up to Class 4A for the 2020 season.

Aliquippa will have a chance to defend its Class 4A WPIAL and PIAA crowns next season, but they will receive challenging company as Central Valley will join the Quips in Class 4A following three consecutive WPIAL Championships and back-to-back PIAA titles in Class 3A. In fact, the last school to win a Class 3A WPIAL football title before Central Valley’s current run was–ironically–Aliquippa, who won the 2018 title over Derry en route to their 3rd PIAA state title.