The start of high school football season is still more than a month away, but the WPIAL football world just got turned upside down.
After guiding Aliquippa to four WPIAL championships, three state titles and an overall record of 74-6 in six years at the helm at his alma mater — capped off by a 14-0 season in 2023 for the school’s first undefeated season in its long and storied history — Mike Warfield has informed the team he is stepping away for a “temporary” leave of absence and will not be coaching this season.
“I just stressed to the team that this is not a sad thing. I think it’s a good thing,” Warfield said. “The most important part is being responsible for the program, the longevity of the program. I have to let my ego go and take myself out of the equation.”
Warfield, 55, was named PUP Football Coach of the Year in 2023 after guiding the Quips to a WPIAL championship three-peat, with their perfect season culminating in a 60-14 rout against previously unbeaten Dallas in the PIAA Class 4A championship game. In his place, former associate head coach Vashawn Patrick will take over as interim head coach for the 2024 season, with fellow assistant Jaleel Fields stepping into the role of associate head coach. Patrick is a 2000 Aliquippa graduate and a former defensive back at Kent State who has been an integral part of Warfield’s staff since his hiring in 2018.
“For the longevity of the program, 20 or 25 years down the road, I think these young and talented coaches are ready to take us that far,” Warfield said. “And I have the utmost confidence in them.”
Warfield penned a heartfelt letter addressed to “Quip Nation,” in which he mentioned that he had previously signed a one-year contract extension for the 2024 season. Citing his lengthy career in law enforcement — including 25 years as a Pennsylvania State Trooper and 21 with the DEA — along with his current role as a regulator affairs manager at McKesson Pharmaceuticals, Warfield stated, “It’s time for a short recess.”
With his leave of absence this year, he and school Superintendent Phillip Woods and athletic director Jennifer Damico will need to revisit his contract situation in 2025. But for now, Warfield won’t be seen on the sidelines in the fall — although he insisted he won’t be far from Aliquippa’s Heinz Field on Friday nights.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Warfield said. “I’m just not going to be on the field on Friday nights and involved in the day-to-day activities.”
The news comes as a sudden shock to most WPIAL observers, who likely envisioned Warfield coaching the Quips for at least another decade. After all, Aliquippa is in the midst of one of the WPIAL’s greatest dynasties ever seen in any sport, with an unfathomable 16 consecutive WPIAL championship appearances despite being forced up to Class 4A as a Class 1A-sized school for the previous four seasons.
Of course, the school is still battling the PIAA in an ongoing legal dispute regarding the PIAA’s competitive balance formula that had placed the Quips in Class 5A for the upcoming two-year cycle. As it stands now, Aliquippa will remain in Class 4A pending a Commonwealth Court hearing on Tuesday.
Along with his sparkling on-field resume as one of the WPIAL’s greatest football coaches of the 21st century, Warfield’s lasting impact on the Quips’ program and the entire Aliquippa community goes far beyond the wins and losses. In his short time as head coach, Warfield helped secure more than a million dollars in funding from Kraft Heinz to completely renovate the school’s downtrodden field and bleachers — some of which had been condemned — while also installing state-of-the-art training facilities on campus.
After so many years of playing their home games on the chewed-up grassy surface known affectionately as “The Pit,” the Quips now play at one of the area’s most impressive venues, complete with a track, turf field and brand-new bleachers. Warfield choked back tears while expressing his gratitude for the funding and the way it transformed the lives of so many youth in Aliquippa — not just today, but for future generations to come.
“These kids deserve everything they’re getting because they worked for it,” Warfield said. “I come up there, I work out, and I see them on the field, and they have every piece of equipment that they need. We had none of that when I started. But you see someone like [Las Vegas Raiders cornerback] M.J. Devonshire and a lot of the kids who graduated college coming to work with the younger kids, that brings a smile to my face.
“When I see Vashawn out there coaching — not because he’s getting a lot of money — he could be anywhere else. He’s that talented. But to see the amount of effort he puts into those kids is touching.”
Only time will tell if Warfield decides to return to his post as the Quips’ coach, either next year or some time in the future. For now, he’s not shutting the door on a possible comeback, but make no mistake about it — Aliquippa is Patrick’s team now, and that’s just the way Warfield wants it.
“I’m going to see how I feel after the season and make another decision,” Warfield said. “It’s time to take a break, give myself a break and also give coach Patrick the opportunity to lead the program. I have no doubt he’s going to do a great job.”
Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at srotstein@unionprogress.com.
