Mike Warfield returns as Aliquippa football coach after 1-year leave of absence

By: Chris Harlan
Wednesday, December 4, 2024 | 9:14 PM

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Former Aliquippa coach Mike Warfield said he found himself missing the players and coaches even more than he’d expected when he took this past football season off.

So, he’s coming back.

The three-time state champion was reinstated as Aliquippa’s head coach on Wednesday, ending a leave of absence he took in July. Warfield went 74-6 in six years as coach at his alma mater and won four WPIAL titles.

“I missed the kids and I truly missed the coaches,” Warfield said. “I missed being around. I was still involved in the fundraising and getting the kids everything they needed as far as equipment.

“But I said, ‘I miss it.’”

Aliquippa superintendent Phillip Woods announced Warfield’s return in a social media post welcoming him back.

Warfield led the team to three consecutive WPIAL titles before stepping away. At the time, he spoke about the demands of his full-time career as well.

“I had my year off to give me some peace of mind for a second,” Warfield said. “Being in law enforcement for 30 years with the state police, DEA and U.S. Attorney’s Office, I just needed a little break.”

Longtime assistant Vashawn Patrick served as interim head coach this season. He led the Quips to a 7-3 record and a spot in the WPIAL Class 4A semifinals. It was the first time in 17 years that they didn’t reach the finals.

Warfield said his return was not related to anything that happened on the field this fall.

“They had a great year,” he said.

Warfield said he’d been thinking about coming back and made his decision just recently. He hadn’t yet talked with the current coaching staff but planned to jump back into the job almost immediately.

“I’m going to meet with the parents and the kids to see how we can improve the program and what we can do better,” Warfield said. “I know there are some changes to be made, but I think we’re in a really good situation. We’ve got a good group of kids and a good staff.”

A 1987 Aliquippa graduate, Warfield played quarterback at Catawba College in North Carolina from 1987-91. After stints as an assistant coach at Aliquippa and Central Valley, he was hired as head coach at his alma mater in 2018.

Aliquippa went 12-1 in Warfield’s first season, winning WPIAL and PIAA Class 3A titles. The state title was the team’s third overall and first since 2003.

The PIAA used its competitive-balance rule to move the team to Class 4A in 2020. Despite having a small-school enrollment, the Quips won three consecutive WPIAL 4A titles in 2021-23. They returned to the state finals all three years, winning PIAA titles in 2021 and ’23.

Aliquippa celebrated its first undefeated state title in 2023 by going 14-0. Warfield was named the the PIAA Class 4A coach of the year by all-state voters. The statewide award was his second in three years.

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.

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