Aliquippa football team gets special sendoff ahead of state championship game

The excitement around high school football is building as the PIAA state championship games are set to begin Thursday.Aliquippa High School is one of the teams headed to the finals in Mechanicsburg, and Pittsburgh's Action News 4 was there for the big sendoff Wednesday.“I know the little kids are very excited about it, so it's a blessing. It's all for the kids, so all the support that we get from the community is great,” head coach Mike Warfield said.For the second year in a row, the Quips got a special sendoff as they headed out of town. The team was cheered on by elementary students, parents and community members.“It’s like a family here. Everybody sticks together. It's a beautiful thing, it actually is,” parent Gerode Carry said.“We have people from all over the country that are calling in, feeding the team, donating things for them. Aliquippa is everywhere,” parent Anissa Curenton said.The Quips have quite an impressive record. The team is going into the championship game undefeated at 13-0.“They work hard. They start early. They stick together,” Carry said.Aliquippa will have a chance to defend their state title when the Quips take on Bishop McDevitt High School in a rematch of last year's Class 4A championship game.“It's a historic program ... their accomplishments, they continuously work hard, and I think it starts here with these kids seeing the bigger kids, and they want to be like that, so let’s give them something to work for and look forward to,” Warfield said.“We got major love for each other here. You will see it when they leave, and you'll see it when they come back. Win or lose — mainly a win though,” Carry said.The championship games will be played at Cumberland Valley High School in Mechanicsburg. Kickoff for Aliquippa vs. Bishop McDevitt is set for 7 p.m. Thursday.