Aliquippa players and coaches not thrown off after coaching changes

ALIQUIPPA — Whenever there is a coaching change within a program, sometimes there are growing pains that come along with adjusting to a new face at the helm and changes in how the program is run.

But for Aliquippa players and coaches alike, when head coach Mike Warfield announced that he would be taking a leave of absence during the 2024 season and Vashawn Patrick took over as the interim head coach, it was business as usual for the Quips Tuesday as they continue to prepare for the 2024 season.

“It has been intense with conditioning just starting up,” Aliquippa senior Arison Walker told the Beaver County Times Tuesday. “Nothing has changed with the program, it's just different not having coach Warfield’s other voice here at practices but we are getting used to it and we know that he is still supporting us.”

Emotions were high Monday afternoon when Warfield addressed the team that he would be taking a leave of absence for the season.

Even though several returning starters were disappointed to see their longtime head coach leave, they were also happy to know that he would be getting some much-needed time off.

“I respect his decision to take a leave of absence because he has done things for us that we couldn’t have even imagined doing,” Walker said. “He needs time to himself now because he deserves it. He has been with us all these years he now needs time with his family and has that time off. It will be good for him.”

Junior lineman Justus Starks was sad to see his former head coach go but is excited to see him grow in different ways outside of the game of football.

“It was a bittersweet moment for me,” Starks said. “He is a great coach and now he is taking his time off and he deserves that because he flipped the program around and changed our lives in so many ways. He helped me become a better man so in one way, I need him as a coach but I also want to see him grow in different ways.”

To many, a coaching change of this magnitude inside a program that has found the success that Aliquippa has can seem like a massive undertaking, especially with the season just about a month away.

But for a player like senior halfback Tiqwai Hayes, seeing the work that Patrick has put into the program over the seasons that he has been there, the adjustment to leading the program might not be as big as one might think.

“Behind the scenes, he did everything so he really acted like the head coach before he was even the head coach.”

Just as the players were hit with the news, the coaching staff at Aliquippa also had a similar reaction to the news as well.

Even though the coaching staff knew that it was a huge loss to lose a coach like Warfield, the staff is not concerned in the slightest with Patrick leading the Quips program due to his constant dedication and deep roots in the program.

“Nothing changes now with Vashawn taking over. I think that we are going to be the same team,” Assistant coach Kier Jeter said. “He has been the nucleus of this program since 2009 so I don’t think anything changes with him taking over as the head coach now. He is just a younger coach and he will see things to clean up a little bit but in terms of how we do things nothing changes.”

With a younger coach now at the helm in Patrick, Jeter believes that Patrick being alongside Warfield for so many years will help him push this group further to get the most out of each player every day.

“We like to call coach Mike ‘Ghandi’ he saves us sometimes but a younger coach like Vashawn is really going to push those lines so he ultimately wants to get us better. Him being at the lead, the kids are going to have a lot of pushback because he is going to work them to the best of their abilities.”

More: Aliquippa's Vashawn Patrick ready for new challenge as interim head coach

For offensive coordinator Darrien Fields, the news of Patrick now leading the Aliquippa program hits a little closer to home.

Fields is one of the younger coaches on the Quips staff as he graduated from Marietta College back in 2018.

Before attending Marietta College, Fields attended Aliquippa and was first coached by Patrick when he was in the eighth grade playing on the school’s basketball team.

Now seeing Patrick leading the Aliquippa program, Fields is excited that he has been able to see the new head coach grow into the role that he is in today and is ready to make sure that he flourishes in the new position.

“It is amazing to see his growth. I know that I was a child when he first started coaching me and I didn’t get to see a lot of the ins in outs of what he did but seeing how much he has a hand over and what he does behind closed doors is amazing to see. I know that he is going to flourish and it is our job as the assistant coaches to make sure that he does flourish.”

Now as the Aliquippa team gears up for the regular season with conditioning, Patrick is ready to push this group to new heights as it looks to defend its WPIAL and State titles once again.

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Aliquippa players and coaches not thrown off after coaching changes