When people talk about the great Aliquippa football teams, the conversation can quickly turn to championships, NFL players and some of the biggest names in Western Pennsylvania football history.

But championship teams are never built around one player. Will Forbes knows that better than most.

Forbes was a first-team All-State standout and a key member of Aliquippa’s legendary 2003 team that captured both WPIAL and PIAA championships. He finished his three-year career with 349 tackles and accomplished three goals he had written down and given to his father before his senior season: become First-Team All-State, win a WPIAL championship and win a state championship.

He accomplished all three.

The 2003 Quips are often remembered for Darrelle Revis’ incredible performance in the state championship, when the future NFL Hall of Famer scored five touchdowns in a 32-27 victory over Northern Lehigh.

Forbes remembers something else just as clearly—the entire team.

He remembers the players who didn’t receive the headlines, the dominant defense, the accountability inside the locker room and a group of young men who had grown up together and cared more about winning than individual statistics.

And Forbes’ appreciation for Western Pennsylvania football extends far beyond his own playing career. Like me, he’s a student of WPIAL history.

His passion started with his father, who played at Center High School in the late 1970s, and developed through years of watching games and studying the great players, teams and programs that helped make Western Pennsylvania football what it is.

That made this conversation bigger than simply looking back at one championship season.

We talked about the 2003 Quips, Revis, Aliquippa’s football culture, the WPIAL’s greatest teams and players, the four-classification era, forgotten stars, how Western Pennsylvania football has changed—and why its history needs to continue being told.

Here is my Q&A with former Aliquippa standout Will Forbes.

 

Q: Growing up in Aliquippa, when did you first realize football there was different from football in most communities?

Will Forbes: People forget that in second grade I moved to Moon because it was closer to my parents’ jobs, but we moved back my ninth-grade year. Even while I was living in Moon, I was still going to all the Aliquippa football and basketball games. What made Aliquippa different was that the whole community was there, and you had to win. That was always the expectation. It was state championship or bust. Winning the conference didn’t mean anything. If you wanted to be part of the history, winning WPIAL or state championships was always the expectation.

 

Q: Before we talk about the 2003 championship, what do you want people to remember about Will Forbes the football player?

Will Forbes: I want people to remember that I played to the best of my ability and that I was a student of the game. Watching film was how the game became easier for me because I knew what I had to do. By doing that, I was able to record 349 tackles in three years, which was a lot in that era. I also want to be remembered as a great teammate who supported the guys around me.

 

Q: You earned first-team All-State honors. What did that recognition mean to you at the time?

Will Forbes: It meant a lot because that was a goal I had set when I was eight years old, and I carried that goal into my senior year. I actually wrote my goals down on paper and gave them to my dad. My three main goals were to make First-Team All-State, win the WPIAL championship and win the PIAA state championship. I was able to accomplish all three.

 

Q: Take me inside that 2003 Aliquippa team. What made that group special beyond the talent everybody remembers?

Will Forbes: That team was special because we all grew up together, but more importantly, we hung out together too. We held each other accountable for our actions. We were a close-knit group, and I believe that’s why we were able to win. Stats didn’t matter. It was simply about winning and getting the job done.

 

Q: When people discuss that team today, Darrelle Revis naturally gets a lot of attention. Who were some of the other players whose importance people may have forgotten?

Will Forbes: Besides Darrelle and myself, you had players like Mike Washington, Tommie Campbell, Svante Gilliam (RIP), Willie Walker, Charman Jones, Donte Patrick, Domel McKenzie, Paris Cobbs, DJ Jeter, Randall Halakovich, Kaylin Mills, Marquan Reagan (RIP) and Jim Brown. I named all of those players because everyone did their job. It didn’t matter who got the recognition or the stats. Everyone did their job to the best of their ability. That’s what made us a great team.

 

Q: When did you realize Revis was different—not just a great high school player, but somebody capable of becoming what he eventually became?

Will Forbes: Darrelle was always good growing up, but I would say midway through our junior year. He started getting the ball more on offense while also becoming a lockdown corner. I knew he was going to make it to the Hall of Fame because of his work ethic and determination. That’s what made him special and eventually one of the greatest to ever do it on every level.

 

Q: What do you remember most about the run to the WPIAL championship?

Will Forbes: I remember us going on a nine-game winning streak after losing to Beaver Falls—which still makes me upset—and dominating the opposition. Our defense took it to another level. We gave up only one touchdown in four playoff games, including the WPIAL championship game, which was hard to do. At the time, we had the second-best defense. We held a great Jeannette offense that averaged around 40 points per game and was led by Jordan Thomas to 87 total yards. We were just dominant during that run.

 

Q: What do you remember about going to Hershey and beating Northern Lehigh 32-27 for the state championship?

Will Forbes: The first thing I remember is playing on Sunday instead of Saturday because the snow caused the game to be postponed. As far as the actual game, it was the best game I ever played in. Both teams were going back and forth. Late in the game, we were losing 27-26. If Domel McKenzie doesn’t cause that fumble and I don’t recover it, we lose that game. Two plays later, Revis scores the winning touchdown to put us ahead 32-27, and we made history by winning the state championship.

 

Q:  Revis’ five-touchdown performance has become legendary. What was it like actually being on the field and witnessing it?

Will Forbes: To tell you the truth, I didn’t even know he had five touchdowns until after the game. Watching him showcase his talent and score that many touchdowns showed why he was great. But one thing about Darrelle was that he always thanked his teammates for helping make it possible.

 

Q: Where does the 2003 Aliquippa team rank among the greatest teams in WPIAL history, and why?

Will Forbes: I would say we’re a top-20 team because we won both the WPIAL and PIAA championships. We could have been top 10 if we had gone 15-0. That team was really special and close-knit. We dominated our competition besides that one loss that still bothers me. Just being mentioned as one of the top teams is an honor because of all the great teams the WPIAL had.

 

Q: You and I share something besides playing in the WPIAL—we both really study its history. Where did your passion for WPIAL sports history come from?

Will Forbes: The passion came from my dad. He played at Center High School in the late 1970s and graduated in 1980. He played against guys like Dwight Collins, who went to Pitt; Jimbo Covert, who went to Pitt; and Glenn Dennison, who went to Miami. My dad would tell me stories, but we also went to games outside of Aliquippa when I was growing up so I could see other great players. I’ve always loved the competition in WPIAL football and basketball and learning about all the great players and teams.

 

Q: What eras of WPIAL football do you think younger fans don’t understand or appreciate enough?

Will Forbes: I started going to games when I was around six years old, so I would definitely say the 1990s and early 2000s. That era wasn’t only tough if you wanted to win a championship. It was tough just to make the playoffs, let alone win your conference.

 

Q: Who is the greatest WPIAL football team you’ve ever seen?

Will Forbes: That’s so tough that I have to break it down by classification.

Single-A: 1996 Farrell.

Double-A: 2000 Aliquippa.

Triple-A: 1996 Blackhawk.

Quad-A: 1999 Woodland Hills.

 

Q: Who are the five greatest WPIAL football players you’ve personally seen?

Will Forbes: Terrelle Pryor, LaVar Arrington, Steve Breaston, Darrelle Revis and Eugene Jarvis.

 

Q: Which former WPIAL player doesn’t get nearly enough recognition today?

Will Forbes: Josh Lay. To me, he’s one of the best athletes the WPIAL has ever seen. He was Pryor before Pryor in both football and basketball.

 

Q:  Which WPIAL program, historically, doesn’t get enough respect?

Will Forbes: To me, it’s more than one. Programs people forget about include Rochester, Washington, Blackhawk and Farrell, especially because Farrell isn’t in the WPIAL anymore.

 

Q: Aliquippa has produced an incredible amount of football talent for such a small community. Why Aliquippa? What is it about that place?

Will Forbes: Like people say, it must be something in the water. Football is a way out and a way of life. The toughness and determination make you want to be great. You’re not only playing for yourself. You’re playing for your family, your community and all the people who paved the way before you. That’s why we’ve been so successful and why I believe Aliquippa is the best program in WPIAL history.

 

Q: How has WPIAL football changed the most since you played?

Will Forbes: I think the biggest change was going from four classifications to six. When that happened, it got rid of a lot of the rivalries and competition we had in Class A, AA, AAA and AAAA. Today’s players don’t remember some of the rivalries that we had.

 

Q:  Do you think six classifications have made it harder to compare today’s teams with teams from previous eras?

Will Forbes: Yes, because I think the WPIAL is more watered down and there’s not as much competition as there used to be. Back then, we had WPIAL teams rated nationally by USA Today, like Central Catholic, Aliquippa, Penn Hills, North Hills and Upper St. Clair. To receive a national ranking back then was an honor and showed how good your team really was.

 

Q: If you could preserve one thing about old-school WPIAL football for the next generation, what would it be?

Will Forbes: I would want them to look at the history of the WPIAL and understand how many great teams and players came before them. That’s what I did growing up. We’ve had so many great teams and players that this generation may not know or remember.

 

Q: After Aliquippa, you continued your career in college. What did that part of your journey teach you?

Will Forbes: It taught me determination and not to give up. In 2007, I was involved in a really bad car accident that almost took my life and ended my football career. But I kept going. I was still able to earn my degree in Human Services and eventually earned two master’s degrees—one in Developmental Psychology and another in School Counseling.

 

Q: When people look back 20 or 30 years from now, what do you want them to know about Will Forbes?

Will Forbes: I want them to know that I wasn’t only a good football player, but a great person as well. I was raised right by my parents, and I believe in treating others the way I would want to be treated. I also want people to know that I’m a family man. Family means everything to me.

 

Q: Last one: Give me your Mount Rushmore of WPIAL football—four players, any era.

Will Forbes: Terrelle Pryor. LaVar Arrington. Sean Gilbert. Darrelle Revis.