‘Streaks are meant to be broken’: No. 1 Thomas Jefferson ends Aliquippa’s run of 16 straight finals appearances

By: Chris Harlan
Friday, November 8, 2024 | 11:32 PM

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The streak is over.

Sixteen years in a row, Aliquippa had remarkably reached the WPIAL finals, often by exploiting any mistake an opponent made.

This time, the Quips were on the other side.

Top-seeded Thomas Jefferson blocked two punts, scored the first 28 points and played mostly mistake-free football Friday night to defeat No. 4 Aliquippa, 38-21, in a WPIAL Class 4A semifinal at Chartiers Valley.

Jaguars sophomore Tyler Eber rushed for 211 yards and three touchdowns, running behind a stout offensive line that kept the second-half clock running. A week after shouldering 48 carries, Eber had 43 more.

“Everyone made plays — offense, defense and special teams — and we didn’t let them make any big plays (in the first half),” TJ coach Bill Cherpak said. “That was the big part, because they always do. … We were able to turn it into the game we wanted.”

As a result, the WPIAL finals won’t include Aliquippa (7-3) for the first time since 2007.

To put that record-setting streak in perspective, former Jeannette star quarterback Terrelle Pryor was on the field the last time the Quips lost in a WPIAL semifinal.

“Streaks are meant to be broken,” Aliquippa coach Vashawn Patrick said. “But we’re going to come back next year ready, strong and even better.”

The loss also ended the Quips’ string of three straight WPIAL titles.

Thomas Jefferson (12-0) is headed to the WPIAL finals for the first since 2020. Waiting for the Jaguars is No. 3 McKeesport (8-4), which defeated No. 7 Mars, 35-7, in Friday’s other semifinal.

The Class 4A final is noon Nov. 16 at Norwin.

“This was four years of work,” said TJ senior Shep Turk, a Pitt recruit and two-way anchor on the line. “When I was in seventh or eighth grade, I saw guys before me making it and winning it. That’s what we’re going to do. It’s a blessing to finally be able to do it.”

Thomas Jefferson scored four touchdowns in the first 15 minutes, taking a 28-0 lead early in the second quarter when sophomore Luccas Patterson returned a blocked punt 2 yards for a touchdown.

In the first quarter, the Jaguars’ Matt Martinis also blocked a punt and the team saw the snap on another go over the punter’s head. Both mistakes led to short fields for TJ and touchdown runs by Eber.

Thomas Jefferson’s other first-half score was an 88-yard touchdown pass from Luke Kosko to Brayden White, who caught three passes for 121 yards. White added a key interception in the fourth.

“They capitalized off our mistakes,” Patrick said. “We just didn’t play a clean game. Special teams really hurt us and that’s one of our stronger aspects. It has been all year, but we just didn’t execute.”

Aliquippa cut into TJ’s lead with a 22-yard touchdown pass from Marques Council to Tikey Hayes just before halftime. The Quips scored again to start the second half, using a 1-yard touchdown run by Hayes to pull within 28-13 with 10:20 left in the third.

Hayes, a Penn State recruit and career 6,000-yard rusher, fought through injury this season. He was sidelined late in the fourth with a leg injury.

“I know he gave me everything he had his senior year,” Patrick said. “He was going to play no matter how he felt.”

Council completed 16 of 34 passes for 284 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He threw a 43-yard TD to Qalil Goode early in the fourth.

But the clock was on TJ’s side.

The Jaguars consumed much of the third quarter with a nearly 7-minute drive that led to a 8-yard touchdown run by Eber to lead 35-13. A fourth-quarter drive that consumed nearly six minutes led to a 30-yard field goal by TJ kicker Sam Wessel.

The Jaguars attempted only two passes after halftime, choosing instead to run Eber 25 times.

“They had nine or 10 guys in the box at times and we were able to run the ball,” Cherpak said. “It was just awesome.”

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.

Tags: Aliquippa, Thomas Jefferson