Thomas Jefferson storms back after halftime to defeat McKeesport in overtime

By: Liam Belan
Friday, September 6, 2024 | 11:54 PM

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Heading into halftime trailing 28-7 against rival McKeesport, Thomas Jefferson coach Bill Cherpak told his players that their second-half response would define them.

The Tigers managed just 44 yards of offense in the second half, two first downs and no points as the Jaguars roared back for a massive 34-31 win in overtime.

“They were coming at us in the first half, and we were letting them. We weren’t fighting back,” Cherpak said. “Besides the first drive in the first half, we weren’t doing much. At halftime, I told them, ‘This second half is going to define you. Whether we win or lose, we have to show that we can play.’ ”

Thomas Jefferson did just that, handing McKeesport (0-3) its third loss in what has been an extremely difficult start to the season.

“We can be a good team, but we’re just not there yet,” McKeesport coach Matt Miller said. “Inexperience has caught up to us in a lot of positions. that’s really all you can say. There’s times where it looks good, and there’s glimpses into the future, but it’s tough.”

Tyler Eber continued his breakout sophomore campaign for the Jaguars, coming up with 186 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground to lead the comeback.

Two of those scores came in the second half. TJ also scored on a 26-yard connection from Luke Kosko to Kooper Kamberis, and it was Kosko who won the game in overtime on fourth down.

McKeesport’s Ian Shiffler had nailed a 24-yard field goal to give the Tigers a 31-28 advantage in OT, and Eber got the Jaguars inside the 1-yard line on fourth down. Cherpak said the decision to go for it was an easy one, and Kosko repaid his faith by powering the last few inches into the end zone.

“There was no way we were kicking it there,” Cherpak said. “We had honestly talked about going for two when we scored at the end if there was less time on the clock, but I told the offense once (McKeesport) took the lead in overtime, ‘We have four plays to score, that’s it. We’re not doing anything other than running the ball.’ ”

Eber’s last score, a 10-yard run with 2:51 remaining in the game to square it at 28-28, came after the Jaguars fumbled away a chance to tie it at the start of the fourth quarter. Still, the Jaguars persevered to claim the win.

“I think the biggest thing about this win is, we haven’t really faced too much adversity where we had to really come back,” Cherpak said. “We weren’t playing well in the first half, and they really flipped the script in the second half. This is a testament to them and their work ethic.”

The game couldn’t have started better for Thomas Jefferson, as Eber led a 15-play, 75-yard opening drive to the end zone with 46 rushing yards, including a 2-yard run to open the scoring with 5:49 left in the first quarter.

From there, though, the Tigers took over the rest of the first half.

McKeesport threw four passes on its opening drive, catching the Jaguars by surprise as Brady Eastman connected with Javien Robinson for a 28-yard strike to open the drive. Eastman used his legs to extend the drive, and Kemon Spell used his to finish it with a 21-yard scoring scamper with 3:50 to play in the first.

Right after that, Kosko was leveled by a blitzing Michael Wright and spilled the football deep in his own territory. Freshman defensive end Justin Powell recovered it on TJ’s 15, putting the Tigers in scoring position once again, and they quickly cashed in on a 1-yard plunge from Eastman.

With the score suddenly at 14-7, the action subsided for a few possessions into the second quarter. But it was McKeesport that found the end zone next with a long scoring drive as Spell earned his second touchdown of the night. The sophomore took a carry 11 yards into the end zone to push his squad’s lead to 21-7 before things got even worse for Thomas Jefferson.

On the ensuing drive, Kosko failed to find the hands of Brayden White and instead found the gloves of McKeesport’s Anthony Cromerdie. The senior took the interception 37 yards for a score to make McKeesport’s lead 28-7, which stood at halftime.

Out of the break, the home Jaguars took over the contest with 21 unanswered points as Eber made it 28-14 with a 1-yard score, Kamberis scored his receiving touchdown from Kosko and Eber tied it up to send it to overtime.

In the extra period, McKeesport managed just 3 yards on the ground and was forced to kick facing 4th and 7.

For the Jaguars, Eber carried the load with nine yards before Kosko finished the game with his touchdown run.

“I’m proud of the kids and what they did,” Cherpak said. “This is a big win for us.”

Added Miller: “We have to watch film. A lot of it for us is lining up offensively and defensively. We get running around out there, and we’re slow seeing different formations and things like that. We just have to keep working, and hopefully the tides will shift for us.”

Tags: McKeesport, Thomas Jefferson