WPIAL Class 4A preview: Heavyweights Thomas Jefferson, South Fayette to battle for title

By: HSSN Staff
Wednesday, November 14, 2018 | 7:06 PM

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Thomas Jefferson and South Fayette have been ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in their division virtually all season.

Now, the two football juggernauts finally get to meet.

Three-time defending champion Thomas Jefferson plays South Fayette at 5 p.m. Saturday in a much-anticipated WPIAL Class 4A finals matchup at Heinz Field.

This is believed to be the first time these two schools ever have met on the football field.

“South Fayette is an excellent team,” TJ coach Bill Cherpak said. “They are the best team we’ve played the last three seasons with the exception of Erie (Cathedral) Prep.”

The credentials for both WPIAL finalists are legendary.

Thomas Jefferson, 11-0 overall and the No. 1 seed in Class 4A, is shooting for a rare fourth consecutive WPIAL title, something that has been accomplished only by Braddock in the 1950s and Clairton from 2008-12.

With a victory, Cherpak can tie Bob Palko of West Allegheny for most WPIAL titles. Cherpak has seven, tied for second with Phil Bridenbaugh of New Castle.

No. 2 seed South Fayette, which formerly competed in Class AA, is making its fifth WPIAL finals appearance in nine seasons.

“We’ve had a nice few weeks. We seem to be getting better each week,” SF coach Joe Rossi said. “We played one of our best halves last week in the first half against Belle Vernon.”

The Lions (11-1) won the Northwest Eight Conference this season and have finished undefeated in conference play nine times in the past 10 years. They have won 57 conference games in a row, dating back to 2011, and are 77-2 in league games since 2009.

South Fayette won WPIAL and PIAA titles in 2013-14, and was a WPIAL runner-up in 2015.

This season, the Lions are averaging 39.1 points while allowing 10, and have posted five shutouts.

“They are very efficient and explosive on offense,” Cherpak said. “They make you defend the whole field every play. It will be a huge challenge for our defense.”

Thomas Jefferson, the Big Eight Conference champion, has won or shared 11 conference titles in 13 seasons.

The Jaguars have attained five undefeated regular seasons over the past seven years, and 12 in school history.

The TJ gridders also have won 96 of their past 100 conference games dating back to 2005, and 118 of 123 since 2001.

And they have qualified for the WPIAL playoffs 24 years in a row, tied with Aliquippa for the longest active playoff streak.

The Jaguars have a high-octane offense this season, scoring at a 49.7 ppg clip, while giving up 8.9 ppg and registering three shutouts. TJ has eclipsed 70, 60 and 50 points once, and 40 points five times, including 49-16 and 47-7 playoff victories over No. 8 New Castle and No. 4 Blackhawk.

The Jaguars’ marquee players on offense are senior running back Max Shaw, junior quarterback Shane Stump and junior wide receiver Dan Deabner — all 1,000-yard performers.

“TJ is big and strong, and they take pride in their offensive line,” Rossi said. ”Their tailback is an explosive runner, and their quarterback can chuck it. They have a tremendous receiver and quarterback; they really operate well together. You can’t just concentrate on their running game.”

The workhorse Shaw rushed for 314 yards and five touchdowns on 33 carries against Blackhawk, giving him 1,759 yards and 32 scores on the year. He averages 10.2 yards per carry.

Stump has connected on 80 of 127 passes for 1,668 yards and 24 touchdowns, and has been intercepted eight times.

His favorite target is Deabner with 51 receptions, 1,219 yards and 19 scores.

TJ’s offensive line is anchored by center Dom Serapiglia, a 6-foot-2, 295-pound senior and fourth-year starter. Serapiglia can become the first player in program history to be a starter on four WPIAL championship teams.

“It’s always great to get back to Heinz Field,” Serapiglia said. “South Fayette is a good team, they are coached very well, and they are good at what they do.”

South Fayette has established itself as the WPIAL’s top passing team in recent years. The Lions are led by senior quarterback Jamie Diven, who has thrown for 2,767 yards and 41 touchdowns, completing 155 of 252 passes with eight interceptions.

“(Diven’s) a first-year starter. He’s consistently getting better with our offense each week,” Rossi said. “We throw it all over the field.”

A West Allegheny transfer, the left-handed Diven hit on 21 of 33 passes for 333 yards and three scores last week in his team’s 28-10 win over No. 3 Belle Vernon.

“South Fayette is really the only team we have faced that throws the ball as much as they do,” Cherpak said.

“They have also been very good on defense. They only allowed Belle Vernon to score 10 points.”

Senior wide receiver/defensive back Mike Trimbur leads South Fayette in receiving with 49 catches for 936 yards and 15 touchdowns, an average of 19.1 yards per reception.

“He’s done a nice job for us,” Rossi said. “We have a lot of guys helping out behind him.”

A total of 17 players have caught passes for the Lions. Trimbur has been complemented by sophomore wide receiver Charley Rossi (32-523) and senior wide receiver Peyton Tinney (19-418), who have combined for 14 touchdowns.

South Fayette has won 11 times since a season-opening loss to Class 5A Upper St. Clair, which snapped the Lions’ 57-game regular-season winning streak.

Junior tailback Andrew Franklin, who gained 162 yards on nine carries in his team’s 42-6 first-round victory over No. 7 Greensburg Salem, is the Lions’ leading rusher with 789 yards and nine scores. Franklin averages 6.1 yards per carry.

RayQuin Glover, a senior receiver/defensive back, has accounted for 744 yards and eight touchdowns offensively, with 17 receptions for 321 yards, plus 423 yards on the ground.

The anchor on the Lions’ offensive line is Tom Elia, a 6-3, 275-pound senior.

Defensively, South Fayette’s linchpins are junior linebacker Nolan Lutz and senior defensive end Ben Coyne, along with junior defensive lineman Quentin Franklin, senior linebacker Joe Mowod, senior defensive back Ryan Kokoski, junior linebacker Zach Blank and Glover.

TJ’s driving force on defense is its linebacking corps, consisting of Shaw and juniors Nathan Werderber, James Martinis and Bowen Dame. They have been complemented by junior defensive lineman Logan Danielson, along with Stump and Deabner in the secondary.

Two of the area’s top kicking specialists also will be featured in this game.

South Fayette senior Ryan Coe, a Temple recruit, has booted 55 of 57 PATs and seven field goals, good for 76 points.

“He consistently kicks it in the end zone on kickoffs,” Cherpak said, “and has the ability to make field goals from 50 yards.”

TJ senior A.J. Meshanko, a four-year starter on the Jaguars’ soccer team, has accounted for 67 extra points.

Ray Fisher is a freelance writer.

Tags: South Fayette, Thomas Jefferson