PUP high school football game of the week: West Allegheny vs. Thomas Jefferson (Playoffs – Week 1)

Each Wednesday, the PUP high school sports staff will preview the game of the week.

Between the hash marks

Who: West Allegheny (4-3) at Thomas Jefferson (10-0)

Where: Thomas Jefferson Stadium

When: 7 p.m. Friday

The coaches: Dave Schoppe (West Allegheny), Bill Cherpak (Thomas Jefferson)

When they last met: Believe it or not, this will be the first meeting between these proud programs since the PIAA shifted from four to six classifications in 2016. West Allegheny spent six years in Class 5A from 2016-21 before dropping down to Class 4A, where Thomas Jefferson has remained since 2016. Their last matchup came in the WPIAL Class 3A quarterfinals in 2015, with the Jaguars defense pitching a shutout in a 14-0 win that would serve as the final showdown between legendary coaches Bill Cherpak and Bob Palko, who are tied for the most WPIAL titles of all time with nine apiece.

Last week: West Allegheny scored a 13-7 overtime win against previously unbeaten Montour to take home a share of the Parkway Conference crown and turn the Class 4A playoff picture upside down, while Thomas Jefferson cruised to a lopsided 49-7 win at Laurel Highlands to complete an undefeated regular season and lock up the No. 1 seed.

On deck: The winner moves on to next week’s WPIAL semifinals to take on the winner of No. 4 seed Aliquippa and No. 5 Trinity.

This and that: These prestigious programs have squared off in the playoffs seven times before, with West Allegheny holding a 4-3 edge in the postseason series. Often times, the winner has gone on to capture the WPIAL championship, with the Jaguars tied for fourth all time in WPIAL championships with 10 and the Indians tied for sixth all time with eight. … Unlike the previous postseason meetings between the teams, Palko won’t be roaming the opposite sideline from Cherpak this time around. Now in his fifth year at the helm at West Allegheny, Dave Schoppe has done a magnificent job navigating a turbulent season that included back-to-back games canceled due to inclement weather to start the year. The Indians didn’t complete their first game until the fourth week of the season on Sept. 13. … West Allegheny clinched a three-way tie for the Parkway Conference title with its overtime win at Montour on Friday, but the No. 8 Indians received the short end of the stick from the WPIAL steering committee. Fans of top-ranked Thomas Jefferson likely aren’t thrilled with the prospect of facing a co-conference champion in the first round, either. … Penn recruit Brock Cornell is a returning PUP All-Star and the unquestioned leader for West Allegheny on both sides of the ball. The son of defensive coordinator Bryan Cornell, he carried the ball 31 times for 140 yards and a touchdown in the win against Montour on Friday, finishing the regular season with 920 yards rushing and eight TDs on 104 carries in seven games played. Fellow senior Roman Police (88 carries, 639 yards, six TDs) scored the game-winning touchdown in overtime against the Spartans. … The Jaguars feature one of the most balanced and explosive offensive attacks in the WPIAL, spearheaded by senior quarterback Luke Kosko (83 of 131, 1,469 yards, 17 TDs, 3 INTs), sophomore tailback Tyler Eber (222 carries, 1,342 yards, 22 total TDs) and senior wideout Brayden White (47 catches, 861 yards, 10 TDs). Thomas Jefferson ranks No. 1 in Class 4A in both scoring offense (37.1 ppg) and scoring defense (10.5 ppg). … After back-to-back losses against Moon and Peters Township to open the season, the Indians have gone 4-1 in their past five games while holding each of their past five foes under 20 points — including Aliquippa and Montour. Expect a defensive slugfest where points will certainly be at a premium, and the team that minimizes its mistakes and maximizes its scoring opportunities will likely be victorious.

Expert picks (records in parentheses)

Brad Everett (5-5): Thomas Jefferson 27, West Allegheny 14

Steve Rotstein (5-5): Thomas Jefferson 24, West Allegheny 10

John Santa (5-5): Thomas Jefferson 28, West Allegheny 10

On the radar

South Fayette (6-4) at Penn-Trafford (8-2), 7 p.m. Friday

One of the toughest places to play in the WPIAL, Penn-Trafford’s Warrior Stadium will play host to this intriguing first-round matchup in Class 5A between the No. 11 Lions and No. 6 Warriors. Multi-sport star Drew Welhorsky passed for 1,571 yards and 13 touchdowns to go with 801 yards rushing and 11 TDs on the ground during the regular season, and he’ll need to raise his game to a new level in order to send South Fayette to the quarterfinals. Slowing down senior tailback Tasso Whipple will be priority No. 1 for the Lions, as the bruising back finished the regular season with 1,490 yards rushing and 13 TDs on 182 carries.

Franklin Regional (7-3) at North Hills (8-2), 7 p.m. Friday

The No. 9 Panthers will visit North Hills’ Martorelli Stadium for an opening-round showdown with the No. 8 Indians, and few teams in the field appear to be as evenly matched as these two. Both physical teams that like to run the ball and let their defenses do most of the heavy lifting, fans of old-school football should get their money’s worth in this one. Senior running back Kyle Dupill leads the way for Franklin Regional with 252 carries for 1,773 yards and 15 TDs, while junior quarterback Kelly McCarthy has passed for 852 yards and 10 TDs to go with 246 yards rushing and five rushing TDs for North Hills.

Cornell (8-2) at Leechburg (8-2), 7 p.m. Friday

It’s not often you see a pair of eight-win teams facing off in the first round, but that will be the case in Class 1A when the No. 8 Blue Devils host the No. 9 Raiders. Leechburg is led by dual-threat quarterback Jayden Floyd, who passed for 1,395 yards with 10 touchdowns while rushing for 1,104 yards and 25 TDs during the regular season. For Cornell, junior Khylil Johnson is a dynamic multi-purpose threat who rushed for 726 yards on 67 carries while leading the team with 25 catches for 414 yards and 23 total TDs in the regular season, and senior Walter Clarit has a team-high 1,049 yards rushing on 100 carries with 16 scores.

PUP ‘underdog’ to watch

Moon (plays at Penn Hills at 7 p.m. Friday)

After a fourth-place finish in the loaded Allegheny Six Conference, the Tigers (5-4) received a No. 10 seed for the Class 5A tournament, sending them to Penn Hills to take on the No. 7 Indians (6-4) in one of the juiciest matchups of the opening round. This won’t be unfamiliar territory for Moon, which traveled to Penn Hills on Sept. 15 of last season with a record of 0-3 and pulled off a 14-13 upset win against the previously unbeaten Indians. Both teams are supremely battle-tested and a threat to take down anybody in the bracket, so expect this game to come down to the wire — and don’t be surprised if the Tigers take home the “W.”