They say all good things must come to an end, and the mighty Aliquippa dynasty and its legion of die-hard supporters learned that the hard way on Friday night.
In only the third meeting all time between two of the WPIAL’s most prestigious programs, Class 4A No. 1 Thomas Jefferson kept its perfect season intact and snapped the No. 4 Quips’ record-setting streak of 16 consecutive WPIAL championship appearances with a convincing 38-21 semifinal victory at Chartiers Valley High School. The Jaguars (12-0) roared out to a 28-point lead early in the second quarter then withstood Aliquippa’s second-half rally to secure their spot in the WPIAL championship game.
“It’s exciting, because none of these kids have experienced this before,” said Thomas Jefferson coach Bill Cherpak, one of only two coaches with nine WPIAL titles to his credit. “We played well offensively, defensively and on special teams, and that’s what it took to beat a team like that.”
Sophomore tailback Tyler Eber picked up right where he left off in the Jaguars’ first-round win against West Allegheny, carrying the ball 43 times for 209 yards and three touchdowns in another workmanlike performance. One of the top breakout players in the WPIAL this fall, Eber now has 91 carries for 441 yards and five scores in two playoff games, raising his season totals to 1,783 yards rushing and 27 TDs.
“I did not think I had 43 carries. I felt very fresh, actually,” Eber said. “It’s awesome. We just do what we do.”
Despite only touching the ball three times on offense, senior Brayden White made just as big of an impact as Eber on Friday. The multi-talented wideout caught three passes for 128 yards and a TD while also reeling in a diving interception in the fourth quarter to put an end to a last-gasp comeback attempt by the Quips (7-3).
“When that ball is in the air, it’s got to be mine,” White said.
With the win, the Jaguars will advance to the WPIAL title game for the first time since 2020, when they beat the Quips in an unforgettable overtime classic on their way to capturing back-to-back WPIAL and PIAA crowns. But while that meeting between the teams felt like the high school football equivalent of a 15-round heavyweight championship bout, Friday’s matchup appeared to have the makings of a first-round knockout early on.
Thomas Jefferson effortlessly moved the ball down the field on its opening drive, but a tipped pass in the end zone wound up in the hands of Aliquippa sophomore Larry Moon for a highlight-reel interception. The Jaguars then forced a three-and-out on the Quips’ first possession, and sophomore Kane Eggerton blocked the ensuing punt to set up a 7-yard TD run by Eber, giving Thomas Jefferson a 7-0 lead. On its next drive, White caught a short pass from quarterback Luke Kosko and made a couple of would-be tacklers miss before outracing the Aliquippa defense all the way to the end zone for a spectacular 88-yard score.
“It feels amazing,” Kosko said. “Our line is amazing. I couldn’t ask for anything more from anybody on this team. We all play together, and that’s why we’re so good this year.”
Eber plunged into the end zone for his second score of the game less than a minute into the second quarter, then fellow sophomore Luke Patterson corralled a bobbled snap as the Quips lined up to punt and walked into the end zone untouched just a few moments later. Just like that, the Jaguars had jumped out to a 28-0 lead with more than half the game still to play, and the always-rowdy Aliquippa faithful could do nothing but sit in stunned silence.
But of course, the Quips are never out of a game until the clock hits zero, and their fans came back to life following a 22-yard TD pass from Marques Council to Penn State recruit Tiqwai Hayes with 55 seconds left in the first half. Hayes then hauled in another long reception down to the 1-yard line on the opening drive of the second half, and his 1-yard TD run on the following play cut the deficit to 28-13.
“I was never comfortable, even when there were 30 seconds left,” Cherpak said. “Because they’re so explosive. They can make so many plays. They’re such a great program and great team. You hold your breath every time they have the ball.”
In desperate need of an answer to halt Aliquippa’s momentum, Thomas Jefferson turned to its trusted tandem of White and Eber. First, White started the drive with a 34-yard catch-and-run, then Eber did the rest, carrying the ball nine consecutive times on his way to an 8-yard TD run late in the third quarter.
Council found junior Qa’lil Goode for a 33-yard touchdown pass early in the final quarter to give the Quips a bit of hope at 35-21, but that was as close as they would come the rest of the way. After a 30-yard field goal by Samuel Wessel stretched the Jaguars’ lead to 38-21, Pitt recruit Shep Turk closed the show with a pair of emphatic sacks on Aliquippa’s final possession to send Thomas Jefferson to its first championship game in four years.
“Looking up to guys [when I was] in seventh and eighth grade, them making it to the [championship] game and winning that game, that’s what we want to do now,” Turk said. “It’s a blessing to finally be there.”
Other Class 4A semifinal
It will be a highly anticipated rematch on tap in Saturday’s Class 4A championship game, as No. 3 McKeesport outmuscled No. 7 Mars (6-6) to earn its second consecutive trip to the title game with a 35-7 triumph at Gateway. The Tigers (8-4) have now won seven consecutive games following a 1-4 start that included a 34-31 overtime loss against Thomas Jefferson on Sept. 6.
A Penn State recruit who rushed for 274 yards in an opening-round win over Belle Vernon, sophomore sensation Kemon Spell turned things up a notch in Friday’s semifinal win against the Planets. An explosive playmaker of the highest order, Spell rushed for 280 yards and three TDs to lift McKeesport to the lopsided win, giving him 1,616 yards and 24 TDs on just 142 carries for the season.
Class 6A semifinals
For the third year in a row, No. 1 Central Catholic and No. 2 North Allegheny will square off in the WPIAL Class 6A final, with the Vikings (9-2) advancing to their sixth consecutive title game and the two-time defending champion Tigers (10-1) aiming for a three-peat in the WPIAL’s largest classification.
Both teams easily took care of business on Friday, as Central dispatched No. 4 Seneca Valley (3-7) by a 38-14 verdict, while North Allegheny dismantled No. 3 Mt. Lebanon (3-7) by a score of 48-14. Elijah Faulkner rushed for 151 yards and a trio of touchdowns to power the Vikings to victory, while Luke Rohan ran for 83 yards and two TDs and Dylan Brokos rushed for 65 yards and a score in the Tigers’ win.
Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at srotstein@unionprogress.com.
