As a quarterback, Luke Kosko has come a long way these past few years as he has battled through loads of adversity.
Kosko earned the starting gig at Seton LaSalle his freshman season, but understandably went through a lot of growing pains in what was his first year of high school football.
He then transferred to Thomas Jefferson for his sophomore year. However, it was ruled that Kosko had enrolled for athletic reasons, meaning he was ineligible to play that season.
At long last, Kosko took the field for Thomas Jefferson his junior season. He was not the full-time starter, though, and instead spent the season in a platoon with then-senior Brody Evans.
Kosko got one final crack at things this fall. And, wouldn’t you know, his terrific play has helped lead Thomas Jefferson to a perfect record and to the WPIAL Class 4A title.
Kosko and pals will begin their state run Friday when Thomas Jefferson (13-0) hosts District 9 champion Clearfield (12-0) in a PIAA Class 4A quarterfinal at Windber.
It has been an excellent senior season for Kosko, a 6-foot-4, 210-pound signal caller whom coach Bill Cherpak said has one of the strongest arms he has coached in his 30 seasons.
“It’s night and day,” said Cherpak, who just claimed his record 10th WPIAL title. “He came here as a freshman not really understanding how to be a quarterback. I think he thought it was just throwing the ball. But he’s learned so much more. A lot of mental work and team management, and just being a leader. He was starting from scratch. He’s come a long way.”
Thomas Jefferson’s bread and butter is a rushing attack fueled by Tyler Eber (1,943 yards, 29 touchdowns), but the Jaguars have had considerable success in the passing game, as well. Kosko has been a big reason for that, as he has passed for 1,768 yards, 21 touchdowns and four interceptions. Only one of those picks has come in the past eight games. That’s a big change from last season when he threw for 996 yards, nine touchdowns and six interceptions.
“He protects the ball so much better [than last season],” Cherpak said. “He’s only thrown a few interceptions. Last season, it seemed like he had one or two in every game. He’s learned that every play doesn’t need to be a home run.”
It’s hard to blame Kosko for wanting to hit home runs. After all, he’s also a standout outfielder who signed last week to play baseball at the University of Cincinnati.
Kosko has developed an excellent rapport with senior wide receiver Brayden White, and the two have grown into being one of the top pass-catch duos in the WPIAL. White has 59 catches for 1,118 yards and 14 touchdowns. The two hooked up for a 53-yard touchdown late in the first half of Thomas Jefferson’s 28-7 win against McKeesport in the WPIAL championship. When those teams met in the regular season, it was Kosko’s keeper for a touchdown in overtime that gave the Jaguars the dramatic win.
“They’re on the same wavelength and they feed off of each other,” Cherpak said. “It just works so well. They really rely on each other.”
They will hope for more of the same Friday when Thomas Jefferson takes on a Clearfield team that picked up its fifth PIAA win in school history when it defeated District 10 winner General McLane, 27-26, in last week’s first round. The Bison are 0-4 all time in quarterfinal games.
If you want to beat Clearfield, then you’re going to have to slow down Brady Collins, a senior running back who is having a monster season. Collins has run for 2,574 yards (10.4 yards per carry) to go along with 41 touchdowns. He has rushed for at least 120 yards in every game, has eclipsed 200 yards seven times, and now has more than 5,000 yards in his career. Collins is a Brown wrestling recruit (he has more than 100 career wins in that sport) who finished third in the state in his weight class his junior season.
An interesting note on the game is that both head coaches are former standout linemen from WPIAL schools who played at Pitt. Cherpak, of course, is a Steel Valley graduate, while Clearfield’s Myles Caragein is a 2007 Keystone Oaks graduate. Caragein is in his second season.
Class 6A
Pitt and Penn State don’t play one another this season, so a battle between high schools located in Oakland and State College is the best we’ll get this fall.
Fresh off its first WPIAL title since 2020, Central Catholic (10-2) will take on District 6 champion State College (10-1) at Forest Hills. Central Catholic is trying to win a fifth PIAA title and State College its first.
State College has not had much luck against WPIAL opponents in the PIAA playoffs. The Little Lions had lost eight in a row to WPIAL teams before beating North Allegheny, 28-7, in the quarterfinals two seasons ago.
This State College team has won nine games in a row since its only loss, 7-6, at Harrisburg on Sept. 7. The Little Lions played one WPIAL foe in the regular season, thumping Gateway, 49-14, in the opener. This is a team that can light up the scoreboard. The Little Lions beat Williamsport, 75-14, in the first round and have scored at least 55 points five times.
Senior quarterback Eddie Corkery was 10 of 13 for 282 yards and five touchdowns against Williamsport. Two of those touchdowns went to senior Ty Salazer, who finished with five catches for 92 yards. Corkery and Salazer have been the top playmakers throughout the season. Corkery has thrown for 2,835 yards and 35 touchdowns, while Salazer has 72 catches for 1,520 yards and 20 touchdowns. According to MaxPreps, Salazer leads the state in receiving yards.
Central Catholic hopes to get another strong performance from senior quarterback Jy’Aire Walls, who was 10 of 17 for 207 yards and accounted for five touchdowns (three passing, two rushing) in a 45-14 rout of North Allegheny in the WPIAL championship. Walls has thrown for 11 touchdowns without an interception over the Vikings’ past five games.
Class 1A
After enduring a 20-day layoff in between the City League championship and the first round of the PIAA playoffs, Westinghouse will only have to wait a week to play again. The Bulldogs (9-1) will face District 6 champ Bishop Guilfoyle (12-1) at Johnstown.
Westinghouse is aiming to reach the championship game for the third season in a row. The Bulldogs, who have never won a title, were the Class 2A runner-up in both 2022 and 2023.
Despite the long break between games, the Bulldogs didn’t show much rust in a 61-6 win against District 5 champion Windber. Senior quarterback Khalil Green threw for four touchdowns for the Bulldogs, who won their ninth consecutive game, all but one of which have come by at least 28 points.
Bishop Guilfoyle is a four-time PIAA champion, having won three straight titles from 2014-16 and another in 2021. Two of the titles during the three-peat came against Clairton.
This season, Bishop Guilfoyle’s only loss was at Penn Cambria, 28-27, on Oct. 25. Penn Cambria is 13-0 and a Class 4A quarterfinalist. Senior wide receiver Hamilton Gates is having a huge season for the Marauders. He leads the team in receiving (72 catches, 1,290 yards), is second in rushing (590 yards), and has scored a team-high 33 touchdowns. He scored four times in a 42-18 win against Northern Cambria in last week’s District 6 final. Senior quarterback Chase Kissell has completed 71% of his passes for 2,707 yards and 33 touchdowns.
Brad is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at beverett@unionprogress.com.