Thomas Jefferson Stops Aliquippa on OT in Dream WPIAL Final Game | Trib HSSN

Through: Chris Harlan

Saturday November 14, 2020 | 4:40 p.m.

---

If there was any uncertainty late in the game on Thomas Jefferson’s sideline, it was over the rules of overtime.

No one on the list had experienced it before. Jaguars coach Bill Cherpak couldn’t remember the last time he was in overtime.

“I was like, ‘If they score, do they win? Said senior Preston Zandier with a shrug.

It turns out that it doesn’t matter.

Thomas Jefferson surrendered a two touchdown lead in the fourth quarter on Saturday, but his defense held out in overtime to defeat newcomer Aliquippa, 35-28, in the WPIAL Class 4A championship at North Allegheny.

The game matched two of WPIAL’s flagship programs, and it lived up to the hype.

In overtime, TJ quarterback Jake Pugh scored from a 2-yard touchdown, then teammate McClain Flinn intercepted Aliquippa’s third pass in the end zone to keep the Jaguars like 4A kings.

Unfortunately for the Quips, they already knew the rules of overtime too well. It was the second year in a row that they lost the WPIAL title in overtime.

“I knew our linemen were going to get a good push and my running backs are always pushing us from behind,” Pugh said. “With the WPIAL championship on the line I knew I was going to come in. Thank God I scored.”

Pugh, a first-year starter, pitched for two touchdowns and rushed for two more.

The WPIAL title was the second in a row and the fifth in six years for No.2 seed Thomas Jefferson (8-1). It was also the ninth for Cherpak, giving him the most in WPIAL football history.

Aliquippa (9-1), a newcomer to Class 4A, was trying to add to his record total of 17. The Quips trailed 28-14 before scoring twice in the last 6 minutes of the fourth quarter.

A 14-yard touchdown from Aliquippa’s Vernon Redd with 1:54 left in regulation forced overtime.

“It’s sad to see the seniors go all out and go a little short,” said Aliquippa coach Mike Warfield. “It’s part of the sport though. We must overcome it.

Aliquippa won the toss before extra time and chose to start the defense. High school uses an overtime format much like college, where teams alternate possessions and have four points to score.

Cherpak admitted he had very little to do with the winning touchdown. Facing the third and the goal of the 2, Pugh addressed a quarterback and followed his cross into the end zone.

“He changed the game and called it,” Cherpak said. “He said, ‘There was no way I couldn’t come in.’ That tells you enough about him.

It’s a game Pugh saw Shane Stump run often a year ago when the Jaguars won the WPIAL and PIAA titles. Pugh was the backup waiting for his turn, a story many players on the roster share this year.

Only three starters returned from 2019.

“Stop talking about Shane. It’s Pugh’s turn. It’s Pugh’s turn, ”Zandier said with a laugh. “He’s a great leader and we needed him. We needed him to intervene, and without a doubt, he did intervene.

Zandier, a Youngstown State rookie, caught one of Pugh’s two touchdown passes. His 42 yards in the second quarter forged a 7-7 halftime tie. Flinn caught a 20 yard yardstick from Pugh in the third quarter to give TJ a 14-7 lead.

“When you win big games like this you never know who it will be to step up,” Cherpak said. “We had so many other guys playing.”

Aliquippa quarterback Vaughn Morris scored twice on a 1-yard touchdown, once in the second quarter and again in the third to force a 14-14 draw.

TJ took the lead in the fourth with short touchdown passes from Pugh (2 yards) and DeRon VanBibber (3 yards). With 6 minutes remaining in the fourth, Thomas Jefferson led 28-14.

Aliquippa’s comeback began with a long kickoff return from Cyair Clark on TJ’s 31-yard line. Two games later Morris joined Tajier Thurston on a 27-yard touchdown.

Clark provided another spark when he intercepted Pugh four and a half minutes from time, preparing Aliquippa for a decisive touchdown. The Quips moved 76 yards in nine plays, helped by two expensive TJ penalties, leading to Redd’s 14-yard touchdown with just under two minutes remaining.

Thomas Jefferson now qualifies for the PIAA Class 4A semi-finals where he will host the District 10 Oil City champion next Friday or Saturday.

Chris Harlan is editor of the Tribune-Review. You can contact Chris by email at [email protected] or via Twitter .

Keywords: Aliquippa, Thomas Jefferson