5 things to watch in Week 2: WPIAL teams are winning with multiple QBs

By: Chris Harlan
Friday, September 8, 2023 | 3:20 AM

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There’s an old saying about football teams with two starting quarterbacks actually having none, but Thomas Jefferson coach Bill Cherpak clearly disagrees.

This year, the Jaguars have two QBs and they’re finding success with both.

Senior quarterback Brody Evans and junior Luke Kosko have rotated every two possessions this season, and combined they’ve passed for 480 yards in two games. The team is 2-0 and has outscored opponents 91-10.

“Either one of them would probably start at 90% of the other high schools,” Cherpak said. “So, it’s just a situation where you have two good players at one time.”

They’ll use both again Friday when they host West Mifflin in a nonconference game. But Thomas Jefferson isn’t the only WPIAL team using multiple quarterbacks nowadays.

Reigning state champion Pine-Richland is also winning with two quarterbacks. Senior Kanan Huffman is a pocket passer and freshman Aaron “Oobi” Strader is a dual-threat QB who can run, giving the offense different looks.

The Rams are coming off a 48-0 victory over Kiski Area, in which Huffman threw for two touchdowns and Strader ran for one.

“We’re also snapping the ball to a running back (as a wildcat quarterback), so we have three different offenses going on,” Pine-Richland coach Jon LeDonne said. “It’s good in a way, because with three different offenses, (opponents) have three different things to prepare for. Hopefully, we can catch some defense off guard.”

Among the others with multiple quarterbacks, Mt. Lebanon coach Mike Collodi entered the season with both a passing and a rushing QB. Aliquippa returned senior starter Quentin Goode, a two-time WPIAL champion, but Quips coach Mike Warfield promised that talented sophomore Marques Council Jr. also would see some snaps.

Council threw six passes in Week 1.

“A lot of teams don’t have one quarterback, let alone two,” Cherpak said. “It’s a blessing that way.”

Thomas Jefferson’s two-quarterback offense developed a little differently. Kosko, a 6-foot-4, 210-pound passer with college offers from Marshall and Charlotte, transferred from Seton LaSalle to Thomas Jefferson before last season.

However, the WPIAL ruled Kosko ineligible, forcing him to sit out his sophomore year.

Evans (6-3, 190) earned the starting job last fall and led the Jaguars to the WPIAL semifinals. He passed for 1,986 yards and 19 touchdowns.

Once Thomas Jefferson coaches decided to begin this season using both, Cherpak let the quarterbacks decide the rotation. They’d considered switching every quarter, Cherpak said, but the QBs preferred every two possessions.

“When you’re the quarterback that’s not in, you get to watch and see what’s going on,” Cherpak said. “So, once you get in there, you have a feel for how they’re playing (defense). You see things you can’t see when you’re on the field. I think it has helped.”

Still, Cherpak hasn’t committed to using both QBs for the entire season. If one outplays the other, that quarterback will get the job full-time, he said. Kosko has completed 13 of 21 passes for 266 yards and three touchdowns. Evans is 9 of 16 for 214 yards.

“They’re both playing because they both deserve to play,” Cherpak said. “We’re using two quarterbacks until it’s not useful to use two quarterbacks.”

Kicking for a cure

Trinity’s offense has kept kicker Andy Palm busy with 10 extra-point kicks. That’s good news for the Hillers, but also for a foundation fighting childhood cancer.

The Trinity junior is raising funds for the charity this season by asking supporters to donate money for each extra point he makes. The effort is through the website Alex’s Lemonade Stand. He was already up to $195 entering this week’s game, but could push that total higher Friday when Trinity hosts Peters Township.

Donors can pledge anywhere from $1 or more per kick.

Jeannette quarterback Payton Molter recently started a similar fundraiser for a family friend battling cancer. Each time Molter scores a touchdown, he is asking donors to give $20 is support of Lisa Friscarella, a Jeannette alum and mother of four undergoing cancer treatment.

Jefferson-Morgan visits Jeannette on Friday.

This season through @AlexsLemonade I will be raising money through my successful extra points to help fund childhood cancer research. Any donation or pledge is greatly appreciated!https://t.co/Z2teMptqw0

— Andy Palm (@Andypalmmm) August 23, 2023

Looking for a win

It’s hard to describe a Week 2 matchup as must-win, but Seneca Valley at Canon-McMillan on Friday night might have major playoff implications later in the year.

Last season, Canon-McMillan won, 33-21, in a victory that ultimately sent the Big Macs to the playoffs and left Seneca Valley at home. The two tied with 1-3 conference records, but Canon-McMillan owned the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Four of the five teams in WPIAL Class 6A qualify for the playoffs. Canon-McMillan is 0-1 in the conference after losing to North Allegheny, 30-6, in Week 1. This is the conference opener for Seneca Valley.

These ones count

Most teams won’t start conference play for another week or so, but along with the lone Class 6A game, there are two 5A conference contests on Friday’s schedule.

In the Northeast, Pine-Richland (1-1) hosts Penn Hills (2-0). A year ago, Penn Hills won, 33-28, but Pine-Richland went on to win conference, WPIAL and PIAA titles.

In the Allegheny Six, Upper St. Clair (2-0) hosts Baldwin (1-1). USC won 53-14 last year.

And still undefeated

After two weeks, 38 of the 117 WPIAL teams still have undefeated records.

However, that number is guaranteed to drop Friday night. Fourteen undefeated team square off in head-to-head matchups, including a nonconference game between ranked teams McKeesport (2-0) and Belle Vernon (1-0).

Other all-undefeated matchups include Peters Township (2-0) at Trinity (2-0), South Fayette (2-0) at Montour (2-0), Plum (2-0) at Shaler (2-0), Cornell (2-0) at Union (2-0), Burgettstown (1-0) at South Side (2-0) and California (2-0) at Waynesburg (2-0).

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.

Tags: Canon-McMillan, Jeannette, Pine-Richland, Seneca Valley, Thomas Jefferson, Trinity