CTK ’16: WPIAL AAA 2015 Football Flashback

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, August 5, 2016 | 3:25 PM

In the early part of this century, there was no better football program year in and year out than what Bill Cherpak had at Thomas Jefferson High School. The Jaguars won three straight WPIAL Class AAA titles from 2006 through 2008 plus had it not been for a stunning upset loss to Franklin Regional in the 2005 title game, it would have been five in a row for TJ, which also won the 2004 championship. The Jags also won three PIAA state titles from ’04 to ’08. Even in years they weren’t winning district or state titles, they were winning conference crowns and going deep into the postseason. The golden drought had hit six years before Thomas Jefferson returned to the top in 2015. Here is a look back at the WPIAL Triple-A in 2015.

2015 WPIAL TRIPLE-A HEADLINES:

*  It was ironic that in a year in which Thomas Jefferson captured the schools six WPIAL football championship, the Jaguars nine year run of winning at least a share of a conference championship came to an end. After TJ started 0-2 with losses to Ringgold and Belle Vernon, the sky appeared to be falling in the West Jefferson School District. Those two Big Nine Conference losses doubled the number of conference losses the Jaguars had in the previous nine years combined. But while they finished in third place in the conference, those two losses would be the only setbacks for Thomas Jefferson until they fell to Erie Cathedral Prep in the PIAA Class AAA Quarterfinals. 

*  One of the casualties of expanding from four to six classifications in 2016 is that the Class AAA Parkway Conference is no more. Central Valley reached the Triple-A title game only to lose to Thomas Jefferson, but with the Warriors run to the finals, it marked the tenth consecutive season that a Parkway Conference team made it to the title game at Heinz Field. The Jaguars win over the Warriors ended a six year run of champions from the Parkway (West Allegheny 3, Central Valley 2 and Montour 1) marking ten straight years where the district AAA winner was either Thomas Jefferson or a team from the Parkway Conference.

*  In these pass happy times in high school football, Class AAA teams last year played more of an old school return to three yards and a cloud of dust…or turf pellets if you will. Only two of the top 25 passers in the WPIAL in 2015 came from a Class AAA school. Chris Callaghan from Central Valley was 4th in the district with 2,422 yards passing while Jimmy Pierce of Laurel Highlands was 18th with 1,630 yards passing. Meanwhile, three of the top six rushers in the WPIAL were from Class AAA schools with Zane Dudek of Armstrong 2nd with 2,059 yards, Quinton Hill of Thomas Jefferson 5th with 1,723 yards and Isaiah Johnson of Mars 6th with 1,654 yards.

*  12 of the 16 teams that qualified for the WPIAL Class AAA playoffs in 2015 had also made it the previous year as well. Newly formed Armstrong debuted with a postseason berth, joining Hollidaysburg, Ambridge and Chartiers Valley as teams earning a playoff spot after missing out the previous fall. 2014 WPIAL playoff teams that were spectators this past season were Gateway, Indiana, Knoch and Moon.,

*  West Allegheny saw its streak of consecutive title games end at three in a row in 2015. Another streak that continues into the 2016 season is the losing skid of Albert Gallatin. After an 0-9 campaign in 2015 which followed an 0-9 record in 2014, the Colonials have now lost  24 games in a row, the WPIAL’s longest current skid. AG’s last win was a 28-14 win over Trinity on September 13, 2013.

FINAL 2015 WPIAL TRIPLE-A REGULAR SEASON STANDINGS:

(Top 5 teams from AAA conferences qualified for playoffs plus a sixth place wild card team)

# = Clinched Section Title
* = Clinched Playoff Berth
x = Eliminated From Playoff Chase

CLASS AAA BIG TEN CONFERENCE

2015 WPIAL TRIPLE-A PLAYOFF RESULTS:

2015 WPIAL CLASS AAA CHAMPIONSHIP FOOTBALL GAME:

Thomas Jefferson Jaguars 20 – Central Valley Warriors 7

WPIAL CLASS AAA Semifinals:

Central Valley Warriors 48  –  Mars Fighting Planets 41

Thomas Jefferson Jaguars 34  –  Franklin Regional Panthers 21

WPIAL CLASS AAA Quarterfinals:

Central Valley Warriors 42 – Hampton Talbots 9

Mars Fighting Planets 35 – Ringgold Rams 0

Franklin Regional Panthers 28 – Belle Vernon Leopards 7

Thomas Jefferson Jaguars 14 – West Allegheny Indians 0

WPIAL CLASS AAA First Round:

Central Valley Warriors 59 – Laurel Highlands Mustangs 14

Hampton Talbots 19 – Montour Spartans 14

Mars Fighting Planets 17 – New Castle Red Hurricane 14

Ringgold Rams 35 – Ambridge Bridgers 0

Belle Vernon Leopards 36 – Chartiers Valley Colts 7

Franklin Regional Panthers 49 – West Mifflin Titans 7

West Allegheny Indians 28 – Hollidaysburg Golden Tigers 8

Thomas Jefferson Jaguars 42 – Armstrong River Hawks 7

2015 PIAA TRIPLE-A PLAYOFF RESULTS:

2015 PIAA CLASS AAA STATE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME:

Imhotep Charter Panthers 40 – Erie Cathedral Prep Ramblers 3

PIAA CLASS AAA Semifinals:

Erie Cathedral Prep Ramblers 38 – Harrisburg Bishop McDevitt Crusaders 34

Imhotep Charter Panthers 72 – Saucon Valley Panthers 27

PIAA CLASS AAA Quarterfinals:

Erie Cathedral Prep Ramblers 28 – THOMAS JEFFERSON JAGUARS 21  (MSA)

Harrisburg Bishop McDevitt Crusaders 33 – Susquehanna Township Indians 19

Saucon Valley Panthers 35 – Selinsgrove Seals 7

Imhotep Charter Panthers 46 – Academy Park Knights 16

PIAA CLASS AAA First Round:

THOMAS JEFFERSON JAGUARS 20 – CENTRAL VALLEY WARRIORS 6  (MSA)

Erie Cathedral Prep Ramblers 42 – Conneaut Eagles 21

Harrisburg Bishop McDevitt Crusaders 35 – Solanco Golden Mules 7

Susquehanna Township Indians 21 – Manheim Central Barons 20

Saucon Valley Panthers 42 – Scranton Prep Cavaliers 20

Selinsgrove Seals 49 – Johnstown Trojans 28  (MSA)

Academy Park Knights 26 – Upper Moreland Bears 14

Imhotep Charter Panthers 20 – Archbishop Wood Vikings 14