Jeannette sticks to motto, never quits in run to PIAA championship

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, December 7, 2017 | 8:00 PM

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HERSHEY — Midway through the third quarter of Thursday's PIAA Class A football championship game, Jeannette coach Roy Hall felt pretty happy.

There was a good reason: His team had a firm grasp on the school's second PIAA title.

Jeannette rolled to a 42-12 victory against District 6 champion Homer-Center from Indiana County at Hersheypark Stadium. The Jayhawks' first title came in 2007 in Class AA with Terrelle Pryor leading the way.

With the band playing the Jeannette fight song in the background and more than 1,000 fans from the city in attendance, the Jayhawks held the gold trophy toward their crowd in celebration.

“It just feels so amazing right now,” senior Robert Kennedy said. “Jeannette is a very small community. We're all very tight with each other, and we now have two state titles.

“It's definitely an awesome and amazing feeling to bring a state title back to Westmoreland County.”

Kennedy played a huge role in the victory.

He rushed for 114 yards and two touchdowns and completed 5 of 9 passes for 143 yards and two scores. He also caught a 46-yard pass.

It was status quo for how he performed each week as an all-around threat in all phases of the game.

Jeannette (15-1) started the season winning its first nine games and earning the No. 1 seed for the WPIAL Class A playoffs.

But the Jayhawks were stunned by Clairton in the regular-season finale, falling 40-6, leaving Hall extremely disappointed after the game.

He felt his team was soundly beaten and questioned the players' effort, saying the team lacked swagger.

Jeannette defeated Monessen in the opening round, but in the quarterfinals the following week the Jayhawks trailed Rochester, 26-15, in the fourth quarter.

That's when the season turned and Jeannette started elevating its game.

The Jayhawks rallied behind junior quarterback Seth Howard, who rushed for a touchdown and hit Isaiah Winters with a 29-yard scoring strike on fourth-and-10 with 54 seconds left.

“We got our swagger back,” Hall said.

Jeannette followed that win with an impressive 18-7 semifinal win against Clairton behind Kennedy's two scores and then held off Imani Christian, 35-34, in the WPIAL final.

Jeannette, however, wasn't satisfied with just its ninth WPIAL title; the Jayhawks wanted more, and the defense provided the way.

“This is a dream come true,” Jeannette senior captain Jalen Jones said. “The coaches told us never stop and we followed through.”

The Jayhawks shut down a potent Farrell offense in the state semifinals, winning 17-6, and it finished the deal by stopping Homer-Center.

“When you have guys like Jalen and Anthony Johnson down low and you have a good secondary and you're good at all three levels, you're going to dominate and we did,” Kennedy said.

“Our mentality is to dominate the entire game, and we did in all three phases of the game. I felt I set the tone after the run (56-yard touchdown), and it boosted us.”

Tre Cunningham, who booted a field goal and caught three passes for 47 yards, said: “It's a great feeling. No one expected it. It's not one player; we work hard, and that's why we're here.”

Hall, who received a text message from Clairton coach Wayne Wade wishing him luck, said he couldn't be prouder of a team or a community.

“It means everything, especially when nobody really expected it.” Hall said. “We had some tight games.

“It's great to bring a victory back to Westmoreland County and the city of Jeannette, especially because nobody gave us a chance.”

The Jayhawks' motto is “1-2-3 Hawks, 4-5-6 don't quit.”

Jeannette didn't after losing to Clairton in Week 9, and now the Jayhawks are celebrating a state title.

Paul Schofield is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at pschofield@tribweb.com or via Twitter @Schofield_Trib.

Tags: Jeannette