Montour passing game gashes Thomas Jefferson in Class 4A quarterfinals

By: Antonio Rossetti
Friday, November 10, 2023 | 10:52 PM

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Montour threw the first punch, controlled the game throughout and rolled to a 51-21 victory over Thomas Jefferson in the WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinals Friday night.

Montour was spearheaded by Jake Wolfe, who threw five touchdown passes and tallied 213 passing yards, completing 13 of 27 attempts. He also ran for 93 yards on 13 carries with a rushing touchdown.

A.J. Alston, his leading target, had himself a game, catching eight passes for 235 yards and bettering Al Bundy by one, scoring five touchdowns.

“AJ had a great game,” Wolfe said. “Their defense taking away (Daniel Batch and Keino Fitzpatrick II) opened up AJ and (James) Bundridge. Batch and Keino played well. Our O-line did great. Alston’s a stud.”

Alston reflected on his career-best performance.

“I was just locked in with all the players and with what the coaches and players were saying,” Alston said. “I knew how to go out there and put on a performance for the fans and get this win.”

The Spartans’ line on both sides of the ball was up to the challenge when it came to taking on a physical Jaguars team that came into the game with momentum.

Montour shut out the Jaguars in the first half. The Spartans essentially forced five turnovers: two turnovers on downs, a fumble recovery on a muffed punt and two interceptions. Alex Dusch, a lineman, and linebacker Kaleb Platz both notched interceptions.

Dusch talked about the team’s performance in the trenches.

“This defense really locked in tonight,” Dusch said. “Our coaches did a great job game planning for them. Their line, I’ll give them credit, they were tough up front. They are big and strong, but at the end of the day, we wanted it more. Now we have McKeesport, and we are one step closer to Acrisure, and that’s the game plan.”

Alston, who plays defensive back as well, talked about the defense’s complete team effort.

“We had a couple big turnovers and picks that helped us put points on the board,” Alston said. “It wasn’t only our DBs and linebackers, but our D-line. When we went man coverage, they really were seeking out the run.”

The Spartans opened the game firing on all cylinders. Montour strung together an 81-yard drive that led to an early touchdown.

After a key third-down completion from Wolfe to Alston, a 15-yard pass to Fitzpatrick and a 20-yard QB draw by Wolfe, the Spartans found themselves at the Thomas Jefferson 12-yard line.

Montour’s drive was capped off with a Wolfe 12-yard touchdown pass to Alston.

The Jaguars were faced with a fourth-and-4 at their own 44 on their first drive and went for it. Brody Evans, under pressure, threw an incomplete pass, turning the ball over on downs.

This led to a long drive that bled clock, leaving under two minutes left in the first.

The Jaguars held their ground and held the Spartans to a Matt Marcinko 23-yard field goal.

RJ Gardner and Mark Dobrowsky took down TJ quarterback Luke Kosko and the Montour defense eventually forced a three-and-out.

That led to a 65-yard drive that took less than two minutes. Wolfe connected with Alston, this time for 30 yards, to go up 16-0.

The Spartans shut down the Jaguars offense, holding Sean Sullivan, its leading receiver with over 900 yards on the season, to zero receptions in the first half.

Their defense continued their momentum and forced a three-and-out to start the second half.

Wolfe then threw a dime to Alston running a go route for a 41-yard touchdown, his third of the game. Montour converted the 2-point conversion on a pass from Wolfe to Fitzpatrick to go up 24-0.

Thomas Jefferson then found itself in a hole, but on fourth-and-10 at the Montour 21, the Jaguars punched in their first points on a 21-yard touchdown pass from Brody Evans to Sullivan to make it 24-7.

The Jaguars forced a three-and-out and gained some momentum. Nevertheless, on the punt, the ball had backspin and nicked the leg of Brayden White. Montour’s Nino DeMichele fell on the football at the Thomas Jefferson 18.

That led to a Wolfe 12-yard touchdown run to make it 31-7.

Montour earned another short field when Alex Dusch picked off an Evans pass at the TJ 18-yard line.

The Spartans capitalized again and Wolfe tallied his fourth touchdown pass, this time to Daniel Batch for 7 yards to go up 38-7.

Montour’s strong defensive performance continued when Kaleb Platz intercepted a pass with a minute left in the third.

Alston then added his fourth receiving touchdown of the game for 17 yards on a pass from Wolfe to go up 44-7.

TJ made the game 44-14 when Elias Lippincott ran one in from 9 yards out.

Alston wasn’t done yet. Trey Hopper threw a slant over the middle and Alston split the defense for a 94-yard touchdown to make it 51-14.

Thomas Jefferson’s Trent Miller took one to the house on a 26-yard touchdown run late in the game.

Montour won 51-21 and plays No. 2 McKeesport next week.

“With a win over a great team like that, it gives us a lot of confidence going in against McKeesport,” Wolfe said. “We know we have to come out strong to get the win.”

Tags: Montour, Thomas Jefferson