Thomas Jefferson defense dominates West Mifflin

By: Zack Zeigler
Friday, October 25, 2019 | 10:42 PM

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The Thomas Jefferson defense was practically impenetrable Friday in a 53-0 victory over rival West Mifflin on senior night.

The Jaguars defense held West Mifflin to minus-42 yards in the first half and minus-32 yards on the night.

“Our defense is really good,” Thomas Jefferson coach Bill Cherpak said. “It starts inside with our tackles and they really control the line of scrimmage and make a lot of plays. I think we had that young quarterback rattled and that really changes the game.”

On a week where many rivals across the WPIAL meet, Thomas Jefferson honored the seniors who have been the motor to this dynasty that has seen the Jaguars make the WPIAL Class 4A championship in each of the last four years, winning the title three times.

Cherpak said it was a great night to honor such a talented group of athletes who have had so much success.

“It is a special night for those guys because they have never lost a game in this stadium,” Cherpak said. “They were ready to play, and it’s tough because it is emotional before the game and then you’ve got to come and be ready to play. We scored early and that’s what we wanted to do, and it helped us to take control of the game.”

It was the seniors who got things going for Thomas Jefferson right from the get go when senior Shane Stump connected with fellow senior Daniel Deabner for a 48-yard touchdown strike to get the Jaguars out to a 7-0 lead just under a minute into the game.

The quick strike got the Jaguars offense going and set the tone for the rest of the night.

“I think we came into this game with a lot of confidence,” Stump said. “Once we got that first play, it really got us into another gear and really got us rolling.”

Thomas Jefferson drove 39 yards in eight plays on its next drive before the special teams began to make an impact. Senior Dylan Sullivan nailed a 19-yard field goal to extend the Jaguars’ lead to 10-0. Then the Jaguars defense came out and held West Mifflin to a three-and-out, forcing them to punt from their own end zone.

Thomas Jefferson’s Nick Florian blocked the punt and Jacob Krawczyk jumped on it in the end zone for another touchdown that made it 17-0 with 1 minute, 50 seconds to go in the first quarter.

“When you go to the playoffs, everything starts over,” Cherpak said. “You aren’t going to shut teams out like we have been. I think we have passed the ball around to other weapons and found different ways to score so that makes a difference.”

Stump kept slinging the ball throughout the night, throwing for three of his four touchdowns in the second quarter on strikes of 33, 2, and 37 yards to get Thomas Jefferson out to a 46-0 lead before the teams broke for halftime.

Stump did not play in the second half and finished the night 6 for 12 throwing for 126 yards and four touchdowns. Stump has been the lifeblood of the Jaguar offense this season, and Cherpak expects nothing less from his quarterback.

“He is always making big plays,” Cherpak said. “He is always making things happen. We knew they were going to bring a lot of pressure and we were going to have to throw quick and that’s what we did. If you are going to bring that pressure, you have to give something up and I feel we handled it well today.”

Thomas Jefferson added one more strike in the second half when backup quarterback Jake Pugh hit Ian Hamilton for an 82-yard touchdown pass that got the game to its final score of 53-0.

With this group of seniors back in the WPIAL Class 4A playoffs, expectations are high. After falling in the WPIAL championship to South Fayette a season ago, the aim is to once again get back to Heinz Field.

“At this point (making the WPIAL championship game) is kind of an expectation,” Stump said. “We expect to win and obviously that’s a big goal of ours, but I think with this group of seniors and our leadership, we want a state title and we want to get to Hershey.”

Thomas Jefferson’s road to Hershey begins Monday when the team finds out who its first-round opponent will be when the WPIAL brackets are released. The WPIAL playoffs begin next Friday.

Tags: Thomas Jefferson, West Mifflin