Thomas Jefferson doesn’t look back while chasing consecutive PIAA Class 4A titles

By: Chris Harlan
Tuesday, November 24, 2020 | 10:47 PM

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Thomas Jefferson likes to celebrate its championship tradition, but this year’s football team has grown a little tired of talking about last year’s accomplishments.

Yes, the Jaguars went undefeated a year ago. Yes, they won WPIAL and PIAA titles. Yes, they were the first TJ team to celebrate at Hersheypark Stadium since 2008.

But that talented senior class is gone, they’re not coming back, and this year’s seniors aren’t living in the past.

“Everybody talked about how great that class was last year,” TJ coach Bill Cherpak said. “And they’re saying, ‘Hey wait a minute. What about us?’ … They want to leave their own mark and they’re doing it.”

Thomas Jefferson (9-1) faces District 4 champion Jersey Shore (10-0) in the PIAA Class 4A final at 3:30 p.m. Saturday in Hershey. The Jaguars are trying to become the first WPIAL team to win consecutive state titles since South Fayette in 2013-14.

Many back-to-back champions maintain a core group from one year to the next. Those South Fayette teams had a WPIAL record-holder at quarterback both seasons. But this Thomas Jefferson team returns to Hershey with only four full-time returning starters on the field: linebacker Preston Zandier, receiver/safety Ian Hansen, center Nick Trainor and guard Jake Krawczyk.

They’re all playing key roles again.

“To get to the state championship again as seniors, there are no words,” said Zandier, a Youngstown State recruit. “This is our team, me and the other seniors that have been stepping up. It’s just us.”

The Jaguars again were preseason favorites in WPIAL Class 4A, based in part on the program’s winning tradition. But there were real questions about the team, Cherpak said. In August, this roster wasn’t a guaranteed WPIAL champion or state finalist. Gone from 2019 was a 2,400-yard passer, a 1,900-yard rusher, an 1,100-yard receiver, three offensive lineman and the team’s top four tacklers.

“We didn’t know what to expect, quite honestly,” he said. “Some of those kids that are new starters are playing well.”

That list includes TJ’s quarterback, senior Jake Pugh, who’s thrown for 1,700 yards and 24 touchdowns as a first-year starter. His top receivers are Zandier (40 catches, 630 yards, 10 touchdowns) and Hansen (36-696-7).

“There’s no satisfaction yet,” Pugh said. “We’ll be satisfied if we win.”

Pugh passed for 181 yards and three touchdowns in last week’s semifinal win over Oil City, 62-0. A week earlier, he threw for two touchdowns and rushed for two more in the WPIAL championship.

“I was confident with Pugh,” Cherpak said. “I knew he would be able to handle the pressure because he was seasoned. But all the new starters, how were they going to handle everything?”

Cherpak also questioned his team’s leadership. Who would be a stabilizing presence in a season unlike any other?

“That was the No. 1 thing,” Zandier said. “I’d seen articles that said they have no leadership. Even Cherp a couple times said, ‘You guys have no leadership.’ We really talked to him a lot. Obviously he knows everything about high school football. He’s showed us the way.”

With few returning starters, Zandier said they felt a responsibility to fill that leadership role. Zandier scored three touchdowns last week, and Hansen led with 113 receiving yards.

“Last year, I didn’t really talk a lot,” Zandier said. “I made my plays. I did my job. This year, we’ve helped a lot of young kids become great players.”

Cherpak said he sensed this senior class was playing with a chip on its shoulder.

Zandier agreed: “A giant chip.”

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.

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