Thomas Jefferson rolls past Clearfield, advances to PIAA semifinals

By: Michael Love
Saturday, November 23, 2024 | 4:54 PM

ALTOONA — There was no hangover for WPIAL champion Thomas Jefferson on Saturday against District 9 champion Clearfield in a PIAA Class 4A quarterfinal at Altoona’s Mansion Park.

The Jaguars forced three turnovers in the first half, took control with four touchdowns before the break and finished off a 35-0 victory over the Bison.

“After you win the WPIAL, you kind of refocus, and we said we have a three-week season now,” Thomas Jefferson coach Bill Cherpak said.

“We enjoyed that (WPIAL win over McKeesport), but Monday, it was back to work to get ready for (Clearfield). We had a great week of practice. That was really the difference.”

Thomas Jefferson, which improved to 14-0, will face District 3 champion Lampeter-Strasburg in the semifinals next Friday or Saturday at a site and time to be determined.

The Pioneers (13-0) defeated Wyomissing, 30-27 in overtime Friday night to claim district gold.

“We watched Lampeter last night,” Cherpak said. “They are a heckuva team. We’ll be ready to go. We might be back here (Mansion Park). Who knows?”

The Jaguars now are 6-3 in PIAA quarterfinal games. Four of the previous five times TJ won in the quarterfinals it went on to win the state title.

Saturday’s game between the Bison and Jaguars originally was scheduled for Friday evening at Windber High School in suburban Johnstown, but adverse weather conditions in the region forced PIAA officials to move the game to Altoona.

Already leading 28-0, TJ put the mercy rule into effect with 11:14 left in the fourth quarter.

The Jaguars started their second drive of the half at their own 42 after a fumble recovery by junior Emmett Forte with 4:21 on the third-quarter clock.

TJ then drove 58 yards in nine plays. Running back Tyler Eber finished off the drive with a 2-yard TD run. Sam Wessel added the point-after kick to make it 35-0.

Eber finished the game with a workmanlike 32 carries for 131 yards. He also caught a screen pass and rambled 19 yards for a score with 3:42 left in the second quarter which put TJ up 28-0.

Clearfield, which reached a record of 12-0 for the fifth time in program history with last week’s 27-26 victory over District 10 champion General McLane, fell to 0-5 in PIAA quarterfinal games.

The Bison, who averaged 37.7 points a game, were held in check by a stingy and opportunistic Jaguars defense.

“This is a great group,” said Clearfield coach Myles Caragein, a Keystone Oaks graduate and former Pitt lineman who is in his second season as head coach of the Bison.

“We played some really good opponents this year that were in the playoffs and went deep. I couldn’t be happier for the guys and what they accomplished. This was a great year. Yes, this was disappointing today with the outcome, but these guys, they’ve been so much fun to be around.”

Clearfield senior Brady Collins, who came into the game averaging 214 yards on the ground this season with 36 rushing touchdowns, carried the ball 21 times for 82 yards. Carter Freeland, who had 921 rushing yards and 14 scores through 12 games, added 16 carries for 58 yards.

“Their two running backs (Collins and Freeland) are amazing,” Cherpak said. “They run up and down the field a lot. Our defense played really well. We didn’t let them get a big chunk play or a big play down the field.”

TJ wide receiver and defensive back Brayden White showed out on both sides of the ball in the first half. He recovered a fumble, picked off a pass and caught touchdown passes of 57 and 51 yards from fellow senior Luke Kosko.

Kosko finished 5 of 8 for 144 yards and three TDs.

“When we saw them play zero coverage on Brayden, that was pretty exciting,” Cherpak said. “He’s just a player you can’t do that against. We knew he could make plays, and he did.”

The first TD connection — Kosko hit White in stride at the 30, and White did the rest — came at the 9:32 mark of the first quarter.

“We knew we had to jump on them early and get some big plays,” Cherpak said.

“Thomas Jefferson has some great weapons,” Caragein said. “We were committed to stopping the run, and they hurt us in the pass game. (White) is a good athlete. We were more concerned with the run game, and our guys did a great job stopping the run. We just gave up a couple big plays. (White) is a good athlete, and they gave him a chance.”

White almost had a third touchdown catch in the first half, but the 43-yard scoring play was nullified on a holding penalty.

TJ made it 14-0 with 2:30 left in the opening quarter as it took advantage of White’s interception.

Eber took the ball on a handoff at the 3 and carried it to the goal line. He fumbled into the end zone, but Trent Miller was right there to fall on the ball for the score.

Clearfield had a golden scoring opportunity snuffed out on the final play of the first half.

The Bison offense, with Collins and Freeland taking the lead, drove inside the 10 and set up with a first and goal at the 6.

On third and goal from the 3, Freeland, in at quarterback for starter Xavier Curry after the latter left the game because of injury earlier in the quarter, threw a short pass to wideout Colton Ryan at the 2.

Ryan was hit immediately by a couple of Jaguars defenders and dropped short of the end zone.

“This is an awesome feeling to be able to get this win,” White said. “We’ve met so many goals this season. One goal left is to win that state championship. We have to work hard this week to be able to take another step to getting there.”

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

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