Thomas Jefferson tops McKeesport for WPIAL Class 4A championship, giving Bill Cherpak 10th title

By: Jerin Steele
Saturday, November 16, 2024 | 3:54 PM

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Bill Cherpak has never been one to tout his own stats or accolades and that remained the case after becoming the first WPIAL coach to reach double-digit championships in football on Saturday.

His Thomas Jefferson players did the talking for him.

“He’s the G.O.A.T. Period,” Jaguars running back Tyler Eber said. “It means the world to make him the coach with the most WPIAL championships.”

Eber and Brayden White had two touchdowns apiece and the top-seeded Jaguars beat No. 3 McKeesport, 28-7, in the WPIAL Class 5A championship at Norwin.

With the win, Cherpak won his 10th title, breaking a tie with Bob Palko for most WPIAL championships all time. It’s the Jaguars’ 11th title overall, which ties them with New Castle for third all-time in WPIAL history.

“It’s nice obviously, but it’s more enjoyable to see how excited the kids are,” Cherpak said. “I can’t remember the last nine to be honest with you. I wouldn’t know what years they were, but every one is special in their own right.”

McKeesport was trying for its first WPIAL title in 19 years, but finished 8-5.

Thomas Jefferson (13-0) broke the game open with three touchdowns in the final four and half minutes of the second quarter.

Eber got on the board first with a 2-yard touchdown run. He capped off a drive that started after the Jaguars forced a fumble by McKeesport’s Kemon Spell at the Thomas Jefferson 29-yard line.

After stopping McKeesport on fourth down on the next drive, Jaguars quarterback Tyler Kosko found Brayden White for a 53-yard touchdown to make it 14-0.

Then, White provided the dagger when he picked off a Brady Eastman pass and returned it 85 yards for a touchdown as time expired to give the Jaguars a 21-0 lead going into the break.

“It was a crossing route, and the ball was too high for the wide receiver, so I caught the ball and found some blockers to get to the end zone,” White said. “It was almost too good to be true. Honestly, going into halftime I was still amazed by what had just happened.”

Eber added a second touchdown in the fourth quarter and finished the day with 158 yards on 33 carries. He was the only player who carried the ball for the Jaguars.

“There’s nothing more I love than this,” Eber said. “I work so hard to be that lead back, and it means the world that (Cherpak) trusts me with those carries.”

Anthony Boyd broke the shutout with an 8-yard touchdown rush in the fourth quarter. It was the only time in the game McKeesport made it to the red zone.

The Jaguars forced three turnovers and denied McKeesport a first down all four times it went for it on fourth down. Nathan Fairson had an interception on the first play of the fourth quarter, which set up Eber’s second touchdown.

“The biggest thing for us today was that we, for the most part, played mistake-free football,” Cherpak said. “We didn’t turn the ball over, and they did a few times, including that big interception before halftime. We didn’t give them good field position. We didn’t give up big plays on defense and were solid on special teams. That’s how we win. That’s our formula.”

Thomas Jefferson will play Clearfield of District 9 in the PIAA quarterfinals next weekend.

Jerin Steele is a freelance writer

Tags: McKeesport, Thomas Jefferson