Trib HSSN top 24 stories of 2024 (5-1): Thomas Jefferson football makes history

By: Don Rebel
Sunday, December 29, 2024 | 6:01 AM

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The year 2024 in WPIAL sports saw a lot of history and unusual happenings that kept all three sports seasons exciting.

There was a sense of been there, done that on the hardwood and in the pool during the winter sports season, exhausting action and perfection on the diamonds, hardcourts and tracks in the spring and greatness on the gridiron, the pitch and around the district hills and valleys in the fall.

Some individual and team records ended while others rolled on.

Join us all week as we look back at the moments that stood out in a fun-filled high school sports ride throughout 2024.

In our year-end tradition, Trib HSSN winds down the year with a daily countdown and a look back at the top 24 WPIAL stories from 2024.

Here is a look at district stories No. 5 through No. 1.

No. 5 — Perfection again

In any high school sport, it is extremely difficult to win both a district and state championship.

To do so without losing a single game is historic and puts you in elite status.

What stratosphere do you call it when a program is perfect for a second time in three years?

Whatever you call it, that place is where you will find the Neshannock softball team.

The Lancers won double gold by going 27-0 in 2022.

Neshannock successfully defended its WPIAL championship in 2023 but suffered its only loss in in the PIAA semifinals to Everett, 9-6.

This past spring, after another undefeated regular season, the top-seeded Lancers beat Riverside and OLSH to return to the district finals where they captured a third straight 2A crown with a win over Bentworth, 3-0.

They then returned to the PIAA playoffs where they outscored West Shamokin, Saegertown and Laurel by a combined score of 17-0 before rolling past South Williamsport, 12-2, to claim the school’s third state softball championship and cap off a second perfect season in three years.

In the last three springs, the Lancers’ overall softball record in a mind-boggling 75-1.

No. 4 — The Great Griffith

It was an incredible year for one of the top runners in WPIAL history.

The checklist for Butler’s Drew Griffith in his senior year alone is legendary.

• He won the WPIAL and PIAA cross-country championships in the fall of 2023, and then won the national cross-country title a few months later in December.

• He set records in the WPIAL and PIAA championships in the 1,600-meter run.

• He broke two national records, one at the PIAA championships in May, two months after he broke the national indoor two-mile mark at an event in Boston.

It was no surprise Drew Griffith was named the Trib HSSN male Athlete of the Year for 2023-2024.

No. 3 — No-No Again

Coming into the 2023 WPIAL baseball championships, there had been two no-hitters in district championship games this century.

Chris Koutsavlis of Mt. Lebanon threw the first no-hitter at PNC Park when he shut down Blackhawk in the 2002 Class 3A title game.

Nearly two decades later, Jake Vitale of Union threw a no-hitter in the Class A finals at Wild Things Park in the spring of 2021.

David Shields of Mt. Lebanon no-hit top-seed North Allegheny in the 2023 Class 6A championship game as the Blue Devils were able to repeat as district champions.

Shields returned to Wild Things Park and the WPIAL finals this past May with great anticipation in front of a large crowd to see what the soon-to-be MLB-drafted lefty would do as an encore.

But it was another David who was crowned King this time around.

Same teams on the same big stage and another no-hitter was thrown, this time by North Allegheny senior David Posey, as he allowed no hits while walking two and striking out 11 Blue Devils in a win for the Tigers, 1-0.

No. 2 — Cherp alone on top

Two great coaches have gone back-and-forth on top of the WPIAL football championship mountain over the last half-dozen years.

Bill Cherpak caught and then took the lead over Bob Palko of West Allegheny with back-to-back district titles in 2019 and 2020, giving him nine WPIAL crowns.

Palko tied Cherpak in 2021 when he guided Mt. Lebanon to the WPIAL Class 6A championship in what would finish as a perfect season.

However, in his 24th season at Thomas Jefferson, Cherpak is alone at the top again after leading the Jaguars to the Class 4A championship and a title-game victory over McKeesport.

With Palko having stepped away from high school football, this is a record that could belong to the former undertaker for many years.

No. 1 — The Streak Ends

One of the most incredible high school sports streaks came to an end in 2024.

Great teams, key injuries, coaching changes, a pandemic and playing way up in class could not stop the famed Aliquippa run of appearing in 16 consecutive WPIAL football championship games.

The last time the Quips did not reach the district title game was in 2007 when they lost a wild shootout game to Terrelle Pryor and Jeannette in the 2007 Class 2A semifinals, 70-48.

From 2008-2023, the only guarantees in life were death, taxes and Aliquippa playing for WPIAL football gold.

However, the incredible run ended in the 2024 Class 4A playoffs, once again in the semifinals, when the No. 4-seeded Quips lost to top seed Thomas Jefferson, 38-21.

The rest of the countdown

6-10

No. 6 – Quips win on the court and in the courts

No. 7 – The game that wouldn’t end

No. 8 – Mat master

No. 9 – Lincoln Park wins and loses

No. 10 – Second time bride and no longer a bridesmaid

11-15

No. 11 – Wade in the waters of greatness

No. 12 – A titanic season

No. 13 – Girls wrestling debuts

No. 14 – My oh Mya, two state title runs

No. 15 – Two ‘Lopes a leaping

16-20

No. 16 – More NA dominance

No. 17 – Eight is great for North Allegheny

No. 18 – The Eagles has landed

No. 19 – Hanging up the whistles

No. 20 – Familiar teams hoisting gold

24-21

No. 21 – King is queen of the pool

No. 22 – impressive runs are done

No. 23 – Single handed repeats

No. 24 – Ram tough