WPIAL Class 4A final preview capsule: Thomas Jefferson vs. South Fayette

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, November 16, 2018 | 1:54 PM

WPIAL Class 4A championship

No. 1 Thomas Jefferson (11-0) vs. No. 2 South Fayette (11-1)

5 p.m. Saturday, Heinz Field

On the air: Pittsburgh the CW-TV; 95.3 FM; TribHSSN.triblive.com

Coaches: Bill Cherpak, Thomas Jefferson; Joe Rossi, South Fayette

Winner plays: The winner of District 1 champion Clearfield (12-0) and District 10 champion Cathedral Prep (9-3) in the PIAA quarterfinals Nov. 23 or 24.

WPIAL titles: Thomas Jefferson 8 (1980, 2004, ’06, ’07, ’08, ’15, ’16, ’17); South Fayette 5 (1936, ’64, 2010, ’13, ‘14)

How they got here: Big East champion Thomas Jefferson defeated No. 8 New Castle, 49-16, in the first round and No. 4 Blackhawk, 47-7, in the semifinals. Northwest Eight Conference champion South Fayette beat No. 7 Greensburg Salem, 42-6, in the first round and No. 3 Belle Vernon, 28-10, in the semifinals.

Statistical leaders

Passing: TJ: Shane Stump, 80-127, 1,668 yards, 24 TDs, 8 INTs; SF: Jamie Diven, 155-252, 2,767 yards, 41 TDs, 8 INTs

Rushing: TJ: Max Shaw, 173-1,759 yards, 32 TDs; SF: Andrew Franklin, 129-789 yards, 11 TDs

Receiving: TJ: Dan Deabner, 51-1,219 yards, 21 TDs; SF: Mike Trimbur, 49-936 yards, 14 TDs

Notable: This is believed to be the first meeting between two of the top programs in WPIAL Class 4A. … The Jaguars are looking for their fourth straight WPIAL championships, hoping to join Braddock in the 1950s and Clairton from 2008-12 as the only WPIAL teams to accomplish the feat. … Cherpak is chasing his eighth WPIAL title, which would tie West Allegheny’s Bob Palko for most in WPIAL history. … The Jaguars average the most points for (49.7) and against (8.9) in Class 4A. Their closest margin of victory was a 36-14 win over Belle Vernon in Week 2. … South Fayette has rolled to 11 straight wins after a 34-33 loss to Upper St. Clair in Week Zero. … The Lions average 39.1 points and allow 10.0. They have posted five shutouts. … South Fayette is making its fifth title-game appearance in nine seasons. … The Lions have won 57 straight conference games. … TJ has won 11 of the past 13 conference titles and have gone undefeated in the regular season five of the past seven years. … The Jaguars have reached the playoffs 24 straight years, tied with Aliquippa for the longest active streak.

Probable lineups

Thomas Jefferson

STARTING OFFENSE

LT, 52, Mike Huber, 6-0, 290, jr.

LG, 50, Darius Barrett, 5-10, 295, sr.

C, 63, Dom Serapiglia, 6-1, 295, sr.

RG, 54, Logan Danielson, 6-1, 255, jr.

RT, 72, Mac Duda, 6-4, 280, jr.

TE, 33, James Martinis, 6-2, 205, jr.

WR, 11, Dan Deabner, 6-0,180, jr.

WR, 6, Bowen Dame, 6-0, 185, jr.

QB, 4, Shane Stump, 6-1, 205, jr.

RB, 1, Max Shaw, 6-1, 195, sr.

FB, 34, Nate Werderber, 6-0, 205, jr.

K, 80, AJ Meshanko, 5-9, 145, sr.

STARTING DEFENSE

DL, 81, Sean Barrett, 6-2, 210, sr.

DL, 54, Logan Danielson, 6-1, 255, jr.

DL, 50, Darius Barrett, 5-10, 295, sr.

DL, 63, Dom Serapiglia, 6-1, 295, sr.

LB, 1, Max Shaw, 6-1, 195, sr.

LB, 6, Bowen Dame, 6-0, 185, jr.

LB, 33, James Martinis, 6-2, 205, jr.

LB, 34, Nate Werderber, 6-0, 205, jr.

CB, 23, Dylan Mallozzi, 5-11, 180, jr.

CB, 11, Dan Deabner, 6-0, 180, jr.

S, 3, DeRon VanBibber, 5-11, 160, so.

S, 4, Shane Stump, 6-1, 205, jr.

P, 80, AJ Meshanko, 5-9, 145, sr.

South Fayette

STARTING OFFENSE

LT, 59, Don Thomas, 6-4, 290, jr.

LG, 58, Tom Elia, 6-3, 280, sr.

C, 55, Ben Wright, 5-10, 210, sr.

RG, 57, Jaelin Krocker, 5-11, 255, jr.

RT, 56, Ben Coyne, 6-2, 225, sr.

WR, 11, Rayquin Glover, 5-9, 175, sr.

WR, 4, Mike Trimbur, 5-11, 180, sr.

WR, 5, Peyton Tinney, 5-11, 190, sr.

WR, 2, Ryan Kokoski, 5-10, 175, sr.

QB, 17, Jamie Diven, 6-1, 195, sr.

RB, 24, Drew Franklin, 5-11, 180, jr.

K, 50, Ryan Coe, 6-2, 225, sr.

STARTING DEFENSE

DE, 56, Ben Coyne, 6-2, 225, sr.

DT, 52, Quentin Franklin, 5-10, 265, jr.

DT, 58, Tom Elia, 6-3, 280, sr.

DE, 68, Eamon Horowitz, 5-11, 200, sr.

LB, 11, Rayquin Glover, 5-9, 175, sr.

LB, 22, Nolan Lutz, 6-0, 205, jr.

LB, 25, Joe Mowod, 5-10, 200, sr.

LB, 5, Peyton Tinney, 5-11, 190, sr.

CB, 4, Mike Trimbur, 5-11, 180, sr.

CB, 15, Joey Audia, 5-8, 160, so.

S, 2, Ryan Kokoski, 5-10, 175, sr.

P, 50, Ryan Coe, 6-2, 225, sr.

Check out a preview feature on the WPIAL Class 4A championship game and also tune in to Trib HSSN for a live audio broadcast.

Bill Hartlep is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Bill at bhartlep@tribweb.com or via Twitter @TribHSInsider.

Tags: South Fayette, Thomas Jefferson