Class AAA
August 22, 2013 12:04 am
By Ken Wunderley / Tri-State Sports & News Service
Parity is the byword when it comes to WPIAL Class AAA football.
Eight teams have appeared at Heinz Field in the Class AAA title game over the past five years.
Montour and West Allegheny are the only teams that have made two title appearances during that stretch. The other teams that have made title appearances in the past five years are Thomas Jefferson, Blackhawk, Hopewell, Central Valley, Knoch and West Mifflin Area.
In fact, the most recent team to win consecutive titles in Class AAA was Thomas Jefferson (2006-08).
Mars Area and Thomas Jefferson claimed outright conference titles last year in the Greater Allegheny and Big Nine Conferences, respectively, while West Allegheny, Montour and Central Valley tied for the Parkway Conference crown.
Following are preview capsules of the teams in the South Xtra region:
Thomas Jefferson
The Jaguars have placed among the top four teams in WPIAL Class AAA 14 of the past 15 years. During this stretch, the Jaguars won or shared 13 conference titles and placed second the other two years. Coach Bill Cherpak's squad won the Big Nine Conference title last season and advanced to the WPIAL semifinals before losing to eventual champion West Allegheny. The Jaguars finished with an 11-1 record.
Two of the Jaguars top skill players have graduated. Joe Carroll thew for 2,407 yards and 38 touchdowns. Zach Schademan caught 98 passes for 1,812 yards over the past two seasons.
"We did lose some of our biggest offensive threats, but we do have most of our line back," Cherpak said. "We have four of five back on the offensive line, and all four are back on the defensive line."
Guard/linebacker Austin Boyd (5-10, 220, Sr.), offensive tackle Cole Costy (6-2, 265, Sr.), two-way tackle Mat Nagy (6-3, 255, Sr.) and Garrett Pahanish (5-10, 230, Sr.) are back on the offensive line.
Other starters back on offense are fullback Luke Deanovich (5-9, 180, Sr.) and wide receiver/safety Zach Talley (5-10, 155, Sr.). Deanovich rushed for 266 yards on only 14 carries last year.
Linebacker Chase Winovich (6-4, 220, Sr.), a Michigan recruit, has taken over at quarterback.
Winovich, Talley, Boyd and Nagy are returning starters on defense. Also back are wide receiver/cornerback Dalton Dietrich (5-11, 160, Sr.), end Corey Payne (6-4, 200, Jr.), linebacker Austin Kemp (5-11, 210, Jr.), tackle Jake Guinn (6-1, 255, Jr.) and end Russell Siess (6-2, 210, Jr.).
"We've got a good nucleus of returning starters and some younger kids who are ready to step into the starting lineup," Cherpak said. "We're very optimistic with the group of kids we have."
By Josh Yohe
Published: Saturday, August 17, 2013, 1:06 a.m.
Updated: Sunday, August 18, 2013
There is never a shortage of WPIAL football star power.
This is particularly true for local teams in the Big Nine Conference, where three stars could determine the fate of their respective teams.
When Thomas Jefferson, West Mifflin and Elizabeth Forward collide this season — as always, the Titans and Jaguars will meet in the season finale — many eyes will be on three players.
TJ's Chase Winovich, EF's JaQuan Davidson and West Mifflin's Jimmy Wheeler give the conference stars worth watching.
“This conference is always terrific,” West Mifflin coach Ray Braszo said. “And coaches win because of great players, and we've got all kinds of great players.”
Winovich is the latest in the long line of Division I players from Thomas Jefferson.
He will take over the quarterback duties for coach Bill Cherpak's team this season. Winovich's future, however, is rooted on the defensive side of the ball.
The senior will play linebacker for Michigan next season.
According to Cherpak, Winovich is worthy of the hype he has received.
“There is absolutely no doubt about that,” he said. “You could compare him with the best players that we've had here. And the thing about Chase is that he just works so hard to be the player that he is. He works harder than anyone in practice every day. That's what separates him.”
Cherpak believes this could be the best Jaguars team in a few years, and Winovich is a big reason for his confidence.
“He's one of those kids who can help you win so many different ways,” Cherpak said. “He's like (Tampa Bay Bucs linebacker and former TJ star Dom) DeCicco a little bit. You could literally put him at any position and you know that he's going to go out there and play well. There's only so many people who can do that.”
TJ probably would prefer if Davidson would play a position other than quarterback, because the EF senior hurt the Jaguars last season.
EF has a long history of stumbling against the Jaguars, often by laughable margins. Everything changed last season, though, when Davidson played a marvelous game against TJ.
The Jaguars held on for a 21-19 advantage, but the dynamic of the rivalry had changed because of the new quarterback on the block.
“He's really good,” Cherpak said. “He makes them a much better team, obviously. He can hurt you in a lot of ways.”
Wheeler can hurt you only one way, but he is often unstoppable.
The senior running back is one of the WPIAL's fastest players and is a classic example of a home run hitter. Wheeler, who exceeded 2,000 yards rushing during his breakout junior season, puts fear into every defense he faces.
“I might be a little worried about some areas of our team,” Braszo said. “But I know one thing. I know I don't have to worry about Jimmy. He's just a really good football player who we hope is going to have another great year. I think he can do it again.”
Elizabeth Forward is a rising program under coach Mike LeDonne, West Mifflin is always a contender under Braszo, and TJ is the standard in Class AAA football.
Although all three programs are blessed with many talented players, the stars figure to have plenty to say by season's end.
Cherpak is especially excited about the way Winovich could lead the Jaguars.
“I like that he already made his college decision,” Cherpak said. “That's the kind of thing that can really distract a football team. So that's out of the way. Now, he can just go out and play football. And that's something he does really well.”
Josh Yohe is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at jyohe@tribweb.com or via Twitter @JoshYohe_Trib.
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BIG NINE
Team to beat
Thomas Jefferson-- Yes, the Jaguars lost a productive quarterback-wide receiver duo in Joe Carroll and Zach Schademan, but there's no reason to think they'll be in any kind of rebuilding mode. Consider this -- the Jaguars have had a different starting quarterback each of the past five seasons but still went 54-9 in that span. Coach Bill Cherpak's offensive system is as good as any, and with a star in quarterback/linebacker Chase Winovich, a Michigan recruit, this could be the team to beat in Class AAA.
Contenders
West Mifflin -- Likely no conference race in Class AAA will be as close as the one between Thomas Jefferson and the Titans. After making a run to the WPIAL final last year, West Mifflin brings back speedy running back Jimmy Wheeler, who rushed for 2,226 yards and 29 touchdowns. Experience at a number of key positions could be a concern, as only three starters on offense and five on defense return.
Elizabeth Forward -- One would be hard-pressed to find a more overlooked playmaker in the WPIAL than JaQuan Davidson, and if the Warriors hope to come close to their 6-4 finish last season, they'll need significant contributions from the dual-threat quarterback who accounted for 1,547 total yards in 2012. Overall, they bring back six starters on offense and seven on defense.
Belle Vernon -- Dorian Johnson is no longer there to anchor the offensive line, but the Leopards offense should still be in good hands as leading passer (Travis Snyder) and leading rusher (Anthony Levis) will be juniors. Expect an improvement from last year's 4-6 finish.
Ringgold -- The fulcrum of the offense -- running back Demetrius Louis -- graduated, so the Rams will have to rely more on junior quarterback Nico Law (588 passing yards, 453 rushing yards) to carry an offense that averaged 23.1 points per game in 2012.
Others
Trinity -- The Hillers went 5-5 last season, but duplicating that could be challenging. Seventeen seniors graduated and leading rusher Patrick Frey transferred to McGuffey.
Uniontown-- Dual-threat quarterback Xavier Ellis looks to follow up a junior season in which he was a large part of the offense, passing for 670 yards and rushing for another 464 yards.
Laurel Highlands -- After finishing 1-9 last season, the Mustangs return nine starters (five on offense, four on defense), a group of players led by Jimmy Pierce, Dontay Jacobs and Will Benesh.
Albert Gallatin -- The Colonials were winless and were outscored, 341-58, in 2012 but return a good deal of their starters -- seven on offense and eight on defense.
Craig Meyer: cmeyer@post-gazette.com
By Dave Mackall
Published: Thursday, Oct. 17, 2013, 12:01 a.m.
When Class AAA No. 2 Thomas Jefferson is facing third-and-long and needs a first down, the talented Jaguars possess multiple options to pull them through.
More times than not, senior wide receiver Dalton Dietrich gets the call.
Dietrich, at an unassuming 5-foot-11, 160 pounds, is averaging just over three catches per game but is clutch for run-oriented, defensive-minded Thomas Jefferson, leading the way with 23 receptions for 473 yards (20.3 average) and ranking third in scoring with seven touchdowns.
Thomas Jefferson, 7-0 overall, 6-0 in the Big Nine Conference and coming off a 35-0 victory over Belle Vernon, likely will need Dietrich's services more than ever in the team's final two regular-season games, including the finale against No. 3 West Mifflin on Oct. 25.
First up, though, is a date with Uniontown on Friday.
Q: Although you guys pitched your third shutout and stayed undefeated, what's the reaction when you hear coach (Bill Cherpak) isn't all that happy with the team's performance?
A: We're just so used to having everything perfect, but we weren't focused in that game. It's about practicing so much better than we had been. We'd been going through the motions. Hopefully, it'll be better for the rest of the games. I think we have what it takes to pull out wins.
Q: What's it like to work with a platoon quarterbacking situation with Christian Breisinger and Chase Winovich?
A: Both our quarterbacks are really good in everything they do. Chase is more of a running quarterback and Christian is usually the one who throws the most passes. It's a little predictable. They've both thrown to me, and I don't find it difficult to work with either of them.
Q: Who's been the biggest influence on you?
A: I'd have to say my parents. When I was about 5, I first played football. I didn't like it. I didn't like the coaches yelling at me. I wanted to quit, but my mom said I'd regret it. So I continued to play. I had a good year and the team did, too. It also happened to me after my freshman year. It was just taking so much time out of my summer, but again, my parents said I'd regret quitting. Now, I feel I've gotten so much better because they pushed me. I wouldn't be where I am without them.
Q: What are your plans after high school?
A: I want to go to college and get a degree. I want to major in either physical therapy or orthodontics. My mom works at a physical therapy company and I've had braces since seventh grade. I've just been around those things and became interested. I did my grad project on orthodontics last year. I don't know yet what I really want to do, but I'd like to stay close to home. If I get a scholarship in football, I'll take it.
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WPIAL CLASS AAA BIG NINE- All Conference
OFFENSE
Name - School - Pos. - Ht. - Wt. - Yr.
Jake Sweitzer - Belle Vernon - TE - 6-4 - 235 - Sr.
Matt Bernadowski - Elizabeth Forward - WR - 6-2 - 170 - Sr.
Alan Pritchett - Ringgold - WR - 5-11 - 165 - Sr.
Cole Costy - Thomas Jefferson - OL - 6-2 - 265 - Sr.
Austin Fields - Belle Vernon - OL - 6-1 - 250 - Sr.
Jason Inks - Thomas Jefferson - OL - 6-5 - 305 - Sr.
Mat Nagy - Thomas Jefferson - OL - 6-3 - 255 - Sr.
Chris Johns - West Mifflin - OL - 5-10 - 240 - Sr.
Collin Smith - Albert Gallatin - RB - 5-10 - 170 - Sr.
Jimmy Wheeler - West Mifflin - RB - 5-9 - 165 - Sr.
Nico Law - Ringgold - QB - 6-1 - 185 - Jr.
JaQuan Davidson - Elizabeth Forward - QB - 6-4 - 180 - Sr.
Sam Trapuzzano - Trinity - K - 5-8 - 150 - So.
DEFENSE
Name - School - Pos. - Ht. - Wt. - Yr.
Austin Fields - Belle Vernon - DL - 6-1 - 250 - Sr.
Jordan Fontaine - West Mifflin - DL - 6-1 - 225 - Jr.
Brandon Janicki - Elizabeth Forward - DL - 5-11 - 220 - Sr.
Mat Nagy - Thomas Jefferson - DL - 6-3 - 255 - Sr.
Matt Kirby - Ringgold - LB - 5-9 - 180 - Sr.
Tristan Sandrosky - Uniontown - LB - 5-11 - 215 - Sr.
Ryan Wardropper - Elizabeth Forward - LB - 6-3 - 205 - Sr.
Chase Winovich - Thomas Jefferson - LB - 6-4 - 225 - Sr.
Christian Breisinger - Thomas Jefferson - DB - 6-1 - 175 - Sr.
JaQuan Davidson - Elizabeth Forward - DB - 6-4 - 180 - Sr.
Dalton Dietrich - Thomas Jefferson - DB - 5-11 - 170 - Sr.
Lyric Ellis - Uniontown - DB - 6-0 - 175 - Jr.
Drew DeBerry - Laurel Highlands - P - 6-0 - 145 - Sr.