EF's Davidson hopes to end losing streak vs. TJ
By Chris Harlan
Published: Thursday, Sept. 5, 2013, 12:01 a.m.
Updated: Thursday, September 5, 2013
From near the 35-yard line, Elizabeth Forward's JaQuan Davidson accepted his coach's challenge: Throw the ball through the uprights and his team wouldn't have to run that day at practice.
The uprights at the other end of the field, that is.
“I lost the bet, believe it or not,” EF coach Mike LeDonne said. “I told him, ‘You're never going to do it,' but he let it launch. That thing went through the goalpost and had some room to spare.
“It was 70 yards with a little bit extra.”
For his next amazing feat of strength, Davidson could break his team's 23-game losing streak to Thomas Jefferson, which has dominated the series for more than two decades. Not since 1989 has EF won. But rarely during that span, if ever, has Elizabeth Forward had a player do as much as Davidson, who transferred in just before last season.
With him, EF lost to Thomas Jefferson by only two points a year ago.
“It's amazing how much of a difference one player makes in a program,” Thomas Jefferson coach Bill Cherpak said. “He's everything for them.”
Along with starting at quarterback, the 6-foot-4, 185-pound senior returns kicks and punts, stars on defense and returns punts. A season ago, Davidson rushed for more than 1,000 yards and threw for nearly 600. He scored 14 touchdowns rushing, four passing and two receiving.
Opponents have taken notice.
“Last year, no one knew about me,” Davidson said. “I just snuck up on them. I surprised a bunch of people last year, but now everyone is prepared.”
Cherpak said he doesn't remember a player with more team value.
“You could say (Rushel) Shell was more important at Hopewell, but he didn't touch the ball every play,” Cherpak said. “(Davidson) touches the ball every single play. And I think he has a lot of freedom to do what he wants, so he can ad lib and use his ability a lot. There's nobody that he plays that he's not a better athlete than.”
Yet, even with Davidson, the Warriors remain underdogs. Thomas Jefferson, ranked No. 2 in Class AAA, has a solid lineup that includes Michigan recruit Chase Winovich. The quarterback/linebacker was sick Week 2 last year and played little versus Elizabeth Forward.
Winovich had an 80-yard scoring run and a 36-yard touchdown pass in last week's 31-10 victory over Ringgold.
At linebacker, Winovich (6-3, 215) should match up with Davidson often.
“Our goal is to hit (Davidson) as many times as possible,” Cherpak said. “You can't let him have any space. If he gets out in space, then we're in trouble.”
In last week's 35-0 victory over Trinity, Davidson had rushing touchdowns of 18 and 12 yards. On 11 carries, Davidson had 101 yards. He also threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to senior Matt Bernadowski, who scored four times.
Always an exceptional athlete, Davidson has better learned how to play quarterback in the past year. Summer passing camps helped him develop, LeDonne said. A year ago, the junior completed just 28 of 88 passes in his first year under center. Before that, Davidson was a wideout.
“He's more seasoned as a quarterback,” LeDonne said. “He was an athlete playing quarterback last year. ... He has an NFL-caliber arm. Now he's getting the mindset to go with that and he's starting to read (defenses) better.”
Elizabeth Forward was Davidson's third high school in three years. A Duquesne native, he spent his freshman year at West Mifflin and sophomore year at McKeesport. He's found stability and success in his second year at EF.
“I'm happy,” he said. “Some probably thought I might transfer again.”
A Division I recruit at defensive back, Davidson had targeted this weekend for choosing a college, but instead will wait. Maybe until early next month, he said. West Virginia and Pitt remain favorites, but he could visit Western Michigan this weekend.
For now, he'll worry about a long awaited trip to Jaguars Stadium.
“(Beating TJ) is important for the players and the fans; 23 years is a long time,” he said.
A year ago, Thomas Jefferson won, 21-19, when EF's tying two-point conversion failed. The score was close throughout. When TJ tried to take a two-touchdown lead in the first half, it was stopped on four-and-goal at the one. TJ held a 14-7 lead at halftime.
LeDonne wasn't satisfied with a close loss, but for the first time in decades, Elizabeth Forward had a chance.
EF was outscored 165-0 in four shutout losses from 2008-11; last year was the first time since a 73-7 loss in 2007 that EF had scored a point against Thomas Jefferson. Before that 66-point loss, it was 61-0 in 2006, 56-7 in 2005, 38-0 in 2004, and 48-7 in 2003.
“TJ has been the king of the hill,” LeDonne said. “It's a big challenge and a big opportunity. We're excited to see what we're made of.”
Chris Harlan is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at charlan@tribweb.com or via Twitter @CHarlan_Trib.
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Elizabeth Forward at Thomas Jefferson, tonight at 7:30 -- The last time Elizabeth Forward beat Thomas Jefferson, gas cost less than $1 a gallon and the first Batman movie -- starring Pittsburgh's Michael Keaton -- hit theaters. Nearly a quarter century later, it's safe to say Elizabeth Forward is due to top the Jaguars again. A season ago, the Warriors lost by two points. This season? Well, let's just say that late tonight the Warriors will be partying like it's 1989. In a Class AAA Big Nine Conference upset ... Winner: Elizabeth Forward.
September 7, 2013 12:27 am
By Brad Everett / Tri-State Sports & News Service
For more than two decades, Elizabeth Forward has been denied in its pursuit of beating Thomas Jefferson.
Just when it looked as if this would be the game to end the streak, the Warriors found that they were the ones being "chased."
Chase Winovich rushed for two touchdowns and was a menace defensively, helping the Jaguars roll to a surprisingly lopsided, 42-0 win Friday against visiting Elizabeth Forward.
Thomas Jefferson takes on Elizabeth Forward in high school football action. (Video by Andrew Rush; 9/7/2013)
Thomas Jefferson (2-0, 2-0) not only earned a key Class AAA Big Nine Conference win, but the top-ranked Jaguars also defeated Elizabeth Forward (1-1, 1-1) for the 24th consecutive time. Elizabeth Forward's most recent win in the series came in 1989. Last season, the score was 21-19.
Winovich smiled when asked what it would have been like had his team not come out on top again, in his senior season, saying: "I might have had to transfer."
Austin Kemp rushed for 175 yards and two touchdowns for the Jaguars, who have won 47 games in a row at home, their previous loss coming in 2004.
The mercy rule went into effect when Winovich scored to make it 35-0 with 4:29 left in the third quarter.
Winovich, who committed to Michigan to play linebacker, showed why he has been so heavily recruited, harassing Elizabeth Forward quarterback JaQuan Davidson all night and putting the clamps on an offense that had three players rush for more than 100 yards in a 46-0 win against Trinity last week.
Davidson, a Division I recruit who will likely decide between Pitt and West Virginia, is a dangerous runner who rushed for more than 1,000 yards last season and had 105 and two touchdowns in the season opener.
But against a Winovich-led defense Friday, Davidson finished with just 21 yards of total offense. He completed 2 of 8 passes for 21 yards and had eight carries for no yards.
"That's what we need from Chase. He lived up to it tonight," said Thomas Jefferson coach Bill Cherpak.
Winovich had two sacks and recovered two fumbles.
"It was really me shadowing JaQuan," Winovich said. "My job was to make sure JaQuan didn't break down the field for a run."
Thomas Jefferson scored all its points in a span of 20 minutes, from the 9:08 mark of the second quarter until there was 1:13 left in the third.
The game was scoreless early in the second when Thomas Jefferson began to gain some momentum. Elizabeth Forward faced a fourth-and-5 from its 48. Coach Mike LeDonne called a play in which Davidson had the option to pass, run or punt. Davidson was pressured heavily as soon as he received the shotgun snap and was taken down by Winovich at the 39.
Two plays later, Kemp took a carry up the middle and broke a tackle on his way to a 37-yard touchdown.
Thomas Jefferson began its next possession at the Elizabeth Forward 44, and on the second play, quarterback Christian Breisinger, who splits time with Winovich, found Dalton Dietrich for a 44-yard touchdown.
On Elizabeth Forward's next offensive play, Davidson mishandled the snap and Winovich picked up the loose ball at the Warriors 35. Six plays later, Kemp ran off right tackle for a 5-yard touchdown to increase Thomas Jefferson's lead to 21-0.
"I thought in the first half, if you eliminate two big plays that should have never happened, then it's 7-0 at half instead of 21," LeDonne said. "We had a guy get beat on a deep ball. And then we had the guy tackled in the backfield. We didn't execute well enough.
"I thought 75 percent of the time, we held them to 2 or 3 yards but that other 25 percent they converted on third down and they made the big play. And that's what the king of the hill does."
In addition to Winovich's two touchdown runs in the third, Matt Nagy blocked a punt inside the Elizabeth Forward 10 and recovered it in the end zone for a touchdown.
Said Cherpak: "We're not the most talented, superstar team. But everyone contributes. Everyone does their job."
Thomas Jefferson continues its dominance over Elizabeth Forward
By Mark Kaboly
Published: Friday, Sept. 6, 2013, 10:54 p.m.
Updated 10 hours ago
With the likes of JaQuan Davidson leading the way, it was supposed to be the year that Elizabeth Forward finally stopped the three-decade streak of futility
Apparently, Thomas Jefferson didn't get that memo.
Thomas Jefferson held Davidson to 14 total yards and used a flurry of second- and third-quarter points to cruise to a 42-0 Big 9 Conference victory over rival Elizabeth Forward at Jaguars Stadium.
It was the 21st consecutive time Thomas Jefferson (2-0, 2-0) beat neighboring Elizabeth Forward (1-1, 1-1) dating to 1990, when the Warriors beat the Jaguars, 21-6. The teams did not play in 1996 and '97.
“You never want to be the team to lose to EF,” said senior quarterback/linebacker and Michigan recruit Chase Winovich, who scored twice and collected a pair of sacks and fumble recoveries. “If we would've lost to EF? Man, I might have to transfer. ... It would be tough to take.”
Consider this about the series:
• It was the 10th time during the streak that EF was shut out, including five of the past six meetings.
• It was the 12th time in the past 13 games that TJ invoked the mercy rule.
• TJ has now outscored EF, 820-128, during the streak.
“That streak is talked about every year,” Elizabeth Forward coach Mike LeDonne said. “That dominance has been going on for quite some time.”
But the emergence of Davidson, along with others, coupled with losing to TJ by only two points last year gave EF hope.
“You know what, the God's honest truth is that I didn't know how our team would react,” LeDonne said. “This was going to be the test of all tests.”
Davidson, a 1,000-yard rusher a season ago, was held to negative-6 yards on 10 carries. EF managed only 95 total yards.
Meanwhile, Thomas Jefferson used its massive offensive line of Garrett Pahanish, Mat Nagy, Jake Guinn, Cole Costy, Jason Inks and tight end Russell Siess to grind out 209 yards on the ground, led by Austin Kemp's 175.
“We knew our size advantage was substantial,” Cherpak said. “They don't have a lot of kids on their team, and a lot go both ways. When you are getting the brunt of it, it is tough.”
EF held TJ in check for a better part of the quarter before one play turned the momentum.
On a fourth-and-5 at the 39-yard line in a scoreless game in the second quarter, EF called for Davidson to roll out to his right on a run/pass/punt option. Winovich raced in and sacked Davidson, setting TJ up with good field position.
“They did that last year, and we were ready for it, and (we) practiced it a lot,” Cherpak said.
It turned out to be a significant play in the game.
Thomas Jefferson scored 21 points on its next 10 offensive plays and all 42 of its points in the following 15 minutes to turn a close game into a rout.
“It was like an avalanche …” LeDonne said. “Our kids couldn't answer that bell.”
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STATE RANKINGS
CLASS AAAA
1. Coatesville 2-0
2. Upper St. Clair 2-0
3. Central Catholic 2-0
4. Easton 2-0
5. Neshaminy 2-0
CLASS AAA
1. Bishop McDevitt 2-0
2. Archbishop Wood 2-0
3. Thomas Jefferson 2-0
4. Erie Cathedral Prep 2-0
5. West Allegheny 2-0