TJ 7 vs. General Mclane 28

That playoff format began in 2004, when it took 16 games for Thomas Jefferson to win its first PIAA Class AAA football championship, the first time any team from this part of the state played that many games in a season.Jaguars coach Bill Cherpak does not fret over the length of the season despite this year's state finals being scheduled for Dec. 15-16, the latest date on the calendar in PIAA football history.

"I love this kind of weather. It's [playoff] football weather," said Cherpak, a few minutes after his team just finished practice on a recent 29-degree day in preparation for tomorrow night's semifinal against General McLane.

Cherpak said his team is not worn down by the long season.

"We're excited to play every week at this time of year," he said. "If it took 30 weeks [to win a state championship] instead of 16, it wouldn't bother me. Our kids have had great focus. This has been their goal and they're just not going to let anything get in the way of it. We've had great practices. They've been very business-like and that's the way we want it."

Thomas Jefferson (14-0) quickly got over the celebration of winning the WPIAL championship Nov. 24 by dispatching previously unbeaten Selingrove, 27-14, in Altoona Saturday. General McLane rallied to defeat City League champion Oliver, 14-6, in its quarterfinal.

The Lancers have many of the same skill-position players that led them to the semifinals last year before losing to Franklin Regional, 27-21.

General McLane ran for 196 yards against Oliver using an option offense. Drew Astorino, Danny Skelton, Ryan Skelton and Bob Stauffer take turns running the football for the District 10 champions. Astorino and Stauffer rotate between quarterback and wing-back. Ryan Skelton is the fullback in an offense that passes the ball less than 10 times per game. The Lancers only passed three times against Oliver.

"We played Chartiers Valley and they run the same thing," said Cherpak.

TJ defeated the Colts, 44-9, on Oct. 20.

"You have to play disciplined football," Cherpak said. "You have to have the dive [to the fullback accounted for], you have to have the quarterback and you have to have the pitch. That's what you've got to practice.

"You can't have guys on defense running all over the place. They have to know who they have and they have to stick with it. If you let someone go or you get a little over-aggressive and the linebacker doesn't take the dive or the tackle, you get burned. They keep pounding away, pounding away and eventually they expect to break one."

There is an element of risk in this offense because of the constant pitches to the wingback. General McLane fumbled the ball six times in its last game, losing four. Fortunately, its defense did not give up a touchdown in any of the lost fumbles against Oliver.

No one in the McLane starting backfield weighs more than 180 pounds. The Lancers offensive line is also relatively small, averaging only 223 pounds per man. This figure is skewed because of 275-pound tackle Shawn McFadden.

Nevertheless, McLane is an experienced team that has won 23 of 26 games over the past two seasons. Its two losses this season occurred against Class AAAA quarterfinalist Erie Cathedral Prep and Erie Strong Vincent, against whom the Lancers got revenge in the District 10 playoffs.

History favors Thomas Jefferson. Teams from the WPIAL have reached the PIAA finals 13 times in the 18 years of the state playoffs in Class AAA.

After District 7 champions went 0 for 8 in the first 13 years of the PIAA Class AAA playoffs, the WPIAL has won four of the last five state championships. This includes the Jaguars' 56-20 dismantling of Manheim Central two years ago.

Cherpak doesn't look at his team as a favorite against General McLane, or as an underdog for that matter.

"I haven't even thought about that," Cherpak said. "Everybody still in the playoffs is good and we've watched film of them and I know we've got to play [our best]."