Articles 2015

Thomas Jefferson gridders aiming to advance past WPIAL semifinal round

Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2015, 12:01 a.m.

Thomas Jefferson annually dominates the conference all-star football selections.

Nine seniors on last year's team were lauded as all-conference players — Austin Kemp (RB/LB), Russell Siess (TE/DE), Jake Guinn (C/DL), Derek Rothey (K/DB), Charles Warfield (OL), Frankie Langan (WR), Harrison Everley (OL), Zach Reynolds (OL) and Corey Payne (DE).

As a result, the Jaguars will have a new look with several new players taking over at integral positions this year.

“We've been doing a little bit of everything (at practice),” Bill Cherpak, TJ's coach, said. “Last year at this time I didn't know we'd be running the wildcat offense. I really won't know about this year until we see how things work out.”

Four all-conference players are back for the Jaguars. They consist of seniors Dylan Vissari, Braden Pahanish and Ryan Scanlon, first-team selections at offensive tackle, linebacker and defensive back, respectively; along with sophomore standout Devin Danielson, who landed honorable-mention all-conference status on the defensive line.

Junior Bobby Kelley has cemented the starting job at quarterback and looks to be handing off to Scanlon, Pahanish, junior Quinton Hill, sophomore Justin Vigna and senior Adam Staudt in the offensive backfield, among others.

“(Kelley's) so much more mature (this season). He's got a much better grasp of what we want to do,” Cherpak said. “He knows what we want to do.”

Kelley's top wide receiving targets will include juniors Zane Zandier, Jon Muehlbauer and Nick Freiwald; seniors Peter Metro and Cam Dallesandro; and tight ends Jake Giegerich, a junior, and Noah Palmer, a sophomore.

“The strength of this year's team will definitely be our offense,” Pahanish said. “All of our backs are good enough to step in and play, and our passing game will make a big leap this year.

“Our quarterback and wideouts stepped up big time this offseason.”

The offensive and defensive lines will consist of some mix of Vissari, Palmer, Danielson, seniors Lance Reaghard, Dylan Dietrich, Trevor Whitecap and Dillon Finley, junior A.J. Putignano and freshman Dom Serapiglia.

“Most of our secondary and linebackers played last year,” Cherpak said. “We're counting on them to be pretty good.”

Scanlon and Muehlbauer are cornerbacks; Zandier and Freiwald are safeties.

Lending support in the secondary will be sophomores Nick Urbanowicz, Garret Fairman and Vigna.

The Jaguars' linebacking corps will be led by Hill, Stoudt — a transfer from South Park — Pahanish, sophomore Jared Collington and Metro.

Junior Tommy Campbell will handle the kicking duties with Serapiglia stepping in at long snapper.

Thomas Jefferson won its ninth consecutive conference title in 2014, and 14th in the past 15 seasons. The Jaguars also posted their third straight undefeated regular season, and 10th in school history.

TJ rushed for 4,296 yards and threw for just 380 in 2014. Kelley, who will be backed up by senior Julian Metro this season, connected on 14 of 27 aerials for 282 yards and three touchdowns.

Kemp finished with 1,994 yards rushing and 39 touchdowns last season. He scored 37 times on the ground, breaking the team record for rushing touchdowns in one season (36) set by Jon Drager in 2002.

For his career, Kemp, who missed his sophomore season with an injury, ran for 3,259 yards and scored 57 touchdowns.

Kemp led the team in scoring with 236 points. He also led the WPIAL in scoring during the regular season.

Thomas Jefferson advanced to the WPIAL Class AAA semifinal round for the 16th time in 17 seasons in 2014, and finished 11-1 for the third consecutive year.

TJ outscored the opposition by a 505-144 overall margin, including a 421-76 regular-season advantage.

The Jaguars accounted for 70 touchdowns and averaged 42.1 points scored and 12 points allowed.

Nonetheless, the Jaguars are looking for even more in 2015.

“My expectations are high, but the goals never change,” Scanlon said. “The ultimate goals are to win a WPIAL and state championship. I expect a very deep playoff run, and I'm hoping to get over that semifinal hump that (TJ) teams in the past three years haven't been able to get over, and to get to Heinz.

“I think this year's team will have a high-intensity defense with returning starters such as Braden Pahanish at linebacker and Devin Danielson at tackle, mixed in with a lot of young talent.

“Most of all, I think our best aspect will be (our) team chemistry, with the bond the team has been making and will continue to make throughout the season.”

Pahanish (33 tackles, four sacks) ranked among the Jaguars' leading tacklers last season.

Pahanish was complemented by several other players on defense, including Giegerich, Danielson, Muehlbauer, Hill, Zandier, Scanlon, Reaghard and Finley.

“This year's goals are to get out of the (WPIAL) semifinal slump and get back to (the WPIAL finals at) Heinz Field, where TJ should be,” Pahanish said.

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Thomas Jefferson (8-0) was trailed by Ringgold (7-1), West Mifflin (5-3), Belle Vernon (5-3), Laurel Highlands (4-4), Trinity (3-5), Elizabeth Forward (3-5), Uniontown (1-7) and Albert Gallatin (0-8) in the Big Nine Conference last year.

Yough, which competed in the Greater Allegheny, has joined the Big Nine due to WPIAL realignment.

The Cougars were 0-9 last season.

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Hill rushed for 711 yards on 92 carries and scored 11 touchdowns in 2014.

Kemp and Hill were complemented by Scanlon (65-488) and Pahanish (56-415) in the rushing department.

Thomas Jefferson football looks back on magical 2015 season

Thomas Jefferson earned the WPIAL Class AAA football championship in 2015 with a tried and true winning formula.

That is: outstanding offense, combined with a dominating defense, and complemented by solid special teams play, equals team championship.

“It was a great year and one of the most enjoyable of my coaching career,” Bill Cherpak, Thomas Jefferson's veteran head coach, said. “Each and every player had a part in the success of the team, and especially the seniors who were the leaders. They showed great character in leading the team after our 0-2 start, and eventually on to winning the WPIAL championship.

“I also can't say enough about my coaching staff and all the hard work they put in. They really deserve the credit. It was a magical year all-around. The scene at Heinz Field was one I will never forget. The support from the student body, band, cheerleaders and the entire Jaguar Nation was awesome.

“I am so proud of every kid on the team and truly happy for their success. They worked, and they got better every week.”

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The Jaguars, who ended up 11-3 overall, accounted for 6,008 total offensive yards in 2015, with running backs Quinton Hill and Braden Pahanish combining for 2,836 yards rushing and 36 touchdowns.

Hill, a junior, led the team in rushing with 1,723 yards on 214 carries, and average of 8.1 per carry and 156.6 per game. He also led the Jaguars in scoring with 24 touchdowns, all on the ground.

Pahanish, a senior, rushed for 1,113 yards on 88 carries, averaging 13.3 per carry and 79.5 per game.

“It was truly an awesome team effort,” Pahanish said. “Winning this title means the world to me and the team because we needed to get that trophy back in our hands. We worked way too hard this season for it to slip through our hands.”

With many of the Jaguars' contests during their seven-game regular-season winning streak ending in lopsided scores, a total of 21 players were able to see time in the offensive backfield.

Others who tacked on yardage to the team's rushing total included senior Ryan Scanlon (16-239), sophomore Justin Vigna (26-146), junior Zane Zandier (39-143) and sophomore Jimmy McCoy (20-100); along with Adam Staudt, Julian Metro, Jonathan Muehlbauer, Nick Territ, Sean Bell, Bobby Kelley, Zach Wagner, Jackson Conway, Jared Collington, Jack Mich, Andy Kalup, Ridge Vlha, Colton Mitchell, Max Shaw and Nathan Weir.

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Three players combined efforts on the team's total in passing yardage.

Kelley, a junior quarterback, hit on 50 of 93 passes for 650 yards, nine scores, and threw just two interceptions. He attempted 77 consecutive passes before tossing his first interception in the early third quarter in the WPIAL championship game.

Metro, a senior quarterback, passed for 364 yards and two touchdowns, while Zandier added 237 yards and two touchdowns.

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Muelhbauer, a junior who led the Jaguars in receiving, and Zandier combined 58 receptions totaling 1,030 yards.

Muehlbauer finished with 32 catches for 603 yards and five TDs. He averaged 18.8 yards per catch. Zandier had 26 receptions for 427 yards and one TD. He averaged 16.4 yards per reception.

Five other players caught passes for the Jaguars this season — senior WR Peter Metro (4-49), junior TE Jake Giegerich (4-36), Hill (3-15), junior WR Nick Freiwald (2-52) and Pahanish (2-33).

TJ averaged 17.4 yards per completion.

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Thomas Jefferson scored an impressive 33.9 points per game in 2015, and allowed 11.6 points per outing.

Hill led the team in scoring with 24 touchdowns, or 144 points; followed by Zandier with 17 touchdowns (102 points).

“To win the WPIAL championship means so much to me and the team,” Hill said. “It's what we worked countless hours toward accomplishing during the offseason, and it paid off.”

Other leading scorers included Pahanish (72 points), junior kicking specialist Tommy Campbell (64), Muehlbauer (30), along with Kelley, Scanlon and Vigna with two touchdowns apece.

Staudt, Giegerich, Freiwald, McCoy and a safety, on defense, rounded out the Jaguars' scoring in 2015.

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The Jaguars' top offensive production in 2015 came in their 42-7 win over Armstrong in the WPIAL first round.

TJ accumulated 538 yards in total offense, including 434 yards and six touchdowns on the ground.

On the year, TJ averaged 348.4 yards in total offense per game, which included an average of 261.5 yards rushing per game.

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Thomas Jefferson handcuffed five teams to less than 100 total offensive yards, and posted five shutouts this season.

Elizabeth Forward, Trinity, Uniontown, West Mifflin and West Allegheny were unable to dent the scoreboard against the Jaguars, and managed only 21 first downs between them.

Uniontown was limited to two first downs, while Trinity and WM managed only three apiece. WA finished with five; EF ended up with eight.

West Mifflin and Uniontown were able to secure just 52 total yards apiece against the Jaguars, while Trinity (72), WA (75) and EF (78) weren't far behind.

Two noteworthy defensive performances were recorded in the WPIAL finals against Central Valley, which was held to negative rushing yardage, and in the WPIAL quarterfinals against West Allegheny, which managed just 17 yards rushing and 58 yards passing.

“The West Allegheny game was the game that really propelled us through the playoffs,” Cherpak said. “I think the confidence level of the kids after that game could not have been higher, and it carried us through the championship game.

“It's just a great group of unselfish young men who cared about the team first, and were willing to do whatever necessary to help the team win. They had great team chemistry.”

TJ blanked West Allegheny, 14-0.

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Staudt, a senior, was the team leader in tackles from his linebacking position.

He finished with 112 total tackles, including a team-high 81 unassisted stops, with four sacks and three interceptions.

“I thought the team played great once again,” said Staudt following the WPIAL championship game. “The defense really worked together well with communication, and recognizing what we had to do and make big plays to bring our offense back out onto the field.

“Growing up, I always dreamed about one day playing at Heinz for the WPIAL title. Finally, all our dedication and hard work got my team and myself there. We worked hard to get there. (Winning the WPIAL title) means the world to me.”

Pahanish, also a linebacker, complemented Staudt with 73 tackles including 54 unassisted stops. Pahanish posted five sacks, recovered two fumbles and caused one fumble.

Other impact players on defense included senior lineman Dillon Finley (25U, 13A, 10S, 1 RF), Hill (36U, 11 A, 1 S), Zandier (27U, 14A, 2S), Giegerich (25U, 14A, 2 S), sophomore lineman Devin Danielson (25U, 6A, 2RF, 3S), senior lineman Brayden Stoffel (19U, 10A, 4S, 1 safety), Muehlbauer (22U, 4A, 6 INT), Scanlon (25U, 2A, 1 INT) and Freiwald (21U, 4A, 3 INT).

“I think our performance was amazing,” Scanlon said. “The defense, allowing Central Valley's offense zero points, was really a feat and a statement that we made, especially at the WPIAL championship.

“It meant everything, especially starting 0-2. We knew what we were capable of, and that was our motto all year. It feels amazing that four years of hard work has been rewarded.”

TJ's defensive and/or special teams contributors throughout the year consisted of Lance Reaghard, Collington, Vigna, Jacob Maxwell, McCoy, Garret Fairman, Nick Urbanowicz, Peter Metro, Noah Palmer, Dom Serapiglia, Dylan Vissari, Sean Barrett, Cameron Dallessandro, Dustin Lanning, Geoffrey Wagner, Alex Weber, Jacob Myers, Campbell, Bell, John Adams, Logan Burnsworth and Nico Stoicovy.

Muehlbauer (6), Zandier (5) and Freiwald (4) finished one-two-three in interceptions; Finley was the team leader in sacks with 10.

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Campbell handled the Jaguars' kicking duties. He converted 61 point-after kicks, plus one field goal; punted 40 times (30.7 average), and kicked off 84 times, averaging 41.5 yards per kick.

Zandier had a team-high 39 punt returns, with 17 fair catches and two touchdowns. Freiwald also scored on a punt return for the Jaguars.

Vigna (8) and Peter Metro (7) returned 15 kickoffs with two touchbacks.

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No less than 11 team members were honored as All-Big 10 Conference selections this year.

On offense, Danielson (C), Reaghard (G), Giegerich (TE) and Zandier (WR) were first-team selections; senior Dylan Dietrich (G) and Muehlbauer (WR) were second-team picks.

On defense, Danielson (DL), Pahanish (LB), Muehlbauer (DB) and Zandier (DB) were first-team selections; Giegerich (DL) and Scanlon (DB) were second-team picks.

Hill (RB), Pahanish (RB), Vissari (OL) and Staudt (LB) received honorable-mention nods.

“We all played together as a team, we stayed focused and kept our eyes on the prize,” Vissari said. “The feeling is indescribable. I still can't believe that we won the WPIAL.”

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The 16 senior members of this year's team — Julian Metro, Peter Metro, Pahanish, Staudt, Scanlon, Stoffel, Finley, OL/DL Andrew Murdy, Dietrich, Reaghard, Maxwell, OL/DL Trevor Whitecap, Vissari, Dallessandro, Myers and Wagner — own a 33-5 overall record the past three seasons.

They also won two conference crowns.

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Thomas Jefferson has won five WPIAL Class AAA football titles and three state championships during Cherpak's 21-year reign as field boss.

All five WPIAL, and all three PIAA crowns, have been won since 2004.

Thomas Jefferson's Cherpak named Daily News Coach of Year

In 20 seasons as football coach at Thomas Jefferson, his teams had never lost consecutive games. The Jaguars, in September, were beaten at home for the first time in 12 years.

It was during that modest two-game losing streak in his 21st season on the TJ sideline that Bill Cherpak didn't panic.

And neither did anyone else associated with the program, one that had won four WPIAL titles and three PIAA crowns under his reign.

Make that five WPIAL championships, with TJ finishing the year with an 11-3 record, earning Cherpak the 2015 Daily News High School Football Coach of the Year Award.

“It was one of the most enjoyable seasons for me,” he said. “Just seeing the kids grow, when it started out 0-2 there. I've got to give the kids and the assistant coaches all the credit for working through it to do the things we needed to do to get better.”

Cherpak, who in 1995 took over at TJ and established it as consistently one of the most respected programs in Class AAA, watched his latest team rally from an 0-2 start and race to the PIAA quarterfinals.

Along the way, Thomas Jefferson knocked off defending Class AAA champion Central Valley, 20-7, at Heinz Field to win another WPIAL crown.

“The biggest thing was everybody took it upon themselves to do something better to help the team,” Cherpak said. “It just became everybody's mission. The seniors were the leaders. I kind of backed off and let them take ownership. We had great team chemistry.”

A season with so much success didn't start out that way. Thomas Jefferson dropped its first two games by a touchdown — at Ringgold, 27-20, and at home against Belle Vernon, 31-24.

Then the lights came on.

“It was weird how things progressed the way they did,” Cherpak said. “We didn't have any vocal screaming matches. Our veterans — guys like Braden Pahanish and Adam Staudt — showed great leadership. Brayden Stoval stepped in at defensive tackle and played great. He'd never played there before in his life. We had subs everywhere, and they played awesome.”

The Jaguars, who were hit with a number of key injuries early — quarterback Bobby Kelley and tight end Jake Giegerich among them — began to roll, starting with a 40-14 rout at Laurel Highlands.

“When we were 0-2, we gathered as a team and had a good team meeting,” Cherpak said. “Each kid stood up and talked, and each coach stood up, too. Everyone talked about what we need to do. We said, ‘We're starting over. We need to go on a seven-game run.' We went into Laurel Highlands and didn't play particularly well until the fourth quarter, and we ended up blowing them out.”

From there, Thomas Jefferson registered four shutouts and outscored its opponents during the final six regular-season games 259-27. The Jaguars added a 14-0 shutout of West Allegheny in the WPIAL quarterfinals.

Their season ended with a 28-21 loss to Erie Cathedral Prep in the PIAA quarterfinals.

“We knew coming into the season that we could be a pretty good team,” Cherpak said. “We only had two starters returning on both sides of the ball, so we needed to gel. Our coaching staff was really awesome. It just made it so much easier for me to oversee. I just kind of managed things. It was fun. The practices were fun. The kids had fun.”