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South Xtra: TJ can relate to tragedy that foe is dealing with

WPIAL FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS

Thursday, November 10, 2011

By Chris Adamski, Tri-State Sports & News Service

As tragic as it is, if anyone can relate to what the Knoch football team is enduring throughout its WPIAL playoff run, it's the Knights' quarterfinal opponent, Thomas Jefferson.

For many years, Jaguars coach Bill Cherpak was in the funeral business. Two years ago, Thomas Jefferson's starting quarterback, Sam Johnston, learned of his father's death during practice the day before the team's WPIAL semifinal game against West Allegheny.

Knoch (10-0) plays the Jaguars (7-3) 7:30 p.m. Friday at Plum's Mustang Stadium. The Knights have been dealing with the death of cheerleader Alexis Summers since the Nov. 1 car accident that claimed her life.

Summers was the girlfriend of Knoch star running back Andrew Rumberg-Goodlin, and the Knights played with emotion in a 28-7 win against West Allegheny in the first round this past Friday.

"Things like that, it's just something that kids deal with that kids shouldn't have to deal with," Cherpak said. "It's a reality of life, and it's tragic for everyone around.

"I think the biggest thing is each kid is going to deal with this in his own way, how he shows emotion, you know? You just try to keep things as normal as possible."

Last week under some extraordinary circumstances -- including a touching half-hour postgame ceremony -- Knoch played a game that was as normal as any it had played this season, in one way at least.

The Knights played a solid, mistake-free fundamental game -- and they won.

"They were very consistent all year," Cherpak said. "They're not flashy -- it's not like you turn on film and you see guys with 70-, 80-yard runs or throwing the ball down the field. But they're consistent, and they don't screw up.

"Usually with a high school team, kids can't manage to go 12, 14, 15 plays on drives and not make a mistake that cost themselves. But that's not what you see when you watch this team and the discipline with which they play. They do a lot of things without making mistakes, and the result, as you can see, is winning games."

As impressed as he was with Knoch's performance Friday, Cherpak was far less enthused about his team's effort in a 34-28 overtime win against Greensburg Salem that included Golden Lions touchdowns via interception return and punt block.

"I told the kids we were very fortunate to win that game," Cherpak said.

Knoch coach Mike King was proud of his team for playing such a solid game Friday -- no turnovers, only two penalties -- in the face of circumstances in which no one would have blamed it for the occasional mental gaffe.

King said he'd "never been a part of anything like" the postgame ceremony that featured moments of silence, the releasing of balloons, the marching band playing "Amazing Grace" and a lengthy moment of silence.

He also said he's never been part of a team that had a tragedy like this -- or even one of a significantly lesser degree -- to rally around.

"I think more than any other thing, there's an undercurrent on this team and there's feeling among the seniors in particular that they are so tremendously focused," King said. "These guys, they know the emotions and the attitude with which they want to play and are focused during the week to do what they can to get this team to Heinz Field.

"It all stems from a senior class that is a tight group of guys. They're making sure we are taking things one step at a time, one day at a time."

A Knoch victory would mean Thomas Jefferson fails to advance to the WPIAL semifinals for the first time since 1997.

The perennially contending -- and, this season, injury-depleted -- Jaguars have already seen a couple long streaks end this season. Their 37-game conference winning streak was snapped by West Mifflin Area in the season finale. Thomas Jefferson had won the Big Eight/Seven title every year since 2005, but shared the conference title with the Titans this season.

"If you look at the last two years, I don't think any kids say, 'We made it to the semifinals,'" Cherpak said. "I think they say, 'We lost in the semifinals.' That [making the semifinals] as a goal really doesn't do anything for us. That's not the ultimate goal; that's not how we measure the season."

Knoch lost in the quarterfinals to eventual champion Central Valley last season.

The matchup features dueling 1,000-yard running backs in Rumberg-Goodlin (1,193 yards, 18 touchdowns) and Ryan Ruffing (1,341 yards, 17 touchdowns).

The opposing quarterbacks -- Knoch's Ky Kenyon (892 passing yards, 17 passing touchdowns, 741 rushing yards, eight rushing touchdowns) and the Jaguars' Dom Presto (1,379 yards, 16 touchdowns) -- also have put up impressive numbers.