TRIBUNE-REVIEW • SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2018 • 9
CLASS 4A
Belle Vernon has come close, but THE FAVORITE defendingWPIAL champion Jaguars remain kings of themountain
1. Thomas Jefferson (11-2)
Winners of the past three WPIAL
titles, the Jaguars are led by junior
quarterback Shane Stump and lineman
TJ TEAM TO BEAT AGAIN
Belle Vernon got the better of
rival Thomas Jefferson in their
conference clash last October.
The 21-17 victory helped the
Leopards capture the conference
title and finish the regular
season undefeated.
But about a month later, the
Jaguars gained a measure of revenge
in the WPIAL semifinals
with a 27-0 triumph. TJ went on
to claim its third WPIAL title in
as many seasons.
As the 2018 season dawns, the
Jaguars again are the hunted
in Class 4A. Coach Bill Cherpak
knows his players will be ready
to fend off the challengers to
the crown.
“The kids realize year after
year what’s at stake,” Cherpak
said. “They feel the responsibility
of carrying on that tradition
of the program and what is expected
of them fromalumni and
prettymuch everybody connected
to the program.”
Thomas Jefferson finished
11-2 overall and suffered a loss
to eventual state champion Erie
Cathedral Prep in the PIAA
quarterfinals.
“The seniors this year know
nothing but winning the
WPIAL,” Cherpak said. “It’s
their final year, and they don’t
want that to slip away.”
But Belle Vernon coach Matt
Humbert thinks his Leopards,
with quarterback Jared Hartman
and an experienced rushing
corps among those returning,
can take that next step and
bring home the program’s first
WPIAL title since 1995.
“Thomas Jefferson is a favorite
in 4A, and they have the hardware
to prove it over the past
five to 10 years,” Humbert said.
“We’ve been able to beat them
two out of the past three years,
but at the end of the day, they got
the job done when it mattered
themost.They are the defending
champs. Our guys are motivated
coming back after being one win
away from Heinz Field.”
The Big 8 Conference returns
TJ, Belle Vernon, Trinity, West
Mifflin, Greensburg Salem, Laurel
Highlands and Ringgold. Indiana
stays in 4A and moves to
the Big 8, while Albert Gallatin
bumpedupto5Aand Uniontown
dropped to 3A.
South Fayette, Montour and
NewCastle, the top three teams,
respectively, in the Northwest
Nine standings last year, join
conference mainstays Highlands,
Knoch, Blackhawk and
Ambridge in the newly named
Northwest 8.
Montour defeated South Fayette
last year to punch its ticket
to the WPIAL finals.
Playoff qualifier Mars now
is in 5A.
“The conference is very difficult
no matter who we play,”
Knoch second-year coach Frank
Whalen said.“Thecompetitionis
extremely good in 4A in this conference.
It’saphysicalconference
and, in my opinion, one of the
toughest in all of the WPIAL.”
New to the Northwest 8 and
4A overall is Beaver, a perennial
playoff contender which moved
up from 3A where it was a
WPIAL semifinalist last year.
Change in the offseason came
to four 4A teams in termsof new
head coaches.
The biggestmove was at Ringgold,
where former Aliquippa
coach Mike Zmijanac is at the
helm. Zmijanac went 237-36 with
six WPIAL titles and one state
championship in 21 seasons at
Aliquippa. Under his guidance,
the Quips made the WPIAL finals
each of the past 10 seasons.
“Mike’s coming in there, and
he knows how to win, that’s for
sure,” Cherpak said. “(Ringgold)
should be improved.”
Zach Hayward returns to his
alma mater as the new Blackhawk
coach. The 2009 graduate
helped the Cougars qualify for
the WPIAL 3A title game in 2006
and ’08.
Blackhawk is hoping for a return
to the playoffs for the first
time since 2012.
Indiana is led by first-year
coach Brandon Overdorff,
who served as the coach of his
alma mater, Purchase Line in
District 6, from 2012-16 and was
an assistant last year under Ed
Dalton at McGuffey.
The Indians are hoping for
a playoff trip for the first time
since 2014.
Jake Just was elevated to head
coach at Laurel Highlands in
January after his brother, Zach,
resigned to take a principal job
at South Allegheny. The 2002
Greensburg Salem grad will face
his alma mater Sept. 21 as the
Mustangs hope to return to the
playoffs after a two-year hiatus.
With 16 teams in 4A, eight
in each conference, the WPIAL
playoff qualifiers will be the
top four teams in each conference.
The top two teams in each
conference will host first-round
games.
“There’s a lot of talent the
past two years that was lost to
graduation from (4A),” veteran
South Fayette coach Joe Rossi
said. “But there still are a lot of
good players, and it will be interesting
to see howit all shakes
out. There will be a lot of teams
vying for conference titles and
the WPIAL championship.”
by MICHAEL LOVE
Dom Serapiglia, who is drawing
Division I.
Preseason rankings
2. Belle Vernon (10-1)
3. South Fayette (11-1)
4. West Mifflin (5-5)
5. New Castle (7-4)
*RECORDS FROM 2017
THE STARS
TOM ELIA
South Fayette, sr., OG/DT
The 6-foot-3, 275-pound Elia will be
counted on to help open holes in the
run game and protect in the pass
game with several new starters at the
skill positions.
CAMERON GUESS
Belle Vernon, jr., P/K
Guess was nation’s the top-ranked
punter in the Class of 2020 and the
No. 13 kicker at the Kohl’s Kicking
Camp. He averaged 42 yards per
punt last season, made 31 extra
points and recorded 26 touchbacks.
JARED HARTMAN
Belle Vernon, jr., QB/DB
Hartman (6-2, 210) accounted for
24 total touchdowns last year as
the Leopards made it to the WPIAL
semifinals.
PARRISH PARKER
West Mifflin, sr., RB/DB
Parker earned nearly two dozen
Division I offers. A Trib HSSN
preseason all-star, he rushed for 884
yards and 11 touchdowns last year.
SHANE STUMP
Thomas Jefferson, jr., QB
Stump completed 85 passes for 1,621
yards — a 19.1 average — and threw
24 touchdowns, including six in the
postseason.
DON’T MISS
9.7 Thomas Jefferson
at Belle Vernon
The early-season matchup is expected
to go a long way in shaping the
Big 8 Conference race.
9.7 South Fayette at New Castle
The 2017 conference champion Lions
face a stiff early road test. South Fayette
won last year’s meeting 42-33.
10.26 Thomas Jefferson
at West Mifflin
The Titans hope the home conference
finale in Week 9 has special
meaning in the conference and for
the playoffs. The Jaguars won last
year’s meeting, 37-7.
THOMAS JEFFERSON’S SHANE STUMP
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