TJ earns 5th straight berth in WPIAL finals
By ASHLEY CHASE
MVI Sports
The ketchup tastes just as delicious each time around.
Thomas Jefferson will make its fifth consecutive trip to Heinz Field for the Class 4A WPIAL title game after Friday’s convincing 49-0 trouncing of Blackhawk at Chartiers Valley High School Stadium.
Senior quarterback Shane Stump passed for 166 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 66 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Wideout Dan Deabner caught three passes for 116 yards and returned a 50-yard punt for a touchdown.
A scoreless first quarter gave way for the Stump-and-Deabner Show in the second — just the way head coach Bill Cherpak has come to expect it.
“They’re our leaders. We expect them to make plays and they do,” he said. “That’s part of the reason we’re as good as we are. Everybody out there is making plays, our defense, our linemen, just everyone did their jobs and played well. Makes it a lot easier to coach.”
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