Matchup of Class 4A’s top teams, Belle Vernon, Thomas Jefferson draws ‘excitement’

By: HSSN Staff
Wednesday, September 5, 2018 | 7:18 PM

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It wasn’t long ago that Belle Vernon dreaded the week Thomas Jefferson appeared on its schedule.

“If you had come to Belle Vernon seven years ago, TJ was that game where you said: ‘I hope we just get through it and they don’t blow us out,’” Belle Vernon coach Matt Humbert said. “And now that’s not the case at all.”

In fact, when Thomas Jefferson visits Belle Vernon on Friday night, Humbert’s team seeks its third victory in four years over TJ.

Top-ranked Thomas Jefferson (1-0) is a three-time defending WPIAL champion that outscored opponents 506-90 last season, but No. 2 Belle Vernon (1-0) is the one team that has found some success against the Class 4A powerhouse. Belle Vernon won 21-17 in Week 7 last season, and defeated TJ, 31-24, in 2015.

“It’s a neat thing to be at the point where we have a seat at the table,” said Humbert, who became coach in 2014. “We were always the team that was trying to knock off TJ. Now we’re the team that’s trying to compete with them. To see where (Belle Vernon) was, and to see where it is now, we’re there in a sense that we’re always competing.

“I think that’s truly the neat thing.”

There’s no sense that they’ve “arrived,” but there is a growing confidence.

“It’s never cockiness, it’s a level-headed confidence that they know they can play with anybody,” Humbert said. “They know they’ve put themselves in good positions over the last few years to be successful.”

Only rarely in recent seasons has Thomas Jefferson faced a challenge in the WPIAL.

In the past six years combined, the Jaguars have lost only three conference games. Two of those three losses were to Belle Vernon, so their newfound rivalry has created a buzz around Friday night for both teams.

“I like it because it creates so much excitement around the game,” TJ coach Bill Cherpak said. “I tell the kids all the time, this is why you play, to be in games like this. If you’re in blowouts all the time, that’s not what this is about. It’s about being in big games, being in challenging games that come down to the wire. That’s high school football, and that’s what’s fun about it.”

Thomas Jefferson lost in the regular season last year but got revenge over Belle Vernon in the WPIAL playoffs.

The Jaguars won 27-0 in the semifinals en route to their third consecutive WPIAL title. But that four-point loss in Week 7 wasn’t quickly forgotten, Cherpak said.

“It’s in the kids’ minds, no doubt,” Cherpak said. “I would say the kids definitely remember that game (in Week 7) more than the game where we beat them. They know that we looked awful there last year. We’ve got to change that.”

Four turnovers by TJ and a pair of touchdown passes by BV quarterback Jared Hartman decided their regular-season matchup a year ago. Cherpak’s players haven’t that forgotten the loss because he won’t let them.

“We’ve seen it about 50 times starting in camp,” Cherpak said. “They’ve seen it. They need to be aware of the mistakes we made. I think some of them were big-game mistakes, some of them were just fatigue and some were physical mistakes that they make you make.”

Both teams are coming off lopsided wins last week.

Thomas Jefferson defeated Ringgold, 62-0, as Max Shaw rushed for 126 yards on five carries with touchdown runs of 40 and 51 yards. Belle Vernon defeated Ambridge, 43-0, behind Hartman, who had 101 yards rushing, 103 passing and threw two touchdowns.

The ingredients are all there for the hype. The two teams are ranked Nos. 1 and 2 in WPIAL Class 4A. Belle Vernon is anticipating a good-sized crowd. And the winner has the inside track for the Big Eight title.

But, Humbert is quick to remind, it’s only Week 2.

“This is a fun week,” Humbert said. “We don’t make the game more pressure filled than it is, and the kids have really taken on that mentality.”

Chris Harlan is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Chris at charlan@tribweb.com or via Twitter @CHarlan_Trib.

Tags: Belle Vernon, Thomas Jefferson