Familiar opponent awaits Belle Vernon
Belle Vernon is one step away from playing for a WPIAL football championship at Heinz Field.
A familiar foe stands in the way.
The top-seeded Leopards (9-0) take on No. 5 Thomas Jefferson (8-2) in a Class 4A semifinal at West Mifflin High School. Kickoff is 7 p.m.
Belle Vernon defeated the visiting Jaguars, 28-21, on Sept. 24 in a Big Eight Conference showdown thanks to two late, long touchdown runs by spectacular quarterback Devin Whitlock.
The Leopards defeating TJ in the regular season has not been uncommon under coach Matt Humbert. Coach Bill Cherpak’s Jaguars have lost only six conference games since 2015 and half of those have been to Belle Vernon.
The postseason has been a different story. Thomas Jefferson is 2-0 against Humbert’s squad in the WPIAL playoffs, defeating the Leopards 27-0 in the 2017 semifinals and 41-7 in the 2019 championship game.
Humbert was well aware of that fact after Belle Vernon’s earlier win over TJ this year.
“It is bittersweet because there is so much football left,” Humbert said at the time. “The irony is we have been through this story before where we get them in the regular season and then the postseason is a different animal.
“I think we need to hone in on what we are doing and get better each week because we know the real season begins in November.”
Since that game, Belle Vernon has won by an average score of 46.2-12.4. After receiving a first-round bye, the Leopards romped over No. 8 New Castle in last week’s quarterfinals, 45-20.
Thomas Jefferson finished third in the Big Eight after suffering a second conference loss, 42-28 at McKeesport, on Oct. 22. The Jaguars have won their two playoff games handily, 41-0 over Indiana and 42-14 over previously undefeated and fourth-seeded Hampton, 42-14.
Belle Vernon hopes to have star running back Quinton Martin for a full game this time. In the first meeting with TJ, Martin suffered a knee injury and missed almost the entire second half.
The winner faces either No. 3 McKeesport or No. 2 Aliquippa who face off in the other semifinal. The Tigers beat Armstrong, 41-7, in the quarterfinals while the Quips gradually pulled away for a 36-0 win over Laurel Highlands.
“It’s going to be tough,” Aliquippa coach Mike Warfield said of facing the Tigers. “We got to see a little bit of them. That wing-T is tough to stop. They’re good at it. They come out of there flying. We’re going to really have to be disciplined.”
The Class 4A championship game is scheduled to be played at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 27 at Heinz Field.