GAME OF THE WEEK: Leopards’ season ends in WPIAL title game to Jaguars
Ed Thompson
Belle Vernon Jared Hartman sets up in the pocket in the first half of the WPIAL Class AAAA Championship against Thomas Jefferson at Heinz Field. Hartman is the 缅北禁地 Big School Player of the Year.
Ed Thompson
Belle Vernon head coach Matt Humbert leads his team onto the field prior to Saturday鈥檚 game against Thomas Jefferson for the WPIAL Class AAAA Championship at Heinz Field.
The ball is just out of the reach of Belle Vernon's Larry Callaway during Saturday's WPIAL Class AAAA Championship against Thomas Jefferson at Heinz Field.
Belle Vernon's Andrew Pacek (6) is focused as the Leopards prepare to take the field for Saturday's WPIAL Class AAAA Championship against Thomas Jefferson at Heinz Field.
PITTSBURGH聽鈥� Belle Vernon鈥檚 tremendous season came to an end Saturday night at Heinz Field in a 41-7 setback to rival Thomas Jefferson in the WPIAL Class AAAA Championship.
The Leopards (10-2) were seeking their second district title and first since 1995, but the Jaguars (13-0) proved why they are the class of the division by scoring on all five possessions in the first half to build a 35-0 lead at the break.
鈥淭he kids should be emotional, they should be disappointed, they should be crying a little bit,鈥� Belle Vernon coach Matt Humbert said. 鈥淵ou put a lot of time, energy and effort into this. I refuse to be anything but positive. We finally broke through that door. We finally kicked that door in and got to Heinz Field. This is a helluva group of kids, and I am not talking about the football accolades. They are great human beings, great students and great role models.鈥�
鈥淚 think Matt (Humbert) has done a great job at Belle Vernon,鈥� said Thomas Jefferson coach Bill Cherpak. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e had success in the six years he鈥檚 been there. He has changed it there. You need stability in a program, and they have it.鈥�
Thomas Jefferson鈥檚 triumph over Belle Vernon is their nine district title. The Jaguars won their first championship in 1980 before starting a run of eight over 15 years in 2004. TJ won in 鈥�06, 鈥�07, 鈥�08, 鈥�15, 鈥�16 and 鈥�17.
鈥淚 think what you really want is consistency in your program,鈥� Cherpak said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not easy, but it鈥檚 not supposed to be, and that鈥檚 why it means so much. Overall, our offensive line just dominated the game. No doubt about it. Players make plays. I haven鈥檛 played a down.鈥�
Thomas Jefferson allowed a first down on the Leopards鈥� first drive, but a holding penalty moved Belle Vernon back and the drive stalled.
Jaguars quarterback Shane Stump opened the scoring with a one-yard run to cap an eight-play, 73-yard drive at 6:37 of the first quarter. Dylan Sullivan made the first of three PATs for a 7-0 lead.
Dylan Mallozzi scored the first of four touchdown runs on a 12 yarder with eight seconds remaining in the first quarter to increase Thomas Jefferson鈥檚 advantage to 13-0. Mallozzi gained 178 yards on 27 carries.
鈥淥ur offensive line really makes life easy for me,鈥� Mallozzi said. 鈥淥ur offensive line has been working hard all year, and they deserve all the credit in the world. It鈥檚 easy to run behind a big line like that.鈥�
Mallozzi scored on runs of four and 16 yards at 10:26 and 6:02 of the second quarter to push the Jaguars鈥� lead to 27-0.
Thomas Jefferson benefited from a short field on its third touchdown, as the Leopards had a bad snap on a punt and the Jaguars recovered at Belle Vernon鈥檚 10. TJ also fumbled on its fourth drive, but was able to recover.
鈥淚t was one of those games where you had to match it,鈥� Humbert said. 鈥淚f they score, you have to match it. We鈥檙e resilient and we鈥檝e proved that year after year after year. When you are going against a team like that, you have to score points, but credit goes to those kids at Thomas Jefferson. They鈥檙e tough, they鈥檙e physical and they play hard. We also didn鈥檛 take advantage of anything and sustain drives the way we should.鈥�
Stump scored the final touchdown of the first half when he ran a keeper to the right and crossed the pylon on a fourth-and-goal from the three as time expired. Mallozzi鈥檚 two-point conversion run extended TJ鈥檚 advantage to 35-0.
鈥淭hat was big to us,鈥� said Cherpak in regards to scoring just before halftime. 鈥淭hat was actually our two-point play last year against South Fayette if we scored, and Shane made a nice play and got to the pylon. We really didn鈥檛 want to kick a field goal and take a chance of a block. We were definitely going for two to get to 35.鈥�
The Leopards got on the scoreboard with 1:04 left in the third quarter when Nolan Labuda pulled in a five-yard reception from Jared Hartman and Cameron Guess made the extra point to cut the deficit to 35-7.
鈥淚f was pretty cool to catch a touchdown at Heinz Field where the Steelers play, but we didn鈥檛 get the job done today,鈥� Labuda said.
鈥淚t will be cool to look back at it down the road,鈥� Hartman said.
Mallozzi closed the scoring on a 39-yard run at 8:36 of the fourth quarter.
The Jaguars play Erie Cathedral Prep on Friday or Saturday in the quarterfinals of the PIAA playoffs.
鈥淎 few of the coaches and I went up and saw Erie Prep play last night,鈥� Cherpak said. 鈥淭hey are explosive and have great athletes. They have beaten us three times, so we are going to do everything we can to be ready for them. It is going to be a big challenge for our defense because they have so many explosive athletes.鈥�
WPIAL Championship
Class AAAA
at Heinz Field
Belle Vernon聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 0聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 0聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 7聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 0 鈥� 7
Thomas Jefferson聽聽聽聽聽 13聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 22聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 0聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 6 鈥� 41
First Quarter
TJ: Shane Stump 1 run (Dylan Sullivan kick), 6:37
TJ: Dylan Mallozzi 12 run (kick failed), :08
Second Quarter
TJ: Dylan Mallozzi 4 run (Dylan Sullivan kick), 10:24
TJ: Dylan Mallozzi 16 run (Dylan Sullivan kick), 6:02
TJ: Shane Stump 3 run (Dylan Mallozzi run), :00
Third Quarter
BV: Nolan Labuda 5 pass from Jared Hartman (Cameron Guess kick), 1:04
Fourth Quarter
TJ: Dylan Mallozzi 39 run (kick failed), 8:36
Records: Thomas Jefferson (13-0), Belle Vernon (10-2).