Whitlock’s 2 TDs carries Leopards into WPIAL final
Jim Downey | 缅北禁地
Belle Vernon quarterback Devin Whitlock (1) begins to celebrate on his way to the end zone for a 22-yard touchdown run on a fourth-and-4 in the first quarter of Friday鈥檚 WPIAL Class AAAA semifinal playoff game against Thomas Jefferson at West Mifflin.
Jim Downey | 缅北禁地
Belle Vernon coach Matt Humbert (center) talks to his offense during the second quarter of Friday鈥檚 WPIAL Class AAAA semifinal playoff game against Thomas Jefferson at West Mifflin.
Jim Downey | 缅北禁地
Belle Vernon鈥檚 Reiley Wiant (11) fights to break free from Thomas Jefferson鈥檚 Connor Murga (23) and Angelo Volomino (26) hanging on during the first quarter of Friday鈥檚 WPIAL Class AAAA semifinal playoff game at West Mifflin.
Jim Downey | 缅北禁地
Belle Vernon鈥檚 Cole Weightman (15) and several teammates bring down Thomas Jefferson running back Isaac Eckley after a short gain in the second quarter of Friday鈥檚 WPIAL Class AAAA semifinal playoff game at West Mifflin.
Jim Downey | 缅北禁地
Belle Vernon running back Quinton Martin (25) looks for running room after taking the handoff from quarterback Devin Whitlock (1) in the first quarter of Friday鈥檚 WPIAL Class AAAA semifinal playoff game against Thomas Jefferson at West Mifflin.
Jim Downey | 缅北禁地
Belle Vernon鈥檚 Devin Whitlock (1) tackles Thomas Jefferson鈥檚 Sean Sullivan during the second quarter of Friday鈥檚 WPIAL Class AAAA semifinal playoff game at West Mifflin.
Jim Downey | 缅北禁地
Belle Vernon鈥檚 Reiley Wiant (11) takes Thomas Jefferson鈥檚 Conner Murga in the second quarter of Friday鈥檚 WPIAL Class AAAA semifinal playoff game at West Mifflin.
WEST MIFFLIN 鈥� Matt Humbert should keep a close eye on Devin Whitlock this week.
Don鈥檛 let anyone sneeze near him. Don鈥檛 let him ride any motorcycles in a thunderstorm or make a misstep getting on and off the school bus.
Because if the Belle Vernon High School football team is going to have any chance at winning WPIAL and PIAA titles, then the Leopards are going to need him at quarterback.
Whitlock scored two first-half touchdowns and Quinton Martin added a fourth-quarter score as Belle Vernon stopped Thomas Jefferson, 21-7, on a frigid Friday night in the WPIAL Class AAAA semifinals at West Mifflin High School.
The win sends the Leopards to Heinz Field next Saturday to play Aliquippa. The Quips defeated McKeesport in overtime, 27-21.
鈥淒evin is Devin,鈥� said Humbert, Belle Vernon鈥檚 head coach. 鈥淏ut don鈥檛 overlook our defense because they were terrific.鈥�
The Leopards (11-0) defeated Thomas Jefferson twice in a row for the first time since 1970. Belle Vernon was looking to be the first team to shut out Thomas Jefferson since 1999, but quarterback Joe Lekse scored a meaningless touchdown on a 1-yard dive with just under a minute to go. That drive ate up about seven minutes and used up 17 plays.
Whitlock鈥檚 scores came much faster. He broke off right tackle on a fourth-and-4 and sped to the end zone from 22 yards out with 4:12 left in the first quarter.
His second touchdown came on the same play he ran for a touchdown that gave Belle Vernon a 28-21 victory over Thomas Jefferson at the midpoint of the season. The only differences were this one went for 79 yards and was run off right tackle instead of left.
The run was the first play after the Jaguars turned the ball over on downs.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not satisfied at all,鈥� said Whitlock, who has been recruited by The Citadel and Youngstown State. 鈥淲e want to play three more games and win them for our seniors, hopefully making it all the way to Hershey and be successful out there. Playing for the WPIAL title means the world to me. Coming up short my past two seasons.
鈥淛ust to get there means the world to me.鈥�
Whitlock ran for 150 yards and threw for 54 more.
Martin鈥檚 touchdown was important, but his interception late in the second quarter at the Belle Vernon 5-yard line that he returned to midfield was the backbreaker for Thomas Jefferson (8-3).
鈥淲e have unfinished business. I don鈥檛 want to be a Debbie-downer, but we tried not to build up the whole Belle Vernon-TJ thing because the fans will do that,鈥� Humbert said. 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 focus too much on who we were playing. We tried to get them focused on going to Heinz Field, not TJ. We just focused on clawing and scrapping to get back to that stadium. I鈥檓 proud of the kids because that鈥檚 not an easy team to beat.鈥�
Lekse averaged five yards per carry entering the game. Belle Vernon held him to a little more than one yard per carry in the victory.
鈥淭hey just made more plays than we did,鈥� said Thomas Jefferson head coach Bill Cherpak. 鈥淚 thought our defense played well. We contained Whitlock and held him to that one big run. They played hard and were hungry and had that desperation inside them. They deserved to win. We were in the red zone and turned the ball over on downs and had that interception.
鈥淭hey just deserved it more than we did.鈥�