Smeltz: After first round win, West A aware of the challenge ahead

By: Joe Smeltzer
After getting past the Hollidaysburg Golden Tigers in the first round of their playoff journey, a familiar foe awaits the West Allegheny Indians.

The Thomas Jefferson Jaguars under head coach Bill Cherpak have been one of the WPIAL's flagship programs for several years, as has West Allegheny under Bob Palko. In addition to being two of the WPIAL's finest football programs, these two teams have plenty of history with each other, particularly in the WPIAL playoffs. Since 2005, these teams have met five times when the season was on the line. TJ got the upper hand in both 2005 and 2007, winning 35-0 in the semifinal round in 2005 and 49-21 in the quarterfinal round in 2007. The tide turned in 2009, as the Mike Caputo-led Indians upset a heavily favorited TJ team in the semifinals by a score of 28-21, ending the Jaguars run of three consecutive WPIAL championships. A similar situation occurred three years later when West Allegheny defeated TJ 24-7 to advance to Heinz Field for what was to be the first of three straight WPIAL championship game appearances. The meeting that players will be thinking about most of all on Friday night took place last season, when, again in the semi-finals, the Indians ended the Jaguars season with a 41-7 romp.

Palko knows that TJ will be out for revenge.''They are a well-coached team that is on a mission to undo what happened last year'', Palko stated when asked about what to expect from Thomas Jefferson. ''It is very easy to see by watching them that they are well motivated and playing very well now, so we have our work cut out for us.'' After losing their first two games to Ringgold and Belle Vernon, the Jags caught fire and are currently riding an eight-game winning streak, led by their vaunted running attack, featuring  junior Quinton Hill and senior Braden Pahanish, who have combined for nearly 2,000 yards rushing this season. The Jags defeated Armstrong by a score of 42-7 in their first playoff game last week.

''This week's game is gonna go fast,'' said West A tackle Nick Lonerio. ''They are a team that's going to try to run the ball down you throat, and that's exactly what we do. So the short amount of plays that we have, we need to make count.''

Terrance Stephens was once again the focal point of the West A offense last Friday, rushing for 207 yards. When asked about TJ, Terrance simply stated: ''They're physical. They're physical.''

West A will be tested tomorrow night at Upper Saint Clair High School, and the seniors for both teams know that any remaining game could be their last. That is part of what makes the WPIAL playoffs so great, as everything will be left out on the field.

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