Jaguars topple Leopards to win Class 4A title

By DEAN DELLAMALVA JR
MVI Sports
Belle Vernon Area’s road to its first visit to Heinz Field was a memorable one; however, its visit was forgettable.
Thomas Jefferson claimed its ninth WPIAL championship in program history, and fourth in the last five years, by dominating on both sides of the football in a 41-7 victory over the Leopards in the Class 4A title game Saturday night at Heinz Field.
Dylan Malozzi ran for four touchdowns and Shane Stump rushed for two scores of his own as the Jaguars (13-0) enacted the mercy rule.
From there, the Jaguars defensive front took over and in doing so got coach Bill Cherpak his eighth WPIAL championship, but those types of things don’t matter to him.
“Honestly, the way that it is now, people are going to have 10 or 12 with the six classes, it really doesn’t mean anything,” said Cherpak. “It’s exciting for the kids and the community and all the people who came out. I think the thing that you always want is consistency. The guys really don’t know anything different. They deserve all the credit, they worked hard.
“It’s not easy and it’s not supposed to be. Players make plays.”
TJ stuffed the BVA offense in the first half, allowing only eight yards of total offense. Some key penalties, including a holding call on the Leps’ first possession, put them behind the chains. However, BVA coach Matt Humbert was very positive about the season his team had and expected his players to be disappointed over the loss.
“It’s just simple, the kids should be emotional, they put a lot of time and effort into this,” said Humbert. “When you don’t get the end result that you want, you should be emotional, you should be a little teary eyed. I refuse to be anything but positive. We finally kicked that door in and got to Heinz Field. I’m not disappointed one bit.”
Meanwhile, the Thomas Jefferson offense had little trouble moving the ball as it scored on all five of its first half possession. The Jaguars’ first drive went 73 yards on eight plays. Stump connected on an 11-yard pass to Dan Deabner and a 27-yard strike down the middle to Ian Hansen. Stump capped that drive with a 1-yard quarterback sneak to pay dirt and the Jaguars led 7-0.
TJ’s next scoring possession was aided by two penalties, including a pass interference infraction on 3rd-and-14. Stump also converted a 3rd-and-1 on another quarterback sneak. Mallozzi took a handoff off right guard for a 12-yard score with just eight seconds left in the first quarter. BVA’s Hunter Ruokonen blocked the extra point but Thomas Jefferson was still ahead 13-0 after one quarter.
“Overall I think our offensive line just dominated,” Cherpak said.
Mallozzi was a key benefactor to Thomas Jefferson’s excellent line play. The senior rushed for 178 yards in the win.
“The offensive line has been working hard all year,” said Mallozzi. “They deserve all the credit in the world.”
Belle Vernon’s woes continued as a bad snap on an attempted punt set TJ up at the Leopard 10-yard line. Two plays later, Mallozzi scored on a 4-yard run for a 20-0 Jags lead.
The fourth Thomas Jefferson possession began with Stump finding his favorite target Dan Deabner on a 58-yard pass play that quickly flipped the field. The Jaguars had been pinned at their own 13-yard line thanks to a nice punt by BVA’s Cam Guess. Four plays later, Mallozzi scored his third touchdown to make it 27-0. Another Leps punt led to a fifth score for TJ just before half on a 3-yard Stump run. It was the Leopards’ fifth first-half possession to end empty.
“Shane made a lot of calls at the line of scrimmage tonight,” said Cherpak. “He really called a good game. He made some big plays, he called 75 to 80% of the game tonight.”
“It’s one of those games where you have to match them,” Humbert said of TJ. “When you’re going blow for blow with a team like that, you have to be productive on offense, you have to score points. We left a lot of stuff out there. The credit goes to their kids; they’re tough, they’re physical and they play hard.”
Belle Vernon managed a third quarter score on a 5-yard pass from Jared Hartman to Nolan Labuda. It brought some cheers from a good sized group of Leopard fans who made the journey.
“No matter what the score was, the fans never wavered,” said Leps receiver Hunter Ruokonen. “We appreciate them for that.”
Thomas Jefferson moves on to the PIAA playoffs where they will oppose Erie Cathedral Prep next week.