Instant Classic: Thomas Jefferson wins thriller over Belle Vernon

Tagged under: District 7, Gameday Hub, News

Andrew Schaffer | September 23, 2023

Every year Thomas Jefferson and Belle Vernon play it is always a huge matchup and it always seems to live up the hype and this year was no exception with a thrilling 24-19 comeback win for Thomas Jefferson. “It’s great to be able to compete like that” said Coach Cherpak.

Belle Vernon got the ball to start the game and started at their own 40 yard line. On the first play Braden Laux found Quinton Martin which put them into Thomas Jefferson territory. Later in the drive Belle Vernon went for it on fourth down and converted, 2 plays later Braden Laux found Anthony Crews for a 13 yard touchdown pass.

Thomas Jefferson got the ball for the first time and got the ball out close to midfield but after that the drive stalled and they punted the ball away. Late in the first quarter Thomas Jefferson had a drive go into Belle Vernon territory but eventually punted it away and pinned Belle Vernon at their own 7 yard line. That didn’t stop Belle Vernon because on the second play Kole Doppelheuer scored on a 93 yard touchdown run. That made the score 12-0 Belle Vernon with 58 seconds left in the first quarter.

In the second quarter momentum shifted toward Thomas Jefferson. They finally got on the scoreboard midway through the second quarter on a 26 yard field goal by Samuel Wessel. That made the score 12-3 Belle Vernon.

On the following possession Belle Vernon went three and out and gave the ball back to Thomas Jefferson. In their own territory Thomas Jefferson decided to go for it on fourth down and a pass interference moved the chains. A big play was when Luke Kosko found Sean Sullivan which put them at the Belle Vernon 10 yard line and a couple plays later Michael Banda scored on a 5 yard run. That made the score 12-10 Belle Vernon with 3:24 left in the first half. Kosko played a major role in the win for Thomas Jefferson he was 10 of 19 for 196 yards.

Once again Belle Vernon got the ball and went three and out. Thomas Jefferson now had the ball with a chance of taking the lead. They got out to midfield but after a bad snap Belle Vernon got the ball back. They would capitalize on that turnover when Braden Laux found Quinton Martin for a 20 yard touchdown as time expired in the first half which gave Belle Vernon a 19-10 lead at halftime.

Throughout this game the atmosphere was amazing. “It’s just a great environment for high school football” said Coach Cherpak. “I’ve never played in an atmosphere like this, I think it made me play better” said Jason Salman. “This is the most unbelievable atmosphere I’ve ever played in so far” said Luke Kosko.

Thomas Jefferson got the ball to start the second half and had a long and methodical drive going they were inside the Belle Vernon 15 yard line but on third down they couldn’t convert and when they attempted a field goal it was no good. The drive took over 5 minutes of the quarter.

Belle Vernon got the ball for the first time in the second half but went three and out. Throughout the second half Belle Vernon struggled on offense partially because Thomas Jefferson was able to play some great defense. The score at the end of the third quarter remained 19-10 Belle Vernon.

The fourth quarter is when things got interesting. Thomas Jefferson had the ball into Belle Vernon territory but the ball was intercepted and returned to the Thomas Jefferson 40 yard line. Belle Vernon had a golden opportunity to put the game away but on the second play the ball was intercepted in the end zone. Thomas Jefferson went three and out on the following drive.

Again Belle Vernon got the ball and started at their own 40 yard line but couldn’t move the ball and a penalty backed them up and after a bad punt Thomas Jefferson started at the Belle Vernon 47 yard line. On the second play Luke Kosko found Jason Salman down to the Belle Vernon 7 yard line. On the second play Elias Lippincott scored on a 1 yard run making the score 19-17 Belle Vernon with 6:33 left in the game. Salman was a major factor in the win he had 5 catches for 166 yards.

Belle Vernon’s following drive was looking good and was into Thomas Jefferson territory but the drive stalled and went to punt it away and on that punt a bad snap gave Thomas Jefferson the ball at the Belle Vernon 40 yard line. After 2 penalties took it back to the 50 yard line and a run Luke Kosko threw it deep to Jason Salman who made an unbelievable catch for a 49 yard touchdown which gave Thomas Jefferson a 24-19 lead. “I’m glad I can say I won it for our team” said Salman. “He threw the best ball that he could, I went up grabbed it broke a tackle and ran it for the win” said Salman.

It was an incredible play that won it for Thomas Jefferson. “I get the play call, dropped back all I saw was my receiver and I trust my receiver, so I wanted to give him the opportunity to make a big play, so I threw it up to him and make as perfect of a throw as I can for him to jump up and it get it and he came down with it” said Luke Kosko.

After the touchdown Thomas Jefferson’s side of the stadium went crazy. “I’m hoping he comes down with it and as I’m running down the field and after he catches it, it’s just pure joy” said Luke Kosko.

Belle Vernon got the ball one last time but ended up turning the ball over on down which gave Thomas Jefferson a 24-19 win. Next week Thomas Jefferson will host Laurel Highlands and Belle Vernon opens up conference play on the road against South Allegheny.

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