PUP high school football game of the week: Thomas Jefferson vs. McKeesport (Week 2)

Each Wednesday, the PUP high school sports staff will preview the game of the week.

Between the hash marks

Who: Thomas Jefferson (2-0) at McKeesport (1-1)

Where: McKeesport’s Weigle-Schaeffer Memorial Stadium

When: 7 p.m. Friday

The coaches: Bill Cherpak (Thomas Jefferson); Matt Miller (McKeesport)

When they last met: In last year’s WPIAL Class 4A championship game at Norwin High School, where Thomas Jefferson toppled McKeesport, 28-7, to capture its 11th WPIAL title.

On deck: Thomas Jefferson travels to Avonworth for a battle of defending WPIAL champions, while McKeesport will visit “The Beach” at Belle Vernon.

This and that: Few non-conference rivalries hold as much weight as this one, which features two of the area’s most storied programs and two of its most passionate fan bases. These familiar foes spent most of their existence competing in the same conference until being separated prior to the 2024 season, with Class 4A No. 1 Thomas Jefferson now in the Big Six Conference and Class 4A No. 3 McKeesport representing the Greater Allegheny Conference. … Despite shifting into different conferences, the Jaguars and Tigers clashed twice last season, with Thomas Jefferson emerging victorious both times. In their first meeting last September, the Jaguars emerged with a 34-31 overtime win after roaring back from a 21-point halftime deficit. Thomas Jefferson then controlled the WPIAL championship rematch from start to finish as Bill Cherpak became the first coach to win 10 WPIAL titles. … McKeesport began its season with a resounding 51-24 victory against Delaware Valley, as sensational junior tailback Kemon Spell put up a monster effort with a career-high 292 yards and four touchdowns on the ground to go with a 98-yard kick return TD. Spell then sat out last week’s 35-0 loss against Class 5A No. 2 Peters Township while nursing an ankle injury, but Tigers coach Matt Miller expects to have his prized prospect back in the fold on Friday. … For the Jaguars, junior Tyler Eber is an acclaimed running back in his own right who is coming off a 2,000-yard season as a sophomore. Eber has picked up right where he left off last fall, posting back-to-back games with four rushing TDs and 100-plus yards to start the season, including 221 yards in last week’s 37-14 win over Central Valley. … McKeesport also features another talented playmaker in junior wideout Javien Robinson, another coveted recruit with several Power Four scholarship offers. As is so often the case, though, this game will likely be decided in the trenches. … Along with Spell’s injury, the Tigers also played last week’s game against Peters Township without two of their top linemen in senior Kaedyn Daniels and junior Alexander Winowitch. They likely will need at least one of them back in the starting lineup along with Spell to have any chance of knocking off the defending champs.

Expert picks (records in parentheses)

Steve Rotstein (1-1): Thomas Jefferson 30, McKeesport 27

John Santa (1-1): Thomas Jefferson 42, McKeesport 21

Brad Everett (0-2): Thomas Jefferson 24, McKeesport 21

On the radar

Avonworth at Aliquippa, 7 p.m. Friday

In this mouth-watering matchup between defending WPIAL Class 3A champion Avonworth and the mighty Aliquippa Quips, the Class 3A No. 1 Antelopes will travel into enemy territory while seeking revenge for a 46-20 home loss against Class 4A No. 2 Aliquippa last season. Avonworth has opened the season with a pair of blowout wins against Burrell and West Mifflin, while the Quips welcomed back coach Mike Warfield after a one-year leave of absence with a 42-7 win at Belle Vernon in their season opener.

Penn-Trafford at Moon, 7 p.m. Friday

The final spot in the rugged Class 5A rankings could be up for grabs in Moon Township this Friday, when No. 5 Penn-Trafford comes to town for what should be a throwback, hard-hitting affair between two smash-mouth programs. Both teams carry 2-0 records into the contest, with the Warriors owning wins against Class 6A foes Norwin and Mt. Lebanon while the Tigers have taken down Trinity and Montour.

Central Catholic vs. Woodland Hills (at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio), 3:30 p.m. Saturday

Two explosive offenses with plenty of playmakers will collide in a special showdown at the Hall of Fame Classic Tournament in Canton, Ohio, when Class 6A No. 1 Central Catholic meets Class 5A No. 4 Woodland Hills at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. The Vikings rebounded from a season-opening loss to LaSalle College with an impressive 34-20 win over Pine-Richland in last week’s PUP Game of the Week, with the Wolverines picking up their first win in a 41-7 blowout against rival Penn Hills.

PUP ‘underdog’ to watch

Trinity (visits Montour at 7 p.m. Friday)

The Hillers aren’t exactly known as a football powerhouse, but they showed a ton of fight in a season-opening 14-13 loss against Moon before bouncing back with a 35-13 win against McGuffey last week. Led by one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the area in senior Jonah Williamson, don’t be surprised if Trinity takes home a victory from Montour’s Thomas J. Birko Memorial Stadium. Williamson completed 9 of 10 passes for 190 yards and four TDs in last Friday’s win.