Each Wednesday, the PUP high school sports staff will preview the game of the week.
Between the hash marks
Who: Mars (8-2) at Thomas Jefferson (8-2)
Where: Thomas Jefferson Stadium
When: 7 p.m. Friday
The coaches: Eric Kasperowicz (Mars); Bill Cherpak (Thomas Jefferson)
When they last met: The 2020 WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinals, when Thomas Jefferson trampled Mars by a score of 41-6 on its way to capturing WPIAL and PIAA titles.
Last week: Mars rolled past Indiana on the road, 42-7, while Thomas Jefferson routed Laurel Highlands at home, 58-7.
On deck: The winner will advance to next week’s WPIAL semifinals to square off against the winner of No. 1 McKeesport and No. 8 Chartiers Valley.
This and that: Two of the WPIAL’s most decorated coaches will go head-to-head when Eric Kasperowicz leads Mars into Thomas Jefferson Stadium, aka “The House Bill Cherpak Built,” for a mouth-watering matchup between the No. 5 Planets and No. 4 Jaguars with a berth in the Class 4A semifinals up for grabs on Friday night. … On one side, Kasperowicz has four WPIAL titles and a pair of PIAA championships to his credit, but those all came during his tenure at Pine-Richland. He has helped Mars maintain its status as a perennial playoff contender since arriving in 2022, but he has yet to lead the Planets to their first WPIAL final under his watch. … This could be their best chance yet, as senior running back Ayden Yocum leads the WPIAL with 1,731 yards rushing to go with 18 touchdowns. On the outside, senior wideout Gabe Hein is equally electric, leading the team with 54 receptions for 848 yards and 11 TDs. Hein is coming off a huge performance with 11 receptions for 216 yards and a pair of scores against Indiana last week. … As for Thomas Jefferson, the host Jaguars are led by Cherpak, who stands alone with 10 WPIAL championships for his career. It hasn’t been the most dominant season by their usual standards, as they failed to win the Big Six Conference title, but they do own a win over top-seeded McKeesport, and they are certainly capable of making a run at another crown. … It is no secret that Thomas Jefferson will lean heavily on its run game, which is centered around junior tailback Tyler Eber. After rushing for 2,276 yards and 30 TDs as a sophomore, Eber has followed that up with 1,607 yards and 30 TDs this season, ranking fourth in the WPIAL in rushing. … Mars has the more balanced and explosive offense, while the Jaguars likely possess the more punishing line. If Thomas Jefferson can impose its will up front and its secondary can hold up on the back end, the Jaguars should come out on top. Otherwise, expect the Planets to fly home with a massive victory.
Expert picks (records in parentheses)
John Santa (8-2): Thomas Jefferson 35, Mars 13
Steve Rotstein (7-3): Mars 28, Thomas Jefferson 24
Brad Everett (7-3): Thomas Jefferson 31, Mars 28
On the radar
Hopewell (6-4) at Southmoreland (9-1), 7 p.m. Friday
After a fifth-place finish in the grueling Western Hills Conference, Hopewell found itself in danger of missing the WPIAL Class 3A tournament altogether, but the Vikings’ impressive overall resume — including a 31-6 win over Class 4A No. 3 New Castle — turned out to be enough for them to garner an at-large bid as the No. 10 seed. They will now open up postseason play against the No. 7 Scotties, who are still seeking their first playoff win in school history.
Montour (7-3) at New Castle (8-2), 7 p.m. Friday
For the second time in less than a month, these Parkway Conference co-champions will collide at New Castle’s historic Taggart Stadium — albeit this time, only one can advance to the WPIAL Class 4A semifinals, while the other will go home for the winter after the clock strikes zero. Last time they met, it was freshman quarterback Marino Graham and the No. 3 Red Hurricanes who pulled away in the second half for a 34-14 triumph. Can standout sophomore Brandon Bennett help No. 6 Montour turn the tables the second time around?
Neshannock (6-3) at Leechburg (6-3), 7 p.m. Friday
Led by standout tailback Tim Andrasy, No. 8 Leechburg is hosting a first-round game for the second year in a row, this time against No. 9 Neshannock for a spot in the WPIAL Class 1A quarterfinals. Andrasy is currently tied for fifth in the WPIAL in both rushing yards (1,505) and touchdowns (25).
PUP ‘underdog’ to watch
Aliquippa (visits Trinity at 7 p.m. Friday)
It’s a rare occurrence to see Aliquippa listed as an “underdog,” but this season has been anything but ordinary for the Quips. Still, despite losing starting quarterback Marques Council to a season-ending knee injury, Aliquippa managed to battle its way into the playoffs as a No. 7 seed — and you can bet Quips coach Mike Warfield will have a few tricks up his sleeve for this one. No. 2 Trinity is sure to be a popular pick to make a deep run in Class 4A this postseason, but the Hillers will have their hands full in the opening round.
Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at srotstein@unionprogress.com.
