After winning five PIAA 3A state titles in six years to close out the 2010s, the Thomas Jefferson Jaguars are just one win away from making it back to the state championship, this time in the 4A bracket.
The Jaguars smoked Clearfield 35-0 in Altoona on Saturday, November 23, building up a 28 point lead at the half before coasting to victory despite playing as the de facto road team.
Thomas Jefferson starting quarterback Luke Kosko threw three touchdown passes, while Jaguars’ athlete Tyler Eber scored from 19 yards out on a screen pass, punched in a two yard touchdown run and came within a hair of another rushing score.
Kosko opened the scoring with a 57-yard deep pass to Brayden White, their first of two 50+ yard touchdown connections in the first half: the second bookended a fourth down fumble recovery from Trent Miller, who fell on the Jaguars’ loose ball in the end zone. White also snagged an interception to set up Miller’s touchdown, playing a massive role on both sides of the ball to set up Thomas Jefferson’s decisive lead.
Eber’s screen touchdown pushed the lead to 28-0, while perhaps Clearfield’s best scoring chance of the game came just before halftime on a third down goal line stop: had the clock not been running, they would’ve had another chance to punch it in.
The Jaguars coasted through the third quarter, finally finding the end zone again—Eber this time—early in the final frame to activate the mercy rule.
Up next, the Jaguars will face Lampter-Strasburg in the state semifinals.
