Thomas Jefferson moved into an elite group with last week's 35-21 win against Erie Strong Vincent in the quarterfinals of the PIAA Class AAA tournament.

The Jaguars are making their fourth PIAA appearance in five years. Only seven other WPIAL teams have made four or more PIAA appearances since the state championships debuted in 1988.

"To be among such an elite group is a tribute to the hard work the kids have put in over the past five years," Thomas Jefferson coach Bill Cherpak said. "It's something to be proud of."

Aliquippa, the WPIAL Class AA champion, has tied Rochester for the most appearances in the PIAA playoffs by a WPIAL team. The Quips are making their seventh appearance in tomorrow's semifinal game against Wilmington at Center High School.

Thomas Jefferson is one of six teams that has qualified for the PIAA tournament four times. The others are Central Catholic, Upper St. Clair, West Allegheny, Woodland Hills and Blackhawk.

"Our goal coming into the season was to defend our WPIAL and PIAA titles," Cherpak said. "We've reached one of those goals and need two more wins to reach the other. We have the talent required to win the title. We just have to stay away from mistakes and injuries."

Thomas Jefferson (13-1) will make its fourth semifinal appearance in five years with tomorrow's game against District 3 champion West York (13-1) at Mansion Park. The winner will face either District 4 champion Selinsgrove (13-1) or District 12 champ Archbishop Wood (11-2) in the state title game.

"I love playing at Mansion Park," Cherpak said. "This will be the fourth time we've played at Mansion Park. We won the other three times."

Thomas Jefferson is very familiar with Mansion Park. The Jaguars made the trip to Altoona the past two years for PIAA quarterfinal games. The Jaguars faced District 4 champion Selinsgrove in both games and recorded victories of 27-14 in 2006 and 24-10 last year.

Thomas Jefferson also played at Mansion Park in the 2004 quarterfinals. Selinsgrove again was the quarterfinal opponent. The Jaguars needed overtime to record a 20-14 victory.

"Mansion Park has old style Astroturf," Cherpak said. "That's the only thing I don't like. Other than that, our previous trips to Mansion Park were great. The people from Altoona treated us great."

The WPIAL has won 28 of a possible 80 PIAA titles in 20 years. Rochester and Central Catholic are the only WPIAL teams that have won three PIAA titles. Thomas Jefferson is one of six WPIAL schools that have captured two titles. The others are McKeesport, Upper St. Clair, Aliquippa, South Park and Farrell (which is no longer a WPIAL member).

"This is the most diverse offense I've had," Cherpak said. "We can score points on the ground and through the air."

Brian Baldrige and Tyler Wehner have shared the spotlight in the Jaguars backfield. Baldrige has rushed for 2,156 yards and 34 touchdowns on 272 carries. Wehner has completed 104 of 195 passes for 2,266 yards and 25 touchdowns. Wehner also has rushed for 620 yards and nine touchdowns on 106 carries.

Thomas Jefferson is averaging 38.1 points per game and 407.6 yards in total offense. The Jaguars are averaging 245.8 yards per game on the ground, while adding 161.8 via the passing game.

"The line has done a great job," Cherpak said. "They've improved every game and have picked it up to another level in the playoffs. They turned in their best performance of the season against Strong Vincent."The game

• What: Thomas Jefferson (13-1) vs. West York (13-1).

• When: 7 p.m. tomorrow.

• Where: Mansion Park Stadium, Altoona.

• The skinny: On the line is a trip to the PIAA Class AAA title game 7 p.m. Dec. 12 at Hersheypark Stadium.