Thomas Jefferson star tailback Brian Baldrige shook his head in dismay.

On his team's second series of the game, the football slipped out of Baldrige's hands and fell unceremoniously to the turf, setting up the Jaguars' opponent, New Castle, with excellent field position in a scoreless game.

But it wasn't long before a smile enveloped Baldrige's face, just as a pair of fervent thoughts crept into his head.

He would soon get the ball many more times. And New Castle wouldn't be able to stop him.

Baldrige ran for a career-high 382 yards and three touchdowns on 32 carries, helping top-ranked Thomas Jefferson run past New Castle, 47-20, in a WPIAL Class AAA semifinal at Chartiers Valley.

The two-time defending champions advance to their sixth consecutive final, where they will face Blackhawk (11-1), a 36-7 winner against Highlands.

To get there, the Jaguars (11-1) pounded the Red Hurricanes (8-4) on the ground, rushing for 531 yards, including 114 yards and three touchdowns (a 99-yard score included) from quarterback Tyler Wehner and, of course, the monster effort from Baldrige.

"I got pretty mad about that fumble, but I knew I had to come back because I was going to have to have a big game for us to win," said Baldrige, who has rushed for 810 yards in the postseason.

"He's a workhorse," said Thomas Jefferson coach Bill Cherpak. "He has great vision, he can make you miss and he's also a power back. That's a great combination."

Baldrige scored on runs of three and 61 yards in the first quarter, helping the Jaguars jump to a 13-0 lead, a margin they would eventually extend to 27-0 at halftime and 33-0 early in the third quarter. The Red Hurricanes outscored the Jaguars, 20-14, down the stretch to make the contest appear a little closer than it really was.

The Jaguars were so dominant running the ball, they attempted just four passes, completing one, a 34-yard scoring hookup from Wehner to Brock DeCicco.

"I didn't realize the size advantage we had until we were on the field," Cherpak said. "The first series we went spread and right away I said to my offensive coordinator, 'Let's put in the tight end and let's pound them.'"

In addition to serving New Castle with a bounty of big running plays, the Jaguars stifled a New Castle offense which had run roughshod over its opposition throughout a now-snapped eight-game winning streak.

The Red Hurricanes had scored 53 and 55 in two playoff wins, but against the Jaguars they turned the ball over five times while scoring its lowest point total since Week 3.

"They handled us today. There's nothing else I can say about it," said New Castle coach Frank Bongivengo, who was looking to get his team to the finals for the first time since 1998. "They played better than we did up front, they moved the football on us, and they just played better football than we did."