Thomas Jefferson football coach Bill Cherpak took over the Jaguars program in 1995.

He has posted a 151-29 record since then -- that works out to an .840 winning percentage as a head coach.

Those are gaudy numbers by any standards, but, come Friday, Cherpak has a chance to separate himself from every other coach who has coached in the WPIAL. When the defending champion Jaguars (14-1) play Archbishop Wood (12-2) for the PIAA Class AAA title at 7 p.m. at Hersheypark Stadium, Cherpak could be the first WPIAL coach to win three PIAA titles.

The Jaguars won crowns last year and in 2004. This year marks the 20th season the PIAA has been deciding statewide football champions. In that time, Central Catholic and Rochester have won three PIAA titles, but neither school had a coach win all three of those trophies.

So, how does Cherpak feel about being on the cusp of western Pennsylvania high school football history?

He gave a shrug-of-the-shoulders kind of answer when the subject was broached.

"I've never played a down of football for Thomas Jefferson," said Cherpak, who was a standout offensive lineman at Steel Valley in the early 1980s before playing at Pitt. "I haven't done anything in a Thomas Jefferson football uniform and I'm not really a big stats guy. But, it is nice to know that our program is achieving at a high level."

It could be said Thomas Jefferson -- in regard to its competition -- is the top program in the state right now. The Jaguars have won 69 of their past 75 games.

Heading into this PIAA championship, Thomas Jefferson has the advantage of playing in its third title game in the past five seasons. Its opponent, Archbishop Wood, is a member of the Philadelphia Catholic League, whose teams are competing in the PIAA for the first year.

Archbishop Wood coach Steve Devlin understands Thomas Jefferson could have an advantage -- but only to a point. "Leading up to the game, I guess there could be some advantage to it," Devlin said. "But, once the game starts, it just comes down to football."

Archbishop Wood will rely on quarterback Sean McCartney and running back Sean Cunningham. McCartney has thrown for 1,282 yards and eight scores, while Cunningham has rushed for 1,749 yards and 27 touchdowns.

Cherpak has seen this kind of offensive balance before.

"They remind me of Blackhawk a lot," said Cherpak, of the team his Jaguars beat in the WPIAL title game. "They have a dynamic quarterback and have all the great ingredients of a very good football team. This is just something we are going to need to adjust to; we know they have playmakers and we are going to have to stop them."

Conversely, Devlin understands that his squad will have to slow down the multipronged Thomas Jefferson offense keyed by quarterback Tyler Wehner, running back Brian Baldrige, tight end Brock DeCicco and receiver Dan Virgin. Baldrige hurt his thumb last week in a semifinal win, but is expected to play against Archbishop Wood.

"They can do a lot of different things," Devlin said. "We know that. Now it is our job to go out there and try to stop them."