South Fayette headed to Hershey
Ben Berkovitz (No. 55) embraces fellow lineman Zach Walker (No. 54) and enjoys a Hershey Kiss the spoils of South Fayette's 23-20 victory over Hickory. The win earned the Lions a trip to the PIAA Class AA championship game set for noon Dec. 14 in Hershey. The Lions (14-0) will play Imhotep Charter, a 20-0 winner against Berks Catholic (13-1) in the other state semifinal contest.
Conner Beck scores on the two-point conversion while Grant Fetchet and Brett Brumbaugh signal success for South Fayette as the Lions capped their PIAA semifinal victory over Hickory, 23-20.
For the second time in four years, South Fayette is returning to the PIAA championships in football and the Lions have one thing on their minds when they take on Imhotep Charter (13-1) at noon, Saturday, Dec. 14 at HersheyPark Stadium.
“We talk about being the best team ever to come out of South Fayette,” Justin Watson had said after the Lions won the WPIAL District 7 championship. “To do that, we have to get that state championship. To win a state title would be surreal.”
Surreal has already been the football season for Watson and his Lions.
A 6-3, 195-pound senior, bound for Penn, Watson leads the Lions with well over 1,400 yards receiving and 20 touchdowns. He needs 144 yards to break the WPIAL’s single-season record.
Meanwhile, South Fayette is 15-0 heading into the fray against Imhotep, which is 13-1. The Lions remained undefeated after narrowly beating Hickory (12-2) in a PIAA semifinal contest played at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium on the Slippery Rock University campus.
In their 23-20 triumph, the Lions overcame a 5-point halftime deficit and four turnovers. They also weathered a 3-TD performance by Matt Voytik. The versatile signal caller opened and ended the scoring for the Hornets.
Voytik, who accumulated over 2,000 all-purpose yards this fall, darted 57 yards to tie the game, 7-7, with 1:08 left in the first quarter. His second 57-yard dash to the end zone lifted the Hornets to a 14-9 lead at halftime. In addition to rushing for three scores, the third on a 1-yard dive with 38 seconds to play, Voytik passed for 198 yards and no more. Conner Beck recovered the Hornets’ on-side kick to preserve the victory for the Lions.
SF had taken the lead on its first possession. Although junior Roman Denson was injured returning the kickoff, Brett Brumbaugh engineered the opening scoring drive, which culminated in Grant Fetchet’s 4-yard TD run.
Brumbaugh was 7-for-8 for 52 yards on the 15-play, 84-yard drive. While he did not complete a scoring strike, the junior signal caller was 22 of 37 passes for 175 yards in the game.
Pressured by Spencer Girman, Anthony Davidson, Zach Walker and Ben Berkovitz, the Hornets fumbled the ball and Voytik recovered in his own end zone for a South Fayette safety and the lead, 9-7. But the Lions could not expand upon that advantage because Anthony Canone intercepted in the red zone on the ensuing possession.
Though the Hornets failed to convert a 30-yard field goal attempt, they took the lead, 14-9, after a Lions’ fumble. The Lions also fumbled right before the half.
After an exchange of fumbles, with Ryan Schmider recovering for the Lions, South Fayette capitalized. With 41 seconds left in the third quarter, JJ Walker dove into the end zone. His 5-yard scoring run marked his 19th TD of the season. Beck caught the 2-point conversion pass from Brumbaugh to put the Lions in the lead, 17-14.
After Girman, Davidson and Berkovitz cleared the way, Fetchet darted 37 yards, enabling the Lions to extend their edge, 23-14, with less than 11 minutes to play.
For the game, Fetchet rushed for 161 yards on 21 carries. With his two scores, the senior topped 20 TDs for the season and punched the Lions’ ticket to Hershey.
“I’m thankful for everything: these coaches, our school, this staff, everything that has helped us to get here,” said Fetchet. “To play one more week of football as a senior, not knowing whether I’m going to play football in college or not, one more week of high school football and Friday night lights, it’s unbelievable.”
As the South Fayette band serenaded them, the players rushed to pick up the chocolate Kisses tossed in their direction. Berkovitz picked one up and eagerly showed it to Zach Walker. A senior, Berkovitz reminisced about the past. In 2010, the Lions suffered a 50-14 loss to Philadelphia West Catholic in the PIAA finals.
“There’s no better feeling,” Berkovitz said of the win against Hickory. “Now, we have another chance to win it this time, so I’m excited for next week’s practices. We’re excited to win ourselves a state championship.”