South Fayette faces Hickory in PIAA semifinals
Dan Trimbur races for yardage after making a reception and eludes Karns City defender Collin Dunmyre (No. 27) during PIAA Class AA action. Trimbur caught five passes for 117 yards, kicked a field goal and intercepted a pass during South Fayette’s 41-18 win. Dunmyre rushed for 122 yards and one score for the Gremlins, who finished the season at 11-2 overall.
Hunter Hayes (No. 8) outruns several Karns City defenders on his way into the end zone. Hayes rushed for four scores and 183 yards and led South Fayette to victory, 42-15, in a quarterfinal PIAA Class AA football playoff game.
Nick Ponikvar (No. 2) eludes a Karns City tackler during PIAA Class AA quarterfinal football action. He returned a punt 78 yards for a touchdown during South Fayette’s 42-15 victory. Ponikvar is the top receiver for the Lions with more than 1,000 yards and 11 touchdowns.
The streak stands at 30 games but all South Fayette is focused upon is defeating Hickory and reaching the PIAA Class AA football finals and defending its state title. The Lions battle the Hornets at 1 p.m. Dec. 6 at Slippery Rock. The winner advances to the championship game set for noon Dec. 13 at Hersheypark Stadium. South Fayette capped a 16-0 campaign in 2013 with the state banner.
“You win 30 games in a row, that’s pretty special,” agreed Joe Rossi. “None of them talk about it. The focus is always on the next game.”
So far the script for a state title has been a familiar one for the Lions. In running the table this season, the Lions have repeated victories against previous foes.
During their run to a second straight District VII championship, South Fayette defeated Century Conference foes, South Park and Seton-La Salle, and then the Lions bested Aliquippa, 31-22, in the final played Nov. 21 at Heinz Field. The Lions beat the Quips in the 2013 title tilt.
In opening defense of their PIAA crown, the Lions dispatched Karns City, 42-15, at Clarion University Memorial Stadium last week. South Fayette beat the Gremlins in last year’s PIAA match-up. In fact, it was the third year in a row that Karns City ended its season at 11-2 in the quarterfinals.
Now, it’s a rematch with Hickory, which blanked Tyrone, 28-0, in its state playoff game at Dubois. On a frigid Slippery Rock field, the Lions stung the Hornets, 23-20, in December of 2013.
“Same team. Same faces,” said Rossi. “We know them and they know us. It seems to be the M.O. for us.”
The Lions have perfected the formula, too, by correcting previous miscues. Last week’s rematch with Karns City was a prime example. In the 2013 quarterfinal, the Lions struggled early but prevailed, 57-21.
“We saw mistakes we made last year and corrected them,” Rossi said of last week’s triumph. The one-two punch of Hunter Hayes and Brett Brumbaugh delivered the knockout blows to the Gremlins, who ended the 2014 campaign at 11-2 overall.
Hayes rolled up 183 yards rushing. The junior tailback also racked up four touchdowns of 1, 9, 1 and 18 yards. On defense, Hayes also intercepted one pass.
Meanwhile, Brumbaugh completed 11 of 24 passes for 199 yards. The Duquesne recruit tossed a six-yard strike to Logan Sharp. The touchdown increased South Fayette’s advantage to 36-0 and invoked the Mercy Rule in the third quarter.
Dan Trimbur led all receivers with five catches for 117 yards. He scored once on a 27-yard scoring strike and kicked a 25-yard field goal that widened the Lions’ lead to 9-0 in the second stanza.
With 22 seconds left in the first half, Nick Ponikvar returned a punt 77 yards for another South Fayette touchdown. The Lions led, 22-0, at intermission.
Jason Massey-Sears, Mikey Speca and Sharp recovered fumbles for South Fayette. Two of the turnovers resulted in scores for the Lions.
“This time of year and every team says this,” Rossi remarked. “It’s guys making plays. Hayes ran well. Trimbur has some tremendous plays. Ponikvar had another great individual effort.”
In the semifinal showdown with Hickory, Rossi expects the Hornets to plot a game plan similar to the one carved out by Karns City. The Gremlins attempted to thwart the Lions’ passing attack. In fact, they were able to sack Brumbaugh several times and he threw an interception on his first offensive series.
“They took some things away from us on offense but that opened up things for a guy like Trimbur while Nick made up for it on special teams,” Rossi said. “That’s the beauty of our offense, you take something away and there is always another guy who can shine. It’s always someone different for us.”
While the Lions will encounter some of the same personnel, the Hickory line-up features a fresh face behind center. Luke Brennan has completed 66 of 116 passes for 938 yards and 10 scores. The 5-10, 180-pound freshman threw for over 100 yards in Hickory’s win last week against Tyrone.
“[Brennan] manages the game well. He’s not one of the same faces we will be playing against,” Rossi said.
Andrew Pryts and Charles Carr, however, are familiar foes.
“They have an explosive running back and Pryts is a tremendous player,” Rossi said of the Division I prospect, who is being courted by Pitt, Northwestern and West Virginia.
Carr leads the team in rushing. The sophomore has 1,302 yards on 231 carries for a 5.6-yard average. He has racked up 20 touchdowns.
Pryts is Brennan’s top target with 47 receptions for 697 yards and 11 TDs. He has also rushed for 382 yards on 70 carries for a 5.5-yard average and three scores. Joey DeJulia is another passing option. The junior has 35 catches for 446 yards and three TDs.
However, Pryts presents bigger problems on defense. The Division I prospect leads the Hornets in tackles with 58 followed by Lou Derloni with 47.
Austin Aikins is another concern for the Lions. The 5-11, 210-pound senior had three sacks Saturday and lead the team with eight. He has recorded 50 solo tackles on a defense that has also picked off 15 passes this season.
“Aikins is a key guy,” Rossi said. “It’s not often teams get to Brett. Karns City was able to sack him. So we have to focus on protecting him.”
For years, the Lions have provided protection for Brumbaugh. In fact, the Duquesne recruit is 104 yards away from breaking the state record for passing. Matt Bodamer from Port Allegheny set the standard in 2012. He threw for 10,948 yards in his career. For the season, Brumbaugh has passed for 3,478 yards and 39 touchdowns.
Ponikvar and Sharp are Brumbaugh’s favorite receivers. Ponikvar has over 1,000 yards receiving and has scored 11 times. Sharp has 12 TDs to go along with more than 800 yards.
On the ground, Hayes has rolled up 1,572 yards and 29 scores. Jasper Wolfe follows with nearly 300 yards rushing and two scores for the Lions, who are averaging 45.1 points this season.
Defensively, the Lions have allowed 188 points or 13.4 per game. J.J. Walker leads the unit with 84 tackles. Jeremy Carter and Anthony Gedrys have four sacks each while Roman Denson and Jake Relihan have intercepted five passes each.
Experience also plays into South Fayette’s favor. For the seniors on the squad, this will be their 31st game in two years. Should they reach the PIAA finals again, the group will have been involved in 18 playoff games, the equivalent of two regular seasons.
With a state championship berth on the line, Rossi said, “that at this point, there is nothing you can say or do. These kids have seen it all. Each week the goal has been to get better and perform when the time comes [to play].”