South Fayette headed back to Hershey
Thanks to a 44-14 victory against Hickory (11-3), South Fayette is headed back to Hershey to defend its PIAA championship. The undefeated Lions will face Dunmore, a 23-21 winner against Wyomissing, at noon Dec. 13 in the Class AA football final at Hersheypark Stadium.
South Fayette won last year’s crown with a resounding victory against Imhotep Charter, 41-0, and embarked on a winning streak that stretched to 31 games with the triumph over the Hornets Dec. 6 at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium on the Slippery Rock University campus. In the 2013 runner-up to the state banner, the Lions also dispatched Hickory but by that margin proved closer, 23-20.
After a slow start, South Fayette forced five turnovers and turned this year’s state semifinal into a runaway by the start of the fourth quarter. The Lions intercepted four passes, two for touchdowns, and also registered a safety on defense, helping to ignite the rout.
With 1:25 to play, Jack Relihan intercepted for a 15-yard touchdown and capped the scoring for the Lions. Earlier, with 10:40 left in the third quarter, Ryan Schmider’s 11-yard Pick-6 lifted the Lions to a 21-7 advantage. Logan Sharp and Roman Denson also had interceptions.
South Fayette sacked Hickory in the end zone for the safety and a 30-14 led with 11:19 to play in the final frame.
The fumble recovery, however, proved significant. With the Hornets threatening for their second score, Matt O’Rourke recovered a loose pigskin at the one-yard line with 53 seconds left in the first frame.
The Hornets had staked a 7-0 advantage thanks to the rushing of Chuck Carr. After he bolted 72 yards, he polished off the three-play drive with a one-yard dive into the end zone. Hickory led, 7-0, with 7:02 to go in the quarter.
Although he started out with a 55-yard completion to Denson, Brett Brumbaugh struggled early before shattering the state’s all-time passing record. The opening drive ended in a failed field goal attempt and the Lions could not earn a completion on their second possession and settled for a punt.
In fact, the Lions failed to score in the first quarter for the first time all year. The last time that occurred was in a district quarterfinal playoff match-up against Seton-La Salle in 2013.
However, Brumbaugh and the Lions secured a spot in the record books and on the scoreboard by the second stanza. With a 54-yard TD strike to Dan Trimbur, the Lions knotted the contest at 7 and Brumbaugh broke the standard of 10,948 yards set by Matt Bodamer from Port Allegany between 2009-12. Brumbaugh, who rushed for a touchdown in the second half, needed just 105 yards to surpass the record.
By halftime, he had 117 yards on four completions and South Fayette had gained the advantage, 14-7. With 2:44 to play before intermission, Hunter Hayes rushed for a one-yard touchdown. His 16-yard scoring scamper provided the Lions with a 28-7 cushion with 4:04 left in the third quarter.
Hayes finished with 261 rushing yards on 33 carries. Rival running back, Chuck Carr carried 35 times for 176 yards.