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South Fayette returning to Heinz Field

By Eleanor Bailey 3 min read
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For two straight seasons, defense paved the way to Heinz Field for the South Fayette football team. It did again last night and it will continue to do so as the Lions attempt to capture their third consecutive WPIAL title when they face undefeated Aliquippa in the Class AA finals set for 5 p.m. Nov. 28.

On the final play of the semifinal game played Nov. 20 at Peters Township Stadium, the Lions used a goal-line stand to defeat Steel Valley, 27-19, preserve their 44-game winning streak and earn a trip to the finals against the Quips. South Fayette is the two-time WPIAL and PIAA champion.

“We put it on our defense,” said Joe Rossi, the mastermind behind the Lions’ run of four WPIAL championship appearances in six years. “We played good defense all season. We put it on the team. I say “Hey, let’s force them to score the touchdown and make the two-point conversion. We take the odds.”

That’s nothing new for guys like Hunter Hayes. The senior played a big role in the win against the Ironmen, especially on the final down. Hayes, who rushed for over 2,000 yards in last year’s state championship season, is part of a defensive unit that allows just 8.4 points per game. So against the Ironmen, the task was simply a reflex reaction.

“Over the past few years, we had quite a few goal-line stands. We just did what we’ve always done,” said Hunter Hayes. “We knew we would stop them.”

Hayes stopped the Ironmen quite a bit. He returned a fumble 27 yards for another score. That defensive strike pulled the Lions to within one point, 7-6, late in the first quarter.

“It was a huge play,” Rossi said. “Hunter always seems to be around the ball. When you’re a good player, you’re always around the ball.”

On offense, Hayes was around the ball enough to rush for 120 yards on 18 carries. He scored two rushing touchdowns, three total in the game.

“Hunter is a beast,” Rossi continued. “When you are playing in November, you have to run the football. He is on another level. Same with (DeWayne) Murray for them.”

Murray rolled up 166 yards and three scores. Murray, who has gained over 4,000 yards in his career so far, capped the Ironmen’s opening, 13-play, 66-yard drive with a two-yard score. He broke off a 66-yard TD run in the second stanza that gave Steel Valley a 13-6 advantage. In the third stanza, his 23-yard score pulled the Ironmen to within a point, 20-19.

But it was a seven-second swing at the end of the half that sealed the fate of both squads. After Nick Ponikvar’s 35-yard reception, Hayes scored with 20 seconds left in the half, tying the game at 13. Noah Plack then recovered the kickoff and Drew Saxton targeted Ryhan Culberson for a TD strike that gave the Lions a 20-13 halftime edge. Saxton completed nine passes for 153 yards.

Meanwhile, South Fayette (12-0) will face a familiar foe in the WPIAL final. By virtue of a 36-14 win against Freeport, Aliquippa returns to the championship contest for the eighth straight season. The Quips are 74-3 since 2010 with all three losses coming to South Fayette. The Lions have faced the Quips in the past two finals, winning both in defensive struggles.

Kaezon Pugh leads the Quips. He rushed for 230 yards and two touchdowns in the win against Freeport.

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