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South Fayette hosts Seton-La Salle in conference clash

By Eleanor Bailey 4 min read
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At far left, Geovanie Love (No. 24) and Jake Berkovitz (No. 13) are part of a South Fayette defense that has only surrendered 49 points in seven games this season. The Lions face one of their stiffest tasks this week when they host Seton-La Salle at 7 p.m. Oct. 23. Paris Ford recently committed to the University of Pittsburgh. The senior is one of the concerns for South Fayette as it prepares to host Seton-La Salle in the Century Conference football showdown set for Oct. 23.

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A great challenge from a great team is how South Fayette is viewing Seton-La Salle. The Rebels stand in the way of an undisputed Century Conference football championship for the Lions.

The Lions, who have won six of the past seven titles, are 7-0 overall as they head into the fray set for 7 p.m. Oct. 23 in Oakdale. The Rebels are 6-1 overall and 5-1 in the conference. Both teams have clinched a WPIAL Class AA playoff berth.

While the Lions are coming off a 54-8 thumping of Sto-Rox for their 39th win in a row, the Rebels are fresh off a non-conference win against playoff-bound Valley, 52-36.

In that triumph, SLS demonstrated why it is a Top AA team and a threat to the Lions’ winning ways. The Rebels exploded for eight touchdowns.

“The Rebels feature a ton of talent on both sides of the ball, including Ford,” said Joe Rossi, who is in his ninth season at the helm at South Fayette. “Their offense will be the most balanced we’ve faced to date. They can throw it and they can run it.”

Against Valley, Nolan Abbiatici completed 12 of 25 passes for 155 yards. He rushed for two scores of 5 and 10 yards. Liam Sweeney also rushed for a 1-yard touchdown.

Paris Ford had seven grabs for 97 yards. In addition to two TD receptions of 5 and 18 yards, Ford scored on an 89-yard kick-off return and on a 56-yard interception.

Last week, Ford recently made a verbal commitment to the University of Pittsburgh. He is only a junior.

“Paris is a tremendous player and a great kid,” Rosol said. “He is going to be a great ambassador for Pitt. One of the biggest,” he added. “Paris is already signing autographs. He loves Pitt.”

Meanwhile, the Lions love the challenge of stopping high-powered players and teams. They have demonstrated in the past that they can stop many potent attacks, including the past two challengers in the PIAA championship games.

This fall, too, the Lions are stopping the opposition. Defensively, they have allowed only 49 points and recorded two shutouts. Jake Berkovitz, Rasaun Culberson, Andrew Gedrys, Hunter Hayes, Geovanie Love, Dom Malosh, Alex Minford, Jason Massey-Sears, Noah Plack, Thayer Phillips, Nick Sabo and Zack Radinick are among the leaders of the unit.

“South Fayette is well-coached defensively,” said SLS skipper Damon Rosol, “but every defense has its weakness and it is my job to find it and exploit it. It may sound cliche but what it comes down to is execution. Our goal will be to get our playmakers the ball.”

The Rebels, which operate out of the 3-4, have allowed 100 points this fall while rolling up 299.

“They like to mix their coverage,” explained Rossi.

The Lions, however, appear to be able to solve most defenses because of their versatility. Against the Vikings, Hayes rushed for 100 yards on 10 carries while Drew Saxton completed all six of his passes for 77 yards and two scores. A sophomore, Saxton is 66 of 95 for 971 yards in his first season as a starter. Hayes has gained 759 yards on 76 carries this year. During last year’s PIAA run, Hayes rushed for 2,000 yards.

“Hunter is definitely the key. You’ve got to stop him. At least slow him down. He has a talented O-line that he runs behind. They are so talented and tenacious. They get after it.”

Against the Vikings, the Lions got after it quickly, scoring 35 points in the first frame. Culberson and Mikey Speca caught TD aerials of 15 and 7 yards in the quarter. Hayes scored twice in the opening 12 minutes on runs of 1 and 72 yards. Additionally, Love racked up two scores, one on a 7-yard run and the other off a 62-yard interception. Joe Mowod and Andrew Ziegler also rushed for touchdowns against Sto-Rox (1-5, 1-6).

“What they do, and I have seen this the last two years,” Rosol said, “as soon as you make a mistake, they capitalize. All the great programs are like that. They get on a roll. They could be up seven and you make a fumble and/or throw an interception then boom they are up by 21 points. It happened to us last year.”

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