South Fayette ready to start new streak
Mikey Speca is one of many veterans returning to a starting spot in the South Fayette line-up this season. A versatile player, he starts in the secondary and can play wide receiver or quarterback on the offense.
South Fayette coach Joe Rossi makes his point clear to his defense during training camp drills.
South Fayette linemen work on their agility during this jumping drill in training camp.
South Fayette coach Joe Rossi watches as Dan Trimbur makes his way over and through the pylons set up to work on quickness and agility during training camp drills.
South Fayette works on tackling drills during training camp.
South Fayette works on tackling drills during training camp.
South Fayette coach Joe Rossi stresses his point during training camp.
For 44 consecutive games, the South Fayette football team took the field and dominated its competition. That streak covered the better part of three seasons and back-to-back WPIAL and PIAA championships at the Class AA level.
But it all came to an end last November at Heinz Field in the WPIAL championship game when Aliquippa quarterback Sheldon Jeter threw a lateral to receiver Jassir Jordan, who then fired a 47-yard gamer-winning touchdown pass to Thomas Perry that broke a 38-38 tie with 1:11 remaining. South Fayette failed to score in the closing minute and saw its winning streak, one of the longest in the nation, come to an end.
The Lions knew it would happen at some point. But the way that the streak was snapped has been a topic of conversation throughout the offseason – what little offseason the Lions actually take. “A couple of times in camp we’ve mentioned how it happened, how they won on that play,” said junior quarterback Drew Saxton. “It was heartbreaking, but you have to use that as a driving force, push past the loss and get back to the way South Fayette football is played.”
If the Lions are going to start a new winning streak, they’ll do so against much stiffer competition.
With the state’s move to six classifications, South Fayette jumped to Class AAAA. The Lions will compete in the Northwest Nine. Gone are the old rivalries of the Century Conference. Now, South Fayette will square off against the likes of Montour, Indiana, Ambridge and New Castle.
“I like change. It’s always good,” said head coach Joe Rossi. “We’ve got nine new teams that we’re going to face and we’re excited for the new challenges.”
The players also are looking forward to the change.
In most regular-season games, the Lions were so much better than their competition that the starters were often out of the game midway through the second quarter, if not earlier. Playing against better competition, that should change.
“We’re all excited, from the head man down to the freshmen,” Saxton said. “Everyone’s looking forward to playing full games and playing the best competition. We have a team that was playing in the WPIAL Triple-A championship last year that we’re playing in Week 1. It’s a great thing that we have.”
That first game against perennial power Central Valley, which remained in Class AAA, should be a solid test for Rossi to find out how good the Lions will be, not that he doesn’t have a good idea.
Though there were losses on the line and in the backfield, where 1,300-yard rusher Hunter Hayes must be replaced, Saxton leads a talented group of returning skill players.
And unlike last season, when Saxton was forced to battle Mikey Speca throughout camp and into the scrimmages for the task of replacing the state’s all-time leading passer, Brett Brumbaugh, there is no competition this year. The job of leading South Fayette’s offense clearly belongs to Saxton.
In 12 games, he completed 131 of 210 passes for 1,981 yards, 31 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in his first season at the helm of South Fayette’s explosive offense. He threw for a WPIAL championship-game record 435 yards.
“It’s his job,” Rossi said. “And the kid he was battling, Mikey Speca, is going to be all over the field for us and do a lot of good things. He’s fast. He’s a good player. It’s his first season playing receiver.”
Saxton admits there was some pressure stepping in for Brumbaugh and trying to keep the winning streak going. But he now knows what to expect and is ready to take more command of the offense.
“Replacing Brett, there was a lot of weight on my shoulders,” Saxton said. “I just have to come in and play my game. I learned a lot from watching Brett and the quarterbacks who came before him. This year, I’m hoping it’s my year. I’m not looking over my back this year. It’s a different feeling now and I’ve got total command of the offense. It’s a really calm feeling knowing that I don’t have to worry about Mikey behind me.”
Some talented skill players, including Speca and senior Dan Trimbur, will certainly help. Speca did a little of everything last season, completing all seven of his passes for 123 yards, rushing for 436 yards and catching 15 passes for another 175. Trimbur, who is receiving interest from Cornell and Columbia, caught 36 passes for 570 yards and 10 touchdowns.
The Lions will count on a line that includes Alex Minford (6-1, 250), who is receiving looks from Robert Morris and Columbia. With the returning talent, the Lions hope to end the season with a far different feeling than they had a year ago.
“For us, it’s a different feel,” Rossi said. “It’s an exciting feel because we’re playing new teams coming off that loss.”