South Fayette alumni making room at the top for Welhorsky
Junior could become the best ever
Though South Fayette suffered its first loss of the football season on Oct. 4, Drew Welhorsky continued to impress. In fact, the junior signal-caller drew rave reviews from three of his predecessors.
Andrew DiDonato, Niel Loebig and Christian Brumbaugh were guests of the Lions during their conference clash with Upper St. Clair because they were among seven alumni recently inducted into the South Fayette Hall of Fame. The official ceremony was held Oct. 3 and the honorees were all recognized prior to the game, which the Lions lost, 17-7.
Despite the defeat, Welhorsky completed 11 of 18 passes for 180 yards and one scoring strike of 37 yards to Alex Deanes. He also rushed for a team-high 76 yards on 18 carries.
On the season, Welhorsky ranks seventh in the WPIAL in passing. He had completed 95 of 118 attempts for 1,401 yards. He had tossed 12 touchdowns. Welhorsky has also rushed for 703 yards on 118 carries, placing him among the top 25 runners in the WPIAL.
“I had heard great things about him and I was excited to see him play,” said Brumbaugh. “Drew is great.
“I think it’s super cool to see the tradition. See how that baton is passed from one person to the next,” he continued. “It’s really cool.”
Brumbaugh was a kid growing up watching quarterbacks like DiDonato and Loebig before he became the WPIAL’s all-time passing leader with 7,164 yards by the time he graduated in 2011. At the time, he also set the WPIAL single-season record for passing with 3,726 yards and 52 touchdowns.
Brumbaugh guided the Lions to WPIAL titles in football as well as basketball. He was a district champion and state runner-up in football and played on South Fayette’s PIAA basketball championship team in 2009.
After a standout career at the College of William & Mary, Brumbaugh used his business finance degree to land a position in investment banking. He currently serves as a vice president at Harris Williams, advising clients on mergers and acquisitions as well as other strategic advisory assignments. Brumbaugh resides in Richmond with his wife, Amanda, and 2-year-old daughter, Barrett.
Brumbaugh hopes Welhorsky continues his outstanding play and goes on to shatter records at South Fayette and beyond.
“You hope that each person that comes through is better than the one before,” he said.
While Dr. Frank Thomas Slovik, who was also inducted into the Class of 2024 Hall of Fame, came before the passing era at South Fayette – “I never threw more than 10 passes a game,” he said – Loebig set the standard at the quarterback position.
A three-year starter in two sports – he also excelled in basketball – Loebig finished his career ranked No. 2 on the all-time WPIAL passing list with 5,553 yard and 65 touchdown passes in 2000.
Loebig went on to set 13 of the 15 passing records at Duquesne University, including being the only quarterback to throw for 2,000 yards and 20 touchdowns in four seasons. A four-year starter, Loebig threw for 10,359 yards and 100 scoring strikes while guiding the Dukes to a 34-9 record that included four conference titles.
A Pittsburgh Public Schools educator, Loebig teaches at Carrick High School. He resides in Peters Township with his wife, Lindsay, and two children, Beckham and Berkeley.
At the induction ceremony, Loebig noted the legacy. DiDonato was joined by his brother David, who served as Loebig’s wide receiver before succeeding him at quarterback. Brumbaugh was also accompanied by his brother Brett, who led the Lions to back-to-back PIAA championships in 2013 and 2014.
“You look at all these guys and all those years after years and people saying that South Fayette is Quarterback High,” Loebig said. “Then somebody says, “What about the new guy?”
Loebig says that Welhorsky is “right there” and that it’s “exciting” to see the tradition continuing at South Fayette.
“Drew’s a tremendous talent as well,” Loebig said. “He’s doing a great job.
“Everybody keeps breaking everybody’s records,” he continued. “So there is a good chance he could become the best. He just has to keep working and getting better. He’s a fun one to watch. I’m excited for him and the other guys on the team and what they have been able to do so far. I hope they can continue to be successful.”
DiDonato also acknowledged that Welhorsky has the potential to be the best quarterback at South Fayette. At the induction ceremony, DiDonato noted the passing of the guard.
“Neil and I were laughing when he told his son as he introduced me that this is the guy who broke my record, and that’s the guy who broke his record and pointed to Christian and then to Brett, who broke all of our records,” DiDonato said. “So, fortunately, South Fayette has a rich tradition.”
Welhorsky is carrying on the custom in a different way because of his versatility.
“He’s special,” DiDonato emphasized. “The dual-threat ability he has is special and the coaches have done a great job of utilizing him.”
During the spring months, Welhorsky uses his talents to play lacrosse. He helped the Lions win a section banner and reach the WPIAL finals as well as make a deep run in the PIAA tournament in 2024.
“He’s a big lacrosse player, too,” DiDonato added.
That, however, does not deter DiDonato from trying to recruit the junior to play football at Grove City College.
DiDonato has been the head coach there for nine seasons and has been named the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Coach of the Year twice, including for 2023. Additionally, DiDonato graduated as Grove City’s record holder in career passing yards (7,509), completions (750) and touchdowns (49). He also held the season records in each of those three categories. Plus, he played some basketball for the Wolverines.
DiDonato resides in Grove City with his wife, Andrea, and children, Gabriella and Daniel.
So DiDonato knows there is a place for Welhorsky at his collegiate alma mater.
“I hope he comes to Grove City in a couple of years,” he enthused. “Drew’s a special athlete.”