Dec 13, 2014 5 min read

HERSHEY – Dunmore head coach Jack Henzes knew that coming up with a plan to stop South Fayette’s offense would cause headaches for his defensive coordinator.

How do you stop the PIAA’s all-time leading passer and a tailback with a hard-nosed running style?

Behind a strong defensive line and a sound game plan, the Bucks did just that in the first half Saturday afternoon.

But there were two halves to this game. South Fayette scored the only points in the final two quarters to come away with a 28-16 victory and the Lions’ second PIAA Class AA title at Hersheypark Stadium.

Though Dunmore allowed eight first downs in the first 24 minutes, it forced two turnovers and held South Fayette quarterback Brett Brumbaugh to just five completions for 65 yards.

At the same time, the Bucks ran for 137 first-half yards behind an offensive line that allowed the running backs to reach the second level of the defense.

“We’re a running football team and we took advantage of some of the things they did, but overall we couldn’t take advantage in crucial situations,” Henzes said.

No situation was more crucial than South Fayette’s goal line stand in the third quarter. The Bucks drove to the two-yard line, but a penalty for too many men on the field bumped them back to the seven. Dunmore ran three times for a gain of two yards before quarterback Eric DeLuccie dropped back to pass on fourth down.

He had tight end Bob Stout open in the back of the end zone, but Stout slipped and the pass went off his hands. On the next play, Lions junior running back Hunter Hayes ran for a 95-yard touchdown.

“That was amazing. Two weeks in a row, we were backed up and the defense came through,” South Fayette head coach Joe Rossi said.

After losing the battle up front in the first half, South Fayette’s offensive line controlled the game in the final 24 minutes – giving Hayes room to run and protecting Brumbaugh, who was not sacked and only pressured once.

“(Hayes is) a fine young man. They keep you off balance with the quarterback throwing the ball and the wide receivers are excellent,” Henzes said. “Their offensive line was excellent. We only sacked them once or twice all day.”

Hayes, who rushed for over 200 yards for the second consecutive week, with 263 on 27 tries, was a nightmare for Dunmore’s defense, gaining yards after contact to throw the Bucks off balance. When Dunmore stacked the line of scrimmage early in the fourth quarter, Brumbaugh connected with sophomore Dan Trimbur for a 37-yard touchdown to secure the win and state championship.

Hayes has been the thunder to Brumbaugh’s lightning in South Fayette’s spread attack. He finished his junior season with 2,003 rushing yards and 33 touchdowns.

“It’s kind of how it’s been all year. Everyone has been dropping into coverage for Brett and it lets me run around a little more,” Hayes said. “I’m not a shiftier guy, but I just put my head down and get what I can.”

The only negatives to the game for Hayes were two fumbles – one in the first quarter and the other in the fourth quarter. But his big run more than made up for it as the Lions became the first Class AA team to win back-to-back state titles.

“I fumbled a few times obviously and that kind of brings me down, but I’m just excited,” Hayes said. “Brett is incredible. Our line is awesome. They opened up the biggest holes for me and let me run through them.”

The Lions’ defense continued to produce takeaways to give the offense a chance at redemption. After Hayes fumbled in the fourth quarter, the South Fayette’s defense forced DeLuccie to fumble on the next play and allowed the Lions to run out the clock.

South Fayette finished the season with 50 takeaways.

Senior JJ Walker, who missed two games with a leg injury, finished his football career as the team’s leading tackler with 13 and a fumble recovery.

In a rocky first half, the Bucks broke off several long runs, but the Lions’ defense clamped down in the second half.

“Our defense, including me, didn’t play our best in the first half,” Hayes said. “We eventually made a few big stops at the end of the first half and we were never really frustrated. Everyone has each other’s backs.”

Senior defensive back Roman Denson also played a big game – helping to shut down Dunmore’s passing attack and catching a 15-yard pass in the first quarter to set up Hayes’ go-ahead touchdown run.

The Lions were playing without senior offensive lineman Anthony Davidson, but South Fayette head coach Joe Rossi was impressed with the maturity and ability to handle adversity.

“We’ve been injured all year from JJ playing on one leg to Roman missing time and our best linemen has been gone since the Seton game,” he said. “This is a group that kept fighting.”

The victory ended the high school football careers of 16 seniors and many will move on to different endeavors. Through a 32-game winning streak, each had an impact.

Hayes was thrilled to help them go out on top.

“I love every single senior on this team. I’m glad we can do it for them,” Hayes said. “I gave everything I could out there, and I know they did too. I just did what I could to help out.”