Aug 29, 2014 3 min read

McDONALD – There have been plenty of memorable seasons in the history of the South Fayette football program and a number of championships to celebrate, but 2013 topped them all.

The Lions have won several conference titles and a handful of WPIAL crowns, including as recently as 2010, when led by quarterback Christian Brumbaugh. But last year was the first time South Fayette could lay claim to the PIAA championship, and this time it was, naturally, Brumbaugh’s younger brother, Brett, leading the way for the Lions.

As fun as the last year was for the Lions, when South Fayette’s Dan Trimbur kicked off to begin the 2014 season, it was time to forget what happened and begin the process all over again.

It was business as usual, as South Fayette jumped on top of East Allegheny with a 28-point first quarter en route to a 49-6 victory to open the season in a Century Conference game.

“You want to put (last season) aside and continue and see the new guys that are in the lineup,” said Lions coach Joe Rossi.

The new guys looked a lot like the old gang. On the Lions’ first offensive play of 2014, Brett Brambaugh fired a long pass for Roman Denson, who hauled it in for a 57-yard touchdown.

The defense seemed to be even better. Following the quick 7-0 lead, the Lions forced three turnovers in the Wildcats’ next five plays. The first was a 23-yard interception return for a touchdown by Ryan Schmider, then fumbles on consecutive plays turned into 14 more points on scoring runs by J.J. Walker and Hunter Hayes.

The Lions needed just 4:18 to put up the 28 points.

“We talk a lot about getting off to a fast start,” Rossi said. “Don’t give the other team hope and opportunities.”

Then an odd thing happened. East Allegheny tried its best to wrest control of the game, hitting on a 58-yard pass play that led to a Taizjon Brown fourth-down touchdown run to stop the bleeding. The Lions’ next two possessions were a three-and-out and a turnover.

“Those guys continued to fight,” said Rossi. “They got us on a big play we hadn’t seen before. They made some plays. It was good we faced a little bit of adversity there.”

South Fayette turned the ball over again in the first half, but the Lions went into halftime ahead, 35-6, and the offense retooled in the third quarter, looking as smooth as ever to score the game’s final 14 points.

Despite the scoreline, Rossi took note of several facets of his team’s game to improve upon.

“It’s fun to see the new guys, but we got to get better,” said Rossi. “We’re nowhere near where we want to be. That’s what happens when you have seven new faces. There’s new faces on either side.”

Brumbaugh finished 13 of 18 for 190 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Denson hauled in three passes for 91 yards. Hayes, after rushing for only 22 yards on his first eight carries, finished with 113 yards on 15 attempts and scored three times.