South Fayette repeats as Class AA state champ
Jack Relihan kisses the PIAA Class AA trophy while J.J. Walker (25) and Ryan Schmider (13) watch. South Fayette defeated Dunmore, 28-16, to claim a second straight state title and cap an undefeated season.
Hunter Hayes bursts through the Dunmore line and bolts 95 yards for the decisive touchdown in South Fayette’s 28-16 victory over the Bucks. The win capped an undefeated season for the Lions and marked their second straight PIAA state championship.
Brett Brumbaugh (7) and Vinny Rossi (64) congratulate Hunter Hayes (8) after he broke a 95-yard run for a touchdown to break open a tight PIAA Class AA final for South Fayette. The Lions went on to beat Dunmore, 28-16, for their second title in a row.
Dan Trimbur stretches to reach a 37-yard scoring strike thrown by Brett Brumbaugh. The score with 8:27 to play sealed South Fayette’s 28-16 victory over Dunmore and clinched the second straight PIAA Class AA football title for the Lions.
Andrew Gedrys (60) and Zach Radinick (57) signal the fumble is recovered by South Fayette while Jason Massey-Sears and the rest of the Lions’ defense wait for the pile to clear. The Lions’ defense came up big several times in a 28-16 victory over Dunmore, including a stop near the goal line. The stop ignited the Lions as they scored back-to-back touchdowns to come from behind and secure their 32nd victory in a row.
Brett Brumbaugh hoists high the PIAA Class AA trophy. The senior quarterbacked South Fayette to 32 straight victories and back-to-back state championships on his way to setting the all-time passing record in the state.
South Fayette’s Dan Trimbur (14) gestures after scoring a touchdown against Dunmore during the PIAA Class AA championship game Saturday. (AP Photo/The Citizens’ Voice, Christopher Dolan)
HERSHEY – Did two yards separate Dunmore High School from its second state championship in program history? That question will haunt Dunmore head coach Jack Henzes for quite some time.
The Bucks were two yards away from taking a nine-point lead over South Fayette late in the third quarter Saturday afternoon, but a penalty and three running plays forced the longtime Dunmore coach to decide between going for a touchdown and settling for a field goal.
He went for the touchdown, but senior quarterback Eric DeLucci’s fourth-down pass went off the hands of tight end Bob Stout and turned the ball over on downs.
“We decided we wouldn’t kick the field goal and that was it,” Henzes said.
On the next play from scrimmage, South Fayette junior running back Hunter Hayes ran off the right tackle and went untouched for a 95-yard touchdown run to give the Lions a lead they would not relinquish as they defeated Dunmore, 28-16, in the PIAA Class AA championship game at Hersheypark Stadium.
South Fayette (16-0) is the first Class AA team in PIAA history to win back-to-back championships and extended its winning streak to 32 games.
Senior wide receiver Ryan Schmider’s block near the sideline created the seam on Hayes’ long run. Hayes’ eyes lit up and the Lions’ coaches and reserves ran with their tailback along the sideline toward the end zone for a 21-16 lead with 14 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
For the third consecutive week, the Lions’ opponent geared toward stopping South Fayette’s passing game and Hayes made them pay.
“It’s one of those runs where you see the hole – there’s nothing there. I saw the sideline and I just ran to it,” Hayes said with a grin. “I tried my best to not get caught from behind. I was slowing down a little there because I was pretty winded, but I just kept on my horse and kept running.”
Hayes rushed for 263 yards on 27 carries with two touchdowns. He scored from eight yards in the first quarter to give South Fayette a 7-6 lead.
Senior quarterback Brett Brumbaugh threw a 37-yard touchdown pass to sophomore Dan Trimbur with less than 10 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter put the game out of reach.
Henzes took a few tips from the Lions’ two previous opponents – Karns City and Hickory. The Bucks (14-2) switched between zone and man-to-man pass coverage – often rushing six players without any success. They did force three turnovers – two fumbles by Hayes and an interception by Brumbaugh.
Brumbaugh completed 8 of 18 passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns.
During the first half, Dunmore looked every bit like the Lions’ strongest opponent during the championship run. The Bucks intercepted Brumbaugh on the second play from scrimmage and took a 6-0 lead five plays later on a 34-yard run by junior running back Garrett Murray behind a physically imposing offensive line.
The Lions answered by driving 60 yards in seven plays with Hayes scoring from eight yards to give South Fayette a 7-6 lead.
“They mixed up some coverages and dropped some people back, but we just took what they gave us. We just took Hunter Hayes and let him ride the wave,” Brumbaugh said.
The Bucks took a 16-14 lead into halftime after a 4-yard touchdown run by sophomore Colin Holmes and a 27-yard field goal by Joey Capooci.
After the Bucks regained the lead, South Fayette’s average starting field position on four of its next five drives was Dunmore’s 40-yard line, but the Lions punted twice, Hayes fumbled once and Brumbaugh threw a 9-yard touchdown to senior Ryan Schmider to draw the Lions to within two points.
The Lions forced Dunmore to punt on the next drive and drove to the Bucks’ 20-yard line after Brumbaugh connected with junior Nick Ponikvar for a 22-yard completion. But Trimbur missed a 37-yard field goal with less than two seconds left in the first half.
Despite the deficit, South Fayette head coach Joe Rossi did not make any adjustments.
“We were playing undisciplined, which we usually don’t,” Rossi said. “Guys were doing some things we worked on all week and I think (Dunmore’s) size and speed surprised us. Not only were they big, but they were fast. They were 14-1 for a reason.”
Dunmore started the second half with the football, but the Bucks punted despite Murray gaining 23 yards on 3rd-and-16 from his own 21-yard line. On its next drive, Dunmore drove to the Lions’ two-yard line, from where the decisive goal-line stand by the South Fayette defense turned the momentum.
“That was a huge momentum shift,” Hayes said. “The defense came up with a big stop and it allowed us to get more points on the board. It all clicks. It’s indescribable.”
Though the Bucks lost in the state title game for the third time since 2007, Henzes was pleased with the effort. Despite having the fourth-smallest enrollment of all Class AA schools, Dunmore went toe-to-toe with the best in the state. However, penalties – nine for 49 yards – were costly.
“In the second quarter, we made some key mistakes. In the fourth quarter, on the two-yard line, we made a mistake,” Henzes said. “We just made too many mistakes.”
Twenty-eight points are the fewest South Fayette has scored since the PIAA semifinals last year against Hickory.
It did not matter to Brumbaugh or Hayes how many points they scored. All that mattered was bringing the state championship back to South Fayette. With the defensive stand followed by Hayes’ long touchdown run, the Lions accomplished that in grand fashion.
“Our defense is the biggest part of this team,” Brumbaugh said. “Whenever we need a play as an offense when we’re struggling, we wait on them and they always come up big for us. It was great last year. Leaving this as my last game at South Fayette, I can’t be happier.”