South Fayette repeats as WPIAL champion
South Fayette players celebrate after receiving their trophy for defeating Aliquippa, 31-22, and winning their second consecutive WPIAL Class AA championship.
South Fayette running back Hunter Hayes runs past Aliquippa defender Thomas Perry for a 46-yard touchdown, the Lions’ first of the game.
Ryan Schmider (13), Brett Beltz and Hunter Hayes (8) congratulate Nick Ponikvar (2) after his 87-yard touchdown reception from Brett Brumbaugh gave South Fayette a 21-6 lead over Aliquippa.
Ryan Schmider, center, and Nick Ponikvar, right, rush to congratulate Dan Trimbur after he scored South Fayette’s second touchdown on a pass reception in the first half of the WPIAL Class AA championship game against Aliquippa Friday at Heinz Field. South Fayette won its third WPIAL title in five years, all coming against Aliquippa.
PITTSBURGH – South Fayette quarterback Brett Brumbaugh has accomplished more in the past three years than some athletes hope to accomplish in a lifetime. There are the numerous passing records he has broken, a WPIAL title, a PIAA title, earning an athletic scholarship and the countless postseason awards.
The Duquesne University commit did not want to settle for individual statistics or the championship trophies earned during his junior season. He wanted to extend the storybook career that has made him one of the most decorated passers in Pennsylvania high school history and South Fayette’s program one of the best in Class AA.
Facing Aliquippa for the second consecutive year for the WPIAL championship at Heinz Field, Brumbaugh, with the help of his receiving corps, did everything to ensure a few more chapters remain to be written.
Brumbaugh passed for 352 yards and three touchdowns, and the Lions’ defense disrupted the highest-scoring offense in Class AA, as South Fayette defeated Aliquippa, 31-22, to win its second consecutive WPIAL title.
The victory extends the Lions’ winning streak to 29 games, earns the program its fifth WPIAL championship and continues its dominance over the Quips with three wins in five years, each at Heinz Field.
“We knew our line would protect like they always do,” Brumbaugh said. “I just had to find my men and know they were going to make plays for me. I just had to stand in there and let them make plays.”
While Brumbaugh was incredibly effective, completing 24 of 34 passes, his receivers and running backs made his job an easy one. The 6-4 quarterback completed at least one pass to six different receivers, throwing touchdowns to three different players and junior running back Hunter Hayes rushed for 109 yards and a touchdown.
South Fayette (13-0) struck quickly after forcing the Quips to punt on their opening possession. Brumbaugh completed back-to-back passes on the ensuing drive and Aliquippa (12-1) lined up eight defenders in the box on a heavy blitz to the right side of the line.
Hayes took the handoff left, sped up the sideline and cut back into the middle of the field, going untouched for a 7-0 lead with 8:33 remaining in the first quarter. With everyone expecting the Lions to lean heavily on Brumbaugh, Hayes, who relieved Grant Fetchet during last year’s title game with a 50-yard run, carried the ball 22 times to help the Lions dominate the time of possession.
“Our M.O. is that we throw the football. It has been that way since we’ve had the Brumbaugh family, and the run game always gets overlooked,” South Fayette head coach Joe Rossi said. “Hayes is a 1,500-yard back and it’s the same with Grant Fetchet last year. You have to have a running back. You can’t just rely on your passing game.”
Aliquippa (12-1) averaged more than 347 yards per game during the playoffs with big plays coming from junior running back Kaezon Pugh. The Lions put a stop to that. The Quips gained just 154 rushing yards and their passing game struggled.
“We knew it was coming. We knew what we were capable of,” senior linebacker JJ Walker said. “We had a couple goal-line stands last year and knew we could do it again. We were physical. We took (the running game) away and we knew they couldn’t do anything else.”
Five plays after Hayes’ touchdown run, senior Brett Beltz intercepted a pass to put South Fayette in Aliquippa territory. Brumbaugh capitalized with a three-play, 45-yard drive capped by sophomore Dan Trimbur’s 13-yard touchdown catch for a 14-0 lead.
“I thought our first two possessions were terrible in both coaching and playing,” Aliquippa head coach Mike Zmijanac said. “These are the defending state champions. They played very well and they deserved to win. I think the biggest part of what they did is possess the ball in the passing game to take time off the clock.”
The Quips drew within eight points when senior fullback Anthony Barton scored on a six-yard run late in the first quarter. The teams played a scoreless second quarter and the opening kickoff of the second half pinned the Lions on their own three-yard line.
Three plays later, Brumbaugh connected with junior Nick Ponikvar on an 87-yard touchdown. Ponikvar, who caught six passes for 157 yards, broke several tackles on his way to the end zone and a 21-6 lead.
Brumbaugh threw his third touchdown later in the quarter, to senior Jack Relihan, giving South Fayette a 28-6 lead. The Quips answered with a touchdown less than two minutes later, but Trimbur kicked a 36-yard field to put the game out of reach.
“It starts with the receivers, honestly,” senior wide receiver Ryan Schmider said. “We do our drills, we make sure we run our routes because we have to do to that to get other guys open, and we have an amazing quarterback who finds us.”
Aliquippa added a touchdown on a two-yard run by Stephon McGinnis and recovered the ensuing onside kick with less than four minutes remaining, but South Fayette’s defense shut down the Quips’ passing game to force a turnover on downs and clinch the program’s back-to-back championships.
“They’re both sweet. Each one is different,” Brumbaugh said. “Last year, we had a special group. This year is a special group, too. They are equally amazing.”