Nov 28, 2014 4 min read

CLARION – South Fayette junior running back Hunter Hayes cannot think of a better partner in the Lions’ backfield than senior quarterback Brett Brumbaugh.

Lining up behind or beside one of the PIAA’s all-time leading passers can create opportunities.

On a night where the pre-game buzz surrounded Brumbaugh possibly breaking the PIAA career passing mark, it was Hayes who stole the show.

The junior ran for 183 yards and four touchdowns as South Fayette defeated Karns City, 42-15, in a PIAA Class AA quarterfinal game at Clarion University’s Memorial Stadium Friday night.

The Lions (14-0) extended their winning streak to 30 games with the victory and will face the winner of a game between Hickory and Tyrone, which will be played today at 1 p.m. at DuBois Area High School. That semifinal game will be next Friday or Saturday at a site and time to be determined.

One week after helping South Fayette defeat Aliquippa for the WPIAL title, Hayes took pressure off the Lions’ passing game by repeatedly taking advantage of a defense that was dropping into coverage in an attempt to slow Brumbaugh.

Hayes ran for touchdowns of 1, 9, 1 and 18 yards for South Fayette, which defeated Karns City in the quarterfinals for the second year in a row by forcing key turnovers and never slowing down.

“I love when they’ll cover Brett and they’ll drop a lot in coverage,” Hayes said. “When they do that, I know I’ll be able to run on them and that’s what they did.”

Karns City (11-2) did not waste any time trying to disrupt Brumbaugh’s rhythm. The Gremlins blitzed to the outside and mixed between zone and man coverage. On the Lions’ second play from scrimmage, Brumbaugh threw an interception trying to connect with a receiver in tight coverage.

Five plays later, his defense gave him a lift. Karns City drove to the Lions’ 38-yard line but wide receiver Tyler Dunn fumbled a sweep and the ball was recovered by South Fayette junior lineman Jason Massey-Sears.

The Lions drove 57 yards on eight plays with Hayes running for his first score. The extra point was blocked for a 6-0 lead with 5:32 remaining in the first quarter.

“My line is honestly incredible. They are probably the best in the WPIAL and the state,” Hayes said. “They opened holes all over the place. I would find them and run right through them.”

Playing without its top running back, senior Tristan Rhoades, Karns City’s offense could not match the Lions. The Gremlins had just three first downs, turned the ball over three times and were limited to just 33 total yards in the first half.

Their two touchdowns came with South Fayette leading big in the second half.

“We shot ourselves in the foot,” Karns City head coach Ed Conto said. “I have to say, their passing game is so good that it opened up the running game. We couldn’t stop either.”

Sophomore Dan Trimbur’s 25-yard field goal increased the lead to 9-0 midway through the second quarter.

South Fayette forced a three-and-out on the Gremlins’ following possession, and Brumbaugh responded by making a play that displayed his pocket awareness. Karns City dropped into cover-2 with both safeties deep and sent an overload blitz on Brumbaugh blind side. Brumbaugh shook off a pass rusher, recovered and threw a 27-yard pass to Trimbur.

Hayes took care of the rest.

The 190-pound tailback broke off two long runs and finished the drive with a 9-yard touchdown.

“On a night like tonight, that’s what it’s all about,” South Fayette head coach Joe Rossi said of Hayes’ performance. “You have to run the football. They dropped a lot of guys, mixed some blitzes and the coaches did a good job of adjusting and getting to the run game early.”

The Lions got a another defensive stop on the following possession and called a timeout with 22 seconds until halftime. Junior Nick Ponikvar caught a punt and darted up the left sideline for a 77-yard touchdown and a 22-0 halftime lead.

“I think Nick’s touchdown right before the half was a big momentum change,” Hayes said. “Going into the half with an extra score like that is huge. It was a great play.”

Hayes scored his third touchdown early in the second half after South Fayette senior Logan Sharp forced a fumble and Brumbaugh, who completed 11 of 24 passes for 199 yards, threw a 6-yard touchdown to Sharp to give South Fayette a 36-0 lead to invoke the mercy rule.

“I’m just proud of these guys. To win 30 straight football games is pretty special,” Rossi said. “No one really talks about it. It’s all about focusing on next week.”