Nov 20, 2014 3 min read

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There is at least one chapter yet to be written in Brett Brumbaugh’s high school career. The South Fayette senior quarterback has to dispatch Aliquippa to keep the Lions’ historic run going.

WPIAL champions, state champions and a 28-game winning streak. Not to mention the countless records Brumbaugh has broken and has a chance to break wit Breaking down Aliquippa vs. South Fayette h at least one game remaining.

When I began to research this week’s WPIAL Class AA title game between the two schools, I went down my usual checklist: statistics, rosters, injuries and gameday weather forecast. The stats are equally impressive. Aliquippa’s rushing numbers are mind-boggling, Brumbaugh’s passing numbers are as strong as expected and both defenses have a plethora of talent at different positions.

There’s the Quips’ defensive linemen, both teams have a great group of linebackers and South Fayette gets the edge in the secondary.

So, will the cold temperatures and 10-15 mph winds effect Brumbaugh’s ability to pass the football?

Absolutely not. Check out the conditions of last year’s title game. The snow was heavy, the wind was ridiculous and it felt like it was mid-February.

Brumbaugh still passed for more than 300 yards and threw two touchdowns. On a day where the Lions’ running game struggled, it was the defense and their quarterback’s arm that tilted the game in their favor.

In the minutes leading up to kick-off last November, reporters were doing the usual pregame chat with thoughts on both teams. The vast majority of people thought Aliquippa’s offense would be too difficult for South Fayette to stop and its defensive line would cause problems for the Lions’ offense.

The Lions’ linemen played arguably their best game of the state championship season by dominating Division I recruits at the point of attack to give Brumbaugh plenty of time to find Justin Watson or Conner Beck.

Despite Aliquippa controlling time of possession and successfully running the football, South Fayette’s defense created turnovers and the offense took care of the rest.

After watching the Quips face Wash High in the semifinals, I believe this Aliquippa team is as athletic as last year’s. The linemen are disruptive, the receivers have improved and the defense is more aggressive.

The one thing that could make the difference is Aliquippa’s tendency to make . The Quips fumbled several times against Wash High, Fields forced a few passes and they took bad penalties. Head coach Mike Zmijanac was very critical of his team’s play and is well-aware that those mistakes can’t happen against South Fayette. Despite 491 total yards of offense, mistakes like those can cost a team the game and the Quips almost found out the hard way against an injury-riddled Wash High team.

Doing so against South Fayette would extend the Lions’ winning streak and give Brumbaugh a chance to become the most decorated passer in PIAA history.