Oct 25, 2015 6 min read

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By no means was Seton-La Salle head coach Damon Rosol pleased after the Rebels’ 17-14 loss to South Fayette, but he was certainly optimistic.

Using plenty of movement and shifting coverages, Seton-La Salle disrupted the Lions’ offense in the first half. It allowed just 69 yards of total offense in the first half, including 23 yards in the second quarter, and had three first-quarter interceptions.

How did they fluster South Fayette sophomore quarterback Drew Saxton? He wasn’t about to tell reporters, but he used a movie reference to illustrate his point. In the movie, ‘Rounders,’ the lead actor, Matt Damon, finds his opponent’s tell in a poker game. If you haven’t seen the movie, the guy twisted an Oreo cookie, telling Damon what he was holding.

“We thought we picked up some things. If you’ve ever seen the movie “Rounders,” when Matt Damon is in the final scene, we thought we picked something up on him and it held true pretty much,” Rosol said. “We’ll likely have to play them again down the line, regardless of where they seed us.”

Take that final sentence however you want, but Rosol is extremely confident in an athletic secondary that features junior Paris Ford, a Pitt recruit that moves all over the field. He played cornerback, safety and even some linebacker.

He’s an extremely disruptive player that gives a coach freedom with how to scheme against opposing quarterbacks, but whatever Rosol thought he could exploit, it didn’t last.

The Lions (8-0, 8-0), who clinched the Century Conference title and extended their winning streak to 40 games, had 156 yards in the second half and Saxton finished 10 of 17 for 101 yards with two touchdown passes. Instead of trying to throw deep, he exploited the Rebels (5-2, 6-2) on routes under their zone coverage.

When Ford shifted to junior wide receiver Dan Trimbur, Saxton went to senior Nick Ponikvar and vice versa. The three interceptions hurt, but it was his composure in the waning moments, including his touchdown pass to Trimbur, that made the difference.

“They were moving a lot up front. Paris was moving everywhere,” Saxton said. “We really keyed on him and wanted to know where he was. He was in every position possible. They were good at disguising their coverages and blitzes.”

South Fayette head coach Joe Rossi added that the Lions could very well meet Seton-La Salle again in the playoffs

“They stacked the box. We weren’t getting to the safeties the first half, so we talked to them about blocking and getting to the safeties. That’s a good football team. We have a good possibility to see them later.”

• Part of South Fayette’s problem was its inability to pick up the safety blitz in the first half and surprisingly, the Lions had trouble stopping the Rebels’ rushing attack at times.

Seton-La Salle sophomore running back Lionel Deanes 108 yards on 13 carries, including a 61-yard run to set up the Rebels’ second touchdown pass.

He added 38 yards on the next drive that ended when quarterback Nolan Abbiatici was intercepted by Luke Meindl.

Instead of attempting a 30-yard field goal with 18.5 seconds remaining , Rosol went for the touchdown that would have given the Rebels a 21-0 lead heading into the half.

“I think there were two minutes left and we got the ball back, in the back of my mind I knew we only had one timeout left,” Rosol said. “I wasn’t thinking it. Deanes broke one and all of a sudden, we’re down to the 13. There were second to go and I told the kids we were going for the end zone every single time. We ran a little fake rocket screen and wheel, and the corner made a great play and bailed on it. They made plays when they had to. Ford made a great play (on Meindl’s interception by tackling him) because it could have easily been 14-7 at half. The kid had a convoy in front of him.”

• On their first possession of the second half, the Lions drove 60 yards that ended with Saxton’s touchdown pass to Noah Plack On the ensuing drive, Deanes was tackled for a seven-yard loss on first down, Abbiatici completed a pass to Ford on second down and he was sacked on third to force a punt.

• South Fayette added a touchdown on the following drive before Ford fumbled to set up Trimbur’s field goal that made the difference. Abbiatici threw two second-half interceptions and completed 2 of 4 passes for 31 yards.

“We had a few plays in our passing game in the second and didn’t’ find a way to get it done,” Rosol said. “It’s on me for calling them. We normally execute them, but we couldn’t find a way to get it done and they shut us out in the second half.”

Trinity suffered a tough loss to West Mifflin, but could have easily won the football game. A field goal in the second quarter could have made the difference and Hillers head coach Jon Miller took ownership of his decision to go for the touchdown.

What’s impressive is Trinity was able to run the ball. Joey Koroly had 96 yards and a touchdown, plus he took a screen 80 yards for a touchdown in the 29-27 loss. The Hillers had trouble stopping West Mifflin quarterback Karlyn Garner, who had three touchdowns, and Howard Reid ran for another.

This is a devastating loss for Trinity, not only because of how close it was to a win, but it makes a playoff berth very difficult. The Hillers must defeat Ringgold this week and will need a ton of help. If they are on the outside looking in, there is plenty to be excited about with Trinity.

Looking ahead, it does lose the bulk of its very good offensive line, but the program is headed in the right direction.

What a win for Burgettstown. The Blue Devils beat Derry in the final seconds with a touchdown pass from Brad McLaughlin to Jarred John and Reed Reitter’s extra point was enough to send them to a 21-20 win.

Burgettstown now needs to defeat Brownsville in Week 9 to clinch a return to the WPIAL playoffs. It’s a great story that keeps getting better.

1. McLaughlin. He had two turnovers, but what a gutsy performance from a junior. He ran for 90 yards and threw for 143. Those aren’t the biggest numbers, but it’s not easy deciding to make that throw in the final seconds.

2. Canon-McMillan junior running back Bryan Milligan. Sure, the Big Macs won’t be in the playoffs, but it’s about time we recognize this kid. He ran for 301 yards and three touchdowns to help C-M defeat Baldwin.

3. Meindl. Two interceptions and a fumble recovery. He held Ford to just two catches for 19 yards in the second half. Big performance from the first-year starter.

Others receiving votes: McGuffey quarterback Marcus Czulewicz, Koroly, South Fayette running back Hunter Hayes, Ringgold running back Brenden Small and Wash High quarterback Markel Pulliam had three second-quarter touchdowns.