Pinpointing a reason or two for South Fayette's loss to West Catholic in Saturday's PIAA Class AA championship game isn't necessary as the Burrs did just about everything at a championship level.
Two areas where I thought West Catholic excelled were taking away South Fayette's primary playmakers - Tyler Challingsworth and Jeff Davis - and getting consistent pressure on quarterback Christian Brumbaugh.
Davis entered the game with an injured right knee and was not able to finish the game after starting. He played into the second quarter and, on every play Davis was on the field, West Catholic had at least one defender following him.
That defense all but eliminated the quick swing pass to Davis, a play that helped get South Fayette a WPIAL championship and to the state championship.
Challingsworth, one of the peskiest receivers I can remember, couldn't find the open seams that he did through the Lions' first 15 games. He burned defenses for 70-plus catches and 1,000-plus yards, a considerable feat given South Fayette's depth at the position.
Brumbaugh didn't complete a pass in the second half and rarely had time to throw when he did. West Catholic's front four delivered most of the heat on Brumbaugh, which allowed linebackers to help in pass coverage.
* Not sure what kind of impact Davis leaving the game had in the final outcome. West Catholic's two primary objectives were to limit him in the passing game and pressing Brumbaugh, at least that's what Burrs coach Brian Fluck said after the game.
With Davis out, the threat of screen and swing passes were gone from the offense. Fullback Trevor Fiorentini ran well in his limited touches but no Davis meant a lot of South Fayette's offense was on the sidelines.
* The loss was a difficult one for South Fayette's seniors, a group that went 3-6 as sophomores. That said, what they did for South Fayette football can't be underestimated despite the loss. It was a class move by the Lions' fans to stay after the game and give the players a standing ovation.
South Fayette may have not won the ultimate prize but the Lions won over their community.
* West Catholic sophomore David Williams is one of the better backs I've seen. He's big, strong, fast, shifty and hits the hole quick. A lot of the focus entering the game was on Burrs running back Brandon Hollomon but I was certainly more impressed with the sophomore as well as Hollomon played.
* Sometimes talent wins out. West Catholic was supremely talented.
* On Friday, I remembered around 3 p.m. that the Class A championship game was on, so I turned on PCN and saw that Riverside was leading Clairton, 24-0.
Shocker.
The Bears refused to fold and went on to win.
Impressive.
Showing posts with label piaa football playoffs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label piaa football playoffs. Show all posts
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Live blog, PIAA Class AA football championship South Fayette vs. West Catholic
Final score: West Catholic 50, South Fayette 14.
I'll follow up with analysis tomorrow.
1:29 p.m. – Halftime score, West Catholic 36-16. Not sure how the Burrs only scored 21 points last week as they're doing whatever they want offensively.
Brumbaugh is 11 of 24 for 111 with two touchdowns. Davis only has six touches for 11 yards and Tyler Challingsworth just one catch and he fumbled.
Not looking good for the Lions. They've got to find a way to get some stops or this one could get real ugly.
1:15 p.m. – South Fayette can't stop West Catholic, who is mixing run and pass perfectly. WC, 28-14 with 1:07 left in first half.
1:08 p.m. – Brumbaugh to Challingsworth for a second time, this time on a pretty 20-yard pass. West Catholic 20-14.
Burrs can run.
12:57 p.m. – Really struggling with the wireless signal, much like South Fayette's defense is struggling.
West Catholic on a 20-point run and leads 20-7 with 5:30 left in 2nd.
12:52 p.m. – Tyler Challingsworth fumbles, recovered by Brandon Hollomon. Burrs back in business.
12:50 p.m. – West Catholic's Anthony Reid hits 75-yard pass to Jaelen Strong-Rankin. Quran Kent's 2-point run gives Burrs a 14-7 lead with 8:35 in 2nd.
12:42 p.m. – Having wireless issues. South Fayette leads 7-6 at end of first quarter. West Catholic popped an 81-yard touchdown run.
12:31 p.m. – As predicted, SF goes deep to Challingsworth, who was bumped. Incomplete. Look for it again.
Lions to punt.
12:28 p.m. – West Catholic is a bit undisciplined. The Burrs are also playing press coverage. Could South Fayette look deep soon?
12:25 p.m. – Grant Fetchet intercepts Anthony Reid's first pass attempt.
12:24 p.m. – No Davis in the South Fayette secondary.
12:17 p.m. – Brumbaugh 5 of 7 on opening drive for 58 yards, including an 8-yard touchdown pass to Zach Challingsworth. Tyler Yee's extra point good, South Fayette up 7-0 with 7:37 1st.
Brumbaugh sets PIAA single season record with 51st touchdown pass.
12:06 p.m. – South Fayette set to receive. First team from the O-R coverage area in the state championships since 2001 (Washington) about to get started.
Noon – Both teams taking the field. South Fayette has a good turnout.
11:50 a.m. – The Faraci family is watching the game from the press box. Great to see. For those that don't know the story of Bill Faraci, father of South Fayette linemen Nick Faraci, should hit up Google.
11:38 a.m. – No snow on the ground in Hershey and not too cold. The wireless connection isn't the strongest (there's a few more people covering the event than the PIAA soccer championships). Hopefully, it stays with us.
11:36 a.m. – Feel the need to share that I just ate two of the heaviest chocolate chip cookies I've ever encountered.
11:30 a.m. – Checked out conditions on the field. Wind isn't too bad. West Catholic has some serious size and the majority of the people in the press box thinks the Burrs should win. I think most of those people are from the East.
Jeff Davis is wearing a brace on his right knee. Davis injured the knee during the semifinals against Forest Hills and, as of Thursday, Rossi considered him questionable.
Davis is making cuts and looks good during warmups. We'll see what happens when the hitting starts.
11:02 a.m. – Winds are picking up. Christian Brumbaugh can throw in snow, rain and cold. He's not a fan of windy conditions.
10:59 a.m. – I am looking live at Hersheypark Stadium. Both teams are on the field warming up for the noon kickoff.
There's a lot of noise on the field.
I'll follow up with analysis tomorrow.
1:29 p.m. – Halftime score, West Catholic 36-16. Not sure how the Burrs only scored 21 points last week as they're doing whatever they want offensively.
Brumbaugh is 11 of 24 for 111 with two touchdowns. Davis only has six touches for 11 yards and Tyler Challingsworth just one catch and he fumbled.
Not looking good for the Lions. They've got to find a way to get some stops or this one could get real ugly.
1:15 p.m. – South Fayette can't stop West Catholic, who is mixing run and pass perfectly. WC, 28-14 with 1:07 left in first half.
1:08 p.m. – Brumbaugh to Challingsworth for a second time, this time on a pretty 20-yard pass. West Catholic 20-14.
Burrs can run.
12:57 p.m. – Really struggling with the wireless signal, much like South Fayette's defense is struggling.
West Catholic on a 20-point run and leads 20-7 with 5:30 left in 2nd.
12:52 p.m. – Tyler Challingsworth fumbles, recovered by Brandon Hollomon. Burrs back in business.
12:50 p.m. – West Catholic's Anthony Reid hits 75-yard pass to Jaelen Strong-Rankin. Quran Kent's 2-point run gives Burrs a 14-7 lead with 8:35 in 2nd.
12:42 p.m. – Having wireless issues. South Fayette leads 7-6 at end of first quarter. West Catholic popped an 81-yard touchdown run.
12:31 p.m. – As predicted, SF goes deep to Challingsworth, who was bumped. Incomplete. Look for it again.
Lions to punt.
12:28 p.m. – West Catholic is a bit undisciplined. The Burrs are also playing press coverage. Could South Fayette look deep soon?
12:25 p.m. – Grant Fetchet intercepts Anthony Reid's first pass attempt.
12:24 p.m. – No Davis in the South Fayette secondary.
12:17 p.m. – Brumbaugh 5 of 7 on opening drive for 58 yards, including an 8-yard touchdown pass to Zach Challingsworth. Tyler Yee's extra point good, South Fayette up 7-0 with 7:37 1st.
Brumbaugh sets PIAA single season record with 51st touchdown pass.
12:06 p.m. – South Fayette set to receive. First team from the O-R coverage area in the state championships since 2001 (Washington) about to get started.
Noon – Both teams taking the field. South Fayette has a good turnout.
11:50 a.m. – The Faraci family is watching the game from the press box. Great to see. For those that don't know the story of Bill Faraci, father of South Fayette linemen Nick Faraci, should hit up Google.
11:38 a.m. – No snow on the ground in Hershey and not too cold. The wireless connection isn't the strongest (there's a few more people covering the event than the PIAA soccer championships). Hopefully, it stays with us.
11:36 a.m. – Feel the need to share that I just ate two of the heaviest chocolate chip cookies I've ever encountered.
11:30 a.m. – Checked out conditions on the field. Wind isn't too bad. West Catholic has some serious size and the majority of the people in the press box thinks the Burrs should win. I think most of those people are from the East.
Jeff Davis is wearing a brace on his right knee. Davis injured the knee during the semifinals against Forest Hills and, as of Thursday, Rossi considered him questionable.
Davis is making cuts and looks good during warmups. We'll see what happens when the hitting starts.
11:02 a.m. – Winds are picking up. Christian Brumbaugh can throw in snow, rain and cold. He's not a fan of windy conditions.
10:59 a.m. – I am looking live at Hersheypark Stadium. Both teams are on the field warming up for the noon kickoff.
There's a lot of noise on the field.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Brumbaugh close to breaking two more WPIAL records
As South Fayette piles up points and advances through the postseason, quarterback Christian Brumbaugh is making WPIAL history.
In the Lions' 62-28 victory over Brockway - SF has scored 117 in two playoff games at West Allegheny - in the PIAA Class AA quarterfinals, Brumbaugh set a new WPIAL standard for career touchdown passes. Entering the semifinals against Forest Hills (District 6), Brumbaugh has 80 touchdown passes.
Adam DiMichele threw 76 touchdown passes at Sto-Rox from 200-03.
The 80 TDs rank eighth in PIAA history behind Kyle Smith of Lancaster Catholic (118), Derek Buganza of Brockway (95) - Brumbaugh's quarterback counterpart Friday night, current Pitt quarterback Pat Bostick of Manheim Township (94), Evan Kraky of Lakeland (93), Dan Kendra of Bethlehem Catholic (91), Tyler Smith of Wilson Area (87) and Brett Gordon of La Salle (84).
With his 380 passing yards during a ridiculous 22 of 26 performance in a snowstorm against Brockway, Brumbaugh only needs 51 yards to eclipse DiMichele's WPIAL career passing mark of 6,741 yards. The 380 passing yards is a single-game PIAA playoff record and his five touchdowns tied the single-game record.
Brumbaugh has 6,691 career yards, second in WPIAL history - a place formerly occupied by South Fayette quarterback Andrew DiDonato, who threw for 6,573 yards from 2002-05. His 3,253 yards this season is just 57 shy of former Seton-La Salle quarterback Bill Stull, who passed for 3,310 in 2004.
Brumbaugh ranks 14th in PIAA history in passing yards. Should South Fayette reach the PIAA championship and Brumbaugh gets two more starts, he could climb well into the top 10.
In the Lions' 62-28 victory over Brockway - SF has scored 117 in two playoff games at West Allegheny - in the PIAA Class AA quarterfinals, Brumbaugh set a new WPIAL standard for career touchdown passes. Entering the semifinals against Forest Hills (District 6), Brumbaugh has 80 touchdown passes.
Adam DiMichele threw 76 touchdown passes at Sto-Rox from 200-03.
The 80 TDs rank eighth in PIAA history behind Kyle Smith of Lancaster Catholic (118), Derek Buganza of Brockway (95) - Brumbaugh's quarterback counterpart Friday night, current Pitt quarterback Pat Bostick of Manheim Township (94), Evan Kraky of Lakeland (93), Dan Kendra of Bethlehem Catholic (91), Tyler Smith of Wilson Area (87) and Brett Gordon of La Salle (84).
With his 380 passing yards during a ridiculous 22 of 26 performance in a snowstorm against Brockway, Brumbaugh only needs 51 yards to eclipse DiMichele's WPIAL career passing mark of 6,741 yards. The 380 passing yards is a single-game PIAA playoff record and his five touchdowns tied the single-game record.
Brumbaugh has 6,691 career yards, second in WPIAL history - a place formerly occupied by South Fayette quarterback Andrew DiDonato, who threw for 6,573 yards from 2002-05. His 3,253 yards this season is just 57 shy of former Seton-La Salle quarterback Bill Stull, who passed for 3,310 in 2004.
Brumbaugh ranks 14th in PIAA history in passing yards. Should South Fayette reach the PIAA championship and Brumbaugh gets two more starts, he could climb well into the top 10.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
PIAA quarterfinals take to the air
One thing is certain when District 9 champion Brockway (12-0) plays WPIAL champion South Fayette (13-0). There will be plenty of passing.
Two of the top quarterbacks in PIAA history, statistically speaking, headline this game.
Brockway feature Derek Buganza, the top passer in state history with 9,413 passing yards. His 92 touchdown passes are fourth-best in the state.
South Fayette counters with Christian Brumbaugh, who has led the Lions to a 23-1 record the past two seasons. Brumbaugh ranks second in WPIAL history and is tied for 11th in PIAA history with 75 touchdown passes. His 6,371 passing yards ranks fourth in WPIAL history and 19th in state history.
Brumbaugh needs 202 passing yards to tie Andrew DiDonato (2002-2005) for the school record of 6,573 yards and with 371 yards, Brumbaugh could pass former Sto-Rox quarterback Adam DiMichele (2000-03) for the WPIAL record. DiMichele passed for 6,741 yards.
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