Christian Brumbaugh's fantastic career continues.
The
South Fayette (McDonald) senior quarterback lifted the Lions into the PIAA Class AAA championship football game for the first time in school history while writing his name in three different areas of the record book in a 49-12 win over Forest Hills in the semifinals Saturday.
Brumbaugh became the all-time leading career passer in WPIAL history and single-season passer in WPIAL history when he threw for 362 yards (21 of 32 passing) while also throwing a state-playoff record six touchdown passes.
He has 7,052 career passing yards topping Sto-Rox’s Adam DiMichele’s record 6,741, and he has 3,615 yards this season breaking the mark of 3,310 set in 2004 by Bill Stull of Seton-LaSalle.
MaxPreps' Pennsylvania football playoff bracketsBut the records didn’t mean as much to Brumbaugh as the win.
“What means a lot to me is that we’re going to Hershey,” Braumbaugh told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “This (the records) would’ve never been possible if we didn’t play this long this season. That’s a credit to everybody on the team.”
South Fayette (15-0,) which will play
West Catholic (Philadelphia) in the title game, overcame an early 6-0 deficit by scoring the next 28 points while taking a 35-12 halftime lead.
Brumbaugh threw two first-half touchdown passes each to
Tyler Challingsworth and
Josh Patterson and then hit Patterson with a third scoring pass in the fourth quarter after tossing one to Zach Challingsworth in the third quarter.
Jeff Davis added a touchdown run for the Lions, whose boys basketball team won the PIAA Class AA title in March.
Tyler Challingsworth had seven catches for 135 yards, while Davis ran for 147 yards.
BRUMBAUGH COMMITS TO WILLIAM & MARYIt was a big week for Brumbaugh, as earlier in the week he accepted a scholarship offer to William & Mary, a Football Championship Series team.
“It’s a good fit (for him),” South Fayette head coach Joe Rossi told the Post-Gazette. “I can’t understand why the Pitt and Penn State guys aren’t recruiting him. But I guess that’s why I’m a high school coach. The kid is just an unbelievable quarterback.”
In addition to his 3,615 passing yards, Brumbaugh has tied the Pennsylvania record for single-season touchdown passes with 50.
NORTH ALLEGHENY ADVANCES TO PIAA TITLE GAME
No Alex Papson, no problem for the
North Allegheny (Wexford) Tigers.
Papson, North Allegheny’s 2,000-yard rusher, was lost for the season in the WPIAL title game two weeks ago, but the Tigers are in the PIAA Class AAAA title game anyhow after beating Cumberland Valley 35-17 in the semifinals.
Alex Deciantis rushed for 97 yards and three short touchdowns including two key scores in the fourth quarter, after North Allegheny went to the final 12 minutes leading 21-10.
Matt Steinbeck added 161 yards on the ground helping the Tigers (14-1) rush for 341 yards as a team.
North Allegheny, which will play
La Salle College (Wyndmoor) in the title game, trailed 10-7 at halftime but scored the first 25 points of the second half to take control of the game.
CLAIRTON ALSO MAKES TITLE GAMEDefending PIAA Class A champion
Clairton (15-0) advanced to its third straight PIAA Class A title contest with a 48-8 drubbing of Farrell. It was the third straight year the Bears beat Farrell to get to the title game, but unlike the first two this one wasn’t close.
Clairton scored 32 points in the second quarter on its way to a 38-0 halftime lead and the mercy rule.
Josh Page scored three times – twice receiving and once on a punt return – to lead Clairton.
ERIE CATHEDRAL PREP FALLS IN PIAA SEMISCathedral Prep (Erie) (9-5) wasn’t as fortunate in the Class AAA PIAA semifinals, blowing an 18-point halftime lead to Bishop McDevitt in a 24-21 setback.
The Ramblers led 21-3 at halftime but McDevitt got life when
Miles Williams picked off a Damion Terry pass and returned it 42 yards for a touchdown.
Matt Johnson then hit
Shaun Seif with a 24-yard scoring pass making it 21-17 going to the fourth quarter before Pitt recruit
Jameel Poteat scored on 2-yard run with just more than six minutes left.