Fetchet keeping SF offense grounded
It might just be the quietest 1,094 yards gained in the WPIAL this season.
Grant Fetchet doesn’t mind.
The 5-11, 170-pound senior running back can sometimes get lost in the shadow of South Fayette’s vaunted passing attack.
“If getting 1,000 yards means victories,” Fetchet said, “then I don’t care if it’s a loud 1,000 yards.”
Winning is what makes Fetchet, and his teammates, happy. So far, that has happened 11 straight weeks of the season.
The Lions, champions of the Century Conference, can make it 12 straight Friday night by defeating Beaver Falls, which was second to Aliquippa in the Midwestern Conference, in the semifinals of the WPIAL Class AA playoffs at Montour.
Kickoff is 7:30 p.m.
Fetchet is averaging nearly 10 yards per carry, sparking a running game that provides the followup punch to Brett Brumbaugh’s right arm delivery. In a 31-7 quarterfinal-round win over Seton-La Salle last week, Fetchet rushed 22 times for 56 yards. Brumbaugh passed for 463 yards, setting a WPIAL single-game record. Brumbaugh has thrown for 2,529 yards and 29 touchdowns this season.
“We came out slow,” Fetchet said. “It took us a while to get started.”
Fetchet has broken the century mark in rushing yards seven times this season. His top three games were 152 yards in a 42-7 win over Steel Valley Sept. 13 and a pair of 146-yard efforts against Keystone Oaks Sept. 6 and Quaker Valley Oct. 4.
Fetchet has accumulated 156 yards in two playoff games, a 49-0 shutout over Greensburg Central Catholic and the victory over Seton-La Salle.
“The way I look at it is, I’m just doing my job,” he said. “I run the football. Getting recognized is not the most important thing. Winning games are the most important thing.”
South Fayette head coach Joe Rossi said Fetchet’s running has been an important part of the passing game.
“He’s having a great year for us, over eight or nine yards a carry,” Rossi said. “That helps our passing game because teams have to respect our running game. He can lower his shoulder or just run around people. He’s a wrestler, so you know he’s a tough kid.”
Interestingly, Fetchet’s playing time – and the rest of the Lions’ starters – has diminished because of the team’s success. In some weeks, the Lions’ second and third teams were getting as many snaps as the starters because of the lopsided nature of the games. No reason to risk injuries to starters under those circumstances.
It wasn’t like that last week as Seton-La Salle jumped to an early lead, and was tied, 7-7, at halftime. The Lions outscored Seton-La Salle, 24-0, in the second half.
“Was last week the best second-half we played all season?” he asked. “It’s probably the only second half we played through all season.”
The South Fayette defense rose up to save the day, forcing six Seton-La Salle turnovers in the second half and paving the way to a 24-point victory.
“We played a sloppy game,” said Fetchet. “We came out slow, and it took us a bit to get started. Our running game opens the passing game, and the passing game opens the running game. If one is not doing well in a game, then we can go to the other.”