Brumbaugh ready for his title shot
Brett Brumbaugh is ready to take his shot at winning a WPIAL Class AA title.
South Fayette celebrates after defeating Beaver Falls to advance to today’s WPIAL Class AA championship game against Aliquippa.
Brett Brumbaugh was a scrawny, eighth-grade ballboy for the South Fayette football team in the fall of 2010. The youngest Brumbaugh watched from the sidelines of Heinz Field as his older brother, Christian, led the Lions to the Class AA WPIAL championship win over Aliquippa.
Christian, now a quarterback at the College of William & Mary, threw for 147 yards and two touchdowns that day, leading South Fayette to its first WPIAL title since 1964.
Fast forward to 2013, and it is the youngest Brumbaugh who will lead the Lions (12-0) into Heinz Field against the Quips (12-0) at 5 p.m. today. Brett Brumbaugh, a pro-style quarterback who has completed 64 percent of his passes for 2,781 yards and 31 touchdowns, will pose a new challenge to Aliquippa head coach Mike Zmijanac.
When asked how the Quips handle the task of defending a strong-armed passer like Brumbaugh, Zmijanac was brutally honest.
“How would I know?” Zmijanac said. “We’ve never played anyone like him. I don’t have any idea.”
The Quips will use a stout defensive line in an effort to pressure Brumbaugh and make him uncomfortable Saturday at Heinz Field. Aliquippa uses a tenacious front three of defensive end Rashad Harmon, defensive tackle Arrington Gibson and senior tackle Jaleel Fields, who has scholarship offers from Pitt and West Virginia, among others.
The trio forced Beaver quarterback Alex Rowse into throwing three interceptions last week as the Quips rolled to a 57-14 win. The reputation of the Quips and their six-straight WPIAL championship game appearance had Brumbaugh spending countless hours watching video this week on a defense that has allowed 12.5 points per game.
“I’ve been watching (Aliquippa’s games) about every night and they are very athletic,” Brumbaugh said. “They have a pretty big front. It’s going to be tough but we just have to play our game. We are going to be playing against the best team we’ve faced all season.”
The junior quarterback is not new to playoff football.
After taking over as the Lions’ starter late in his freshman season, Brumbaugh led South Fayette to a win over Beaver Falls on the road. Since his freshman year, Brumbaugh has thrown for more than 5,000 yards and 68 touchdown passes, leading the Lions to three-straight WPIAL playoff appearances.
South Fayette head coach Joe Rossi looked on in 2010 as Christian Brumbaugh defeated the Quips using his arm and athleticism. His quarterback in this title game is a mirror image of the one who won him his first WPIAL title as the Lions’ head coach.
“(Brett and Christian) look identical to each other,” Rossi said. “Same number, same demeanor, same throwing style. We hope that he continues to grow but there are certainly a lot of similarities. He is a great, tremendous high school and soon-to-be college quarterback. We knew he was going to be special when we went up to Beaver Falls in 2011 and beat them in the playoffs.”
Brett Brumbaugh was not always this confident leading the Lions’ spread attack. He recalls being nervous and uneasy during his freshman and sophomore seasons.
But as he became familiar with the offensive system, his numbers have skyrocketed.
Today’s forecast will be unlike any South Fayette has played in this season. With snow showers in the afternoon and winds projected to reach 19 miles per hour, Brumbaugh will face the daunting task of eluding the Quips’ pass rush while dealing with inclement weather.
It does not concern him. Brumbaugh has been working to reach this moment for over three years and with the chance to unseat the two-time Class AA.
The junior is focused on returning the trophy to South Fayette.
“They are the best,” Brumbaugh said. “They are the No. 1 team in the state. You wouldn’t want to play anyone else. It’s just a test of how good you are. We are just ready to compete with them.”