South Fayette to lean on Hayes once again
South Fayette’s Hunter Hayes is looking to lead the Lions to their third straight WPIAL Class AA championship Saturday at Heinz Field.
South Fayette’s Hunter Hayes dives past Steel Valley’s defense to score his second touchdown their WPIAL Class AA semifinal playoff game.
As the weather becomes unpredictable during playoff football, the only guarantee in the WPIAL is South Fayette leaning on senior Hunter Hayes to continue the program’s dominant run.
Last season, the running back gained 1,168 yards with 12 touchdowns in seven playoff games. When opponents keyed on the passing game and December weather made throwing difficult, Hayes’ performance helped the Lions win their second consecutive WPIAL and PIAA titles.
The quarterback is different, but the philosophy is the same. With a “three-peat” on the line, South Fayette (12-0) is handing the ball to its talented tailback and it’s paying dividends. He ran for two touchdowns and 120 yards in the WPIAL semifinal victory over Steel Valley.
The top-seeded Lions, who are riding a 44-game winning streak, will likely use a heavy dose of Hayes against second-seeded Aliquippa (12-0) in the WPIAL Class AA championship game Saturday at Heinz Field. Kickoff is 5 p.m.
“Hunter is back to getting 20 carries a game,” South Fayette head coach Joe Rossi said. “There were games he was getting only six or seven carries, but in big games he’s toting the rock. That’s kind of his M.O. This is his time of the year.”
When the Lions eased sophomore Drew Saxton in as their starting quarterback, Hayes received a small workload early in the season. He averaged less than eight carries per game through the first five weeks of the season, but in big Century Conference games against Steel Valley and Seton-La Salle, he carried the ball 27 and 26 times respectively.
The past two weeks, Hayes is averaging more than 20 carries and in South Fayette’s three playoff victories, he has 395 yards and seven rushing touchdowns.
“We limited his carries early on,” Rossi said. “Just like a good race horse, you have to wait for that time and fortunately for us, we’ve had a lot of guys make plays. With the wind, it’s tough to throw the football. Against Beaver, he was able to grind out the quarters when we were going against the wind.”
During the regular season, Hayes, who has offers from several Division I football programs, received less than 10 carries six times. Though he is not among the WPIAL’s rushing leaders, the 6-1, 195-pound team captain has 1,342 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns.
He may not match his stats from a year ago, when he ran for 2,103 yards and 33 touchdowns, but Hayes is content being the leader of an offense that is one win away from the program’s fourth WPIAL title in six years.
“The stats don’t matter to me,” Hayes said. “I didn’t the ball 1,000 times during the regular season. It’s about winning and getting to where we are now. I’m there when they need me.”
In more ways than one. When the Lions needed to replace key starters on defense this fall, Rossi could rely on Hayes receiving the play calls and getting teammates lined up correctly. Hayes played cornerback during the PIAA playoffs two years ago and started at safety last fall, but he’s being used in multiple positions, including safety, middle linebacker and outside linebacker.
In last Friday’s semifinal win over Steel Valley, Hayes returned a fumble 25 yards for first-quarter touchdown to tie the score. He’s third on the team with 43 tackles, including two sacks, and is tied for the team lead with three interceptions.
Aliquippa head coach Mike Zmijanac is all too familiar with Hayes. The Lions’ running back had 109 yards and a touchdown in last year’s WPIAL title game. Two years ago, Hayes’ 49-yard run set up South Fayette’s go-ahead score early in the fourth quarter.
“He’s a terrific all-around player,” Zmijanac said. “He reminds me of, back in the day when we were playing in AAA against some of those great Blackhawk players, 6-2, 210 pounds; runs tough, smart and plays the game the right way. They always had a couple kids like him and that’s why they were tough to beat.”
For the first time in WPIAL history, two teams will meet in the championship game for a third consecutive year and the Lions will likely face a similar defense to the one it had in years past. The Quips’ 5-2 defense blitzes with two linebackers, including Pitt recruit Kaezon Pugh, and is stout against the run.
Hayes is ready for the challenge.
“We’re truly blessed to have this opportunity,” Hayes said. “Not too many seniors have the opportunity to get this far in the playoffs ever. I know the seniors and even the underclassmen want to write our own story where we are big contributors. We’re excited for the journey we hopefully have a head of us.”