South Park gets another shot at South Fayette

South Fayette’s perfection in WPIAL football was almost fumbled away on a chilly night last November at Peters Township High School.
The Lions dropped eight passes and fumbled once in an ugly first half that finished with South Park leading, 14-13, in the Class AA quarterfinals. Led by wide receiver Nick Ponikvar’s two touchdown catches, South Fayette scored 26 second-half points to defeat the Eagles and advance to the semifinals.
South Fayette head coach Joe Rossi remembers every detail of the game and the feeling he had at halftime, when the Lions looked vulnerable.
South Park’s returning players certainly know how close they came to an upset and that will run through their minds tonight when they face South Fayette (2-0, 2-0) on the road with the Lions holding a 34-game winning streak.
Kickoff is 7 p.m.
“That’s a team that had us beat,” Rossi recalled. “I think it was really the only time last year where you sat back and said, ‘Wow, we had a chance to lose.’ It was really a situation where our backs were against the wall and our kids responded.”
Ponikvar, who caught three passes for 69 yards and two touchdowns in the Lions’ win over Keystone Oaks last week, is one of many South Fayette players who remember that night. He dropped passes in the first half and fumbled before having the best second half of his career.
Facing the Eagles (0-1, 0-2) will hold special meaning for Ponikvar, one of 12 seniors who will be recognized prior to kickoff.
“This is definitely a bigger game because they probably gave us the toughest challenge on our way to Heinz Field for the WPIAL title,” Ponikvar said. “That first half in the quarterfinals was the worst half of football I’ve ever played. But when I doubted myself, the coaches and the upperclassmen picked me up.”
Much of that had to do with South Park’s rushing attack, when quarterback Nick Scholle and running back Adam Staudt helped the Eagles control time of possession. But Scholle graduated and Staudt transferred to Thomas Jefferson.
They aren’t the only losses. Longtime head coach Tom Loughran resigned last February after 32 seasons, two WPIAL titles and two PIAA championships with the program. He was replaced by Marty Rieck, a longtime assistant and former South Park player, who has installed more of a spread offense.
Despite the losses, South Park made sure to look back at the quarterfinal game from last season.
“We most certainly watched the film on that game,” Rieck said. “They’re still a very good, well-coached team. We’re preparing to go out, prepare our best and we are trying to win this game. We’re a young team, but our mentality is our kids now have expectations. Our plan is for everything to come together as soon as possible. Hopefully, it happens (tonight).”
The Eagles looked strong in preseason scrimmages against Thomas Jefferson and Ringgold, but struggled against Seton-La Salle and West Shamokin to start the season, generating just 170 yards of offense against the Wolves, who finished 5-5 last season. South Park scored only seven points in two games.
South Fayette’s defense, which replaced its linebacking corps and much of its secondary, has allowed only seven points in two weeks and held its opponents to 263 total yards while forcing four turnovers.
“Our coaching staff left the (Keystone Oaks game) the other day and said this could potentially be the fastest defense we’ve had,” Rossi said. “There is so much team speed from D-line to linebackers to secondary. We have so much speed. We gave (Keystone Oaks) no place to go and they had no breathing room.”
The atmosphere will be electric at South Fayette Stadium for the Lions’ first home game of the season. There won’t be a ceremony recognizing last season’s state championship and WPIAL championship. The program does not want to live in the past, but emotions will be high for Ponikvar and South Fayette’s players with the spotlight on their winning streak and a rival traveling to McDonald.
“It’s definitely going to be a fun night because South Park is probably our biggest rival next to (Seton-La Salle),” Ponikvar said. “Kids at school, teachers and other coaches keep saying they want to come see us. Everyone wants to see us in this game. We’re focused on not letting what happened last year happen again.”