Lions up win streak to 35 games
McDONALD – There are few signs of past success at South Fayette Stadium. There’s a plaque in the upper concourse honoring the program’s WPIAL and PIAA titles in 2013, but there was no championship ceremony for last season’s titles before kickoff of the Lions’ home opener Friday night.
That’s how head coach Joe Rossi wanted it.
All it took was less than a quarter and the play of sophomore quarterback Drew Saxton to show the crowd why looking back isn’t necessary. Rossi wants South Fayette looking ahead. Winning isn’t good enough and the Lions learned that against a conference rival.
Saxton overcame two interceptions by throwing four touchdowns and South Fayette allowed just 129 yards in a 49-14 win over South Park in a Century Conference game.
The Lions extended their winning streak to 35 games, but Rossi wasn’t satisfied. South Fayette (3-0, 3-0) committed 10 first-half penalties for 107 yards, trailed in the first quarter and gave up a touchdown early in the fourth.
“That’s not a reflection of who we are and what we’ve built here,” Rossi said. “It was undisciplined football, which will come back to bite you, so I’ll correct that this week. There were a lot of little things that are going to hold this team back. I thought we took a step back.”
Saxton threw two interceptions in the Lions’ first three drives. After he was picked off on his first pass, the first-year starter walked solemnly toward the sideline, shaking his head in disbelief. Junior wide receiver Dan Trimbur walked up to Saxton, threw his arm around him and told him to keep his head up.
Trimbur offered more than words to help his young quarterback, catching touchdowns of 76 and 45 yards on short routes that he broke for long runs. He caught five passes for 156 yards.
“I have a great group of guys around me,” Saxton said. “I don’t have to throw deep down the field. That’s when mistakes happen and that’s how the interceptions happened. We have so many weapons, so I need to get the ball to those guys and let them go.”
Saxton completed 11 of 15 passes for 243 yards. He also connected with junior tight end Ryhan Culberson on touchdowns of 8 and 12 yards with the first giving the Lions their first lead of the game.
South Park (0-3, 0-3) punted on its first possession, but senior safety Sam Fareri intercepted Saxton’s first pass and back-to-back penalties gave the Eagles the ball on the Lions’ 48-yard line. They capitalized when quarterback Nolan Genilla ran for a 1-yard touchdown for a 7-0 lead less than four minutes into the game.
It was the first time South Fayette trailed since the third quarter of last season’s PIAA championship game against Dunmore. It took the Lions a little over two minutes to tie the score when senior running back Hunter Hayes scored on a 36-yard run. Hayes had six carries for 86 yards.
Penalties were costly, but the Lions’ defense kept South Park quiet. They Eagles had just 64 yards of total offense in the first half, finished with 69 rushing yards on 30 carries and their second touchdown came early in the fourth quarter when they trailed by 42 points.
“It really gets the offense excited to go out, make a play and back up the defense,” Trimbur said. “This is a ‘team’ team, but we’re still explosive and we can make plays.”
Following Hayes’ game-tying 36-yard touchdown, Genilla was intercepted by sophomore cornerback Noah Plack, who returned it 46 yards for a touchdown, giving the Lions the lead.
After Saxton’s second interception, the Eagles gained just eight yards before failing to convert on fourth down. Two plays later, South Fayette junior Mikey Speca ran for a 33-yard touchdown and Saxton’s two touchdown passes gave the Lions a 28-point lead heading to halftime.
“Every year you have to establish your own identity,” Rossi said. “(This team) hasn’t accomplished anything. We can’t live in the past and we have to find a way to put our stamp on it.”