Stopping Belle Vernon’s Pascoe key to another title appearance for South Fayette
South Fayette’s Mike Trimbur leads the Lions in receptions (41), receiving yards (809) and touchdown receptions (14).
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
Belle Vernon’s Larry Callaway (2) has 84 carries for 653 yards and 14 rushing touchdowns. The Leopards takes on South Fayette in a WPIAL Class 4A semifinal playoff game at Joe Montana Stadium tonight.
South Fayette High School football coach Joe Rossi doesn’t know the recruiting status of Belle Vernon senior running back Mason Pascoe.
But when talking on the phone to former Lions’ quarterback Brett Brumbaugh earlier this week about what challenges Friday night is going to offer, Rossi mentioned how Duquesne – where Brumbaugh is a junior quarterback – could find a gem in Pascoe.
“People better start recruiting him,” Rossi said. “He is a very good college prospect. I don’t know if he has offers or not. We have to limit him because we aren’t going to be able to stop him.”
If second-seeded South Fayette (10-1) can limit Pascoe and the entire running game of third-seeded Belle Vernon (9-1) in the WPIAL Class 4A semifinals at 7:30 p.m. tonight at Ringgold’s Joe Montana Stadium, it will likely lead to its fifth district championship appearance since 2010.
For (Belle Vernon), it’s about running the football. They are a very big and physical football team,” Rossi said. “Their offensive line is the trigger. Their defensive line is their pride and joy. They keep doing what they’re doing, which is trying to establish the run.”
Leading a heavily used backfield for Belle Vernon, after a knee injury ended the season of junior quarterback Jared Hartman, Pascoe has 162 carries for 1,648 yards and 21 rushing touchdowns. Junior Larry Calloway has shouldered more of a load with 84 carries and 653 yards. Calloway has scored 14 TDs.
In the three games following Hartman’s injury, Belle Vernon ran the ball on 77 percent of its plays.
But offense has been the reason promising seasons in Matt Humbert’s four years as the Leopards’ coach have ended. In Belle Vernon’s last four playoff losses, it has combined to score seven points, including being shut out three times.
The last time Belle Vernon played in a championship game was 1999.
It has also been a long time for South Fayette’s recent standards of playing at Heinz Field. The last time the Lions played for a WPIAL title was in 2015, when they lost to Aliquippa. They won the championship in 2010, 2013 and 2014.
“These (seniors) were a part of the cheering section on the sideline the last time we made it,” Rossi said. “Any time you have a chance to get back, you get excited. But it has been a day-to-day focus for us. We have a focused group right now.”
South Fayette has held opponents to 126 yards and 10 points per game, including five shutouts. Offensively, the offensive line continues to gel, only allowing one sack in the last six games and leading the way for running back Andrew Franklin, who is averaging 12 yards per carry in the last three games.
“It’s about all three facets,” Rossi said of offense, defense and special teams. “It’s November, so you have to be able to run the football. We’ve always had a good running back to go with our passing game. That’s just kind of been our (modus operandi).”