Apr 22, 2015 3 min read

Thirty-two consecutive victories, back-to-back state titles and back-to-back WPIAL titles.

It’s safe to say that South Fayette will enter 2015 with lofty expectations, despite losing Brett Brumbaugh. Yes, the Duquesne recruit grabbed the headlines and attention, but the losses of Logan Sharp, JJ Walker, Ryan Schmider, Jack Relihan, Roman Denson, Anthony Davidson and Roman Denson are a concern.

That’s leaving out guys like Matt O’Rourke and Brett Beltz. The Lions will enter next season with plenty of holes to fill, most notably on defense.

It looks like Drew Saxton is Brumbaugh’s likely replacement at quarterback after appearing in five varsity games as a freshman in 2014. I saw him throw a few passes during a preseason scrimmage against Canon-McMillan, but I’m not going to analyze that.

I do know that head coach Joe Rossi and whoever calls the offensive plays will tailor the offense to Saxton’s strengths and we will more running than passing.

When you have an incredibly strong offensive line and a dynamic running back like Hunter Hayes, shifting to a run-first mentality isn’t a bad thing.

The top wide receivers will be Nick Ponikvar and Dan Trimbur. That’s as good a duo as you’ll find in WPIAL Class AA. Both excel with both short and intermediate routes, giving Saxton plenty of weapons to work with. There is still a big hole at tight end though.

The line returns Alex Minford, Andrew Gedrys, Zach Radinick and Jason Massey-Sears.

The group will also make the defensive line a strength, while the secondary should be fine with Nick Ponikvar and Hayes, but I’m concerned about the linebacking corps. Sharp, Walker and Schmider were as good as it gets. I also thought Beltz was great against the run. We’ll see some new names at that position, but with South Fayette’s ability to develop young players, the transition may be seamless.

Another Century Conference title is not a given. Seton-La Salle returns Division I recruit Paris Ford, but quarterback Tyler Perone, running back Ricky Mellick and Danzel McKinley-Lewis are gone. Liam Sweeney will take over at running back after scoring four touchdowns as a junior in 2014.

The Rebels did lose two starters on the offensive line, including right tackle Jake Blahut.

For the first time in, well, forever; Tom Loughran will not be leading South Park football. He resigned as head coach in February and took the same job at Fox Chapel.

I have not heard any updates on a possible replacement, but the Eagles lost their quarterback (Nick Scholle), leading receiver (Harry Zaremba) and leading rusher (Scholle) to graduation. Adam Staudt will likely take over at running back and Ty Washington could take the reins as a dual-threat quarterback.

South Park will still have a large, physical offensive line, which will make them competitive in the conference.

Another team to lookout for is Steel Valley, which returns running back DeWayne Murray and the bulk of its offensive line.

Though I think Ford is incredibly explosive and Seton always seems to reload, I don’t know if he’s enough to lift the Rebels to a conference title. The Lions are still the strength of the Century and will be among the top-four teams in WPIAL Class AA.

Way-too-early Class AA rankings

1. Aliquippa

2. South Fayette

3. Washington

4. Beaver Falls

5. Seton-La Salle