PASSING FANCY: HIGH POWERED PASSING ATTACKS FACE EACH OTHER WHEN BROCKWAY MEETS SOUTH FAYETTE

By Chris Rossetti

IMPERIAL – The football should be flying around a lot Friday night when Brockway (12-0) travels south to face South Fayette (13-0) at 7 p.m. Friday night West Allegheny High School’s Joe P. DeMichela Stadium in the PIAA Class AA quarterfinals.

That’s because two of the top quarterbacks in the state will be on display in Brockway’s Derek Buganza and South Fayette’s Christian Brumbaugh.

The two have combined to throw for 15,723 yards and 165 touchdowns in their careers including 5,419 yards and 65 touchdowns this season alone.

Buganza is the all-time leading passer in Pennsylvania history with 9,412 career yards and 93 touchdowns, while Brumbaugh is 20^th in Pennsylvania history and fourth in WPIAL history with 6,311 career yards and 73 touchdowns. He is only second in South Fayette history, though, trailing Andrew DiDonato (2002-2005). Who threw for 6,573 yards, the 14^th best mark state history entering the season.

This season Brumbaugh is actually out passing Buganza 2,754 yards to 2,665 yards.

The 6-foot-4 senior for the Lions, who was a recently named to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Fabulous 22 and is getting looks from some NCAA Division I FCS teams, has completed 61.3 percent of his throws (176 of 287) with 38 touchdowns and just five interceptions. In the WPIAL playoffs, he was 44 of 78 for 835 yards, 12 touchdowns and just two interceptions. He was 12 of 23 for 147 yards and two scores in a 19-6 win over Aliquippa in the WPIAL title game Saturday giving South Fayette its first WPIAL title since 1964 and its first on the field since 1936 (in 1964 the Lions won the title on Gardner Points).

Buganza, meanwhile, who is listed at 5-foot-10, is also getting a few NCAA Division I FCS looks. This season he has battled through a bum thumb to go 159 of 234 (67.9 percent) with 27 touchdowns and nine picks. Last season, he threw for a PIAA single-season record 3,824 yards while tossing 37 touchdowns to 16 interceptions.

Both players, not surprisingly, have tons of help.

For South Fayette, senior running back Jeff Davis is over 1,500 yards rushing and 500 yards receiving while rushing for 14 touchdowns and catching nine touchdowns. He also has an interception return for a score giving him 24 total scores. Eight of those touchdowns have come in the postseason.

Davis has a big junior fullback to help him out in 5-foot-10, 210-pound Trevor Fiorentini, who has 10 rushing touchdowns and one receiving score on the year including four rushing touchdowns in the postseason including one in the title game.

The Lions are also blessed with some top-notch receivers led by senior Tyler Challingsworth (7 touchdown catches) and 6-foot-3 sophomore Zach Challingsworth (8 touchdowns catches). Both Challingsworth’s had touchdown catches in the title game giving Tyler five in the postseason. In all, seven different South Fayette players have caught touchdowns with Josh Patterson adding six scoring catches.

South Fayette is also big up front averaging 6-foot-1, 243 pounds led by two huge tackles in 6-foot-3, 285-pound junior right tackle Sean Lacinski and 6-foot-2, 285-pound senior left tackle Nick Faraci.

The Lions’ defense has been an up-and-down unit. On the year, the South Fayette is allowing just 13.7 points per game and the six points allowed in the WPIAL title game marked the fifth time an opponent was held to less than 10 points. But Lions opponents have also scored 19 or more points six times. The one thing the defense has been is opportunistic with six defensive touchdowns led by a pair from 6-foot-4, 205-pound senior outside linebacker Tanner Courtad who has a fumble recovery and an interception return for scores this year.

Brockway is also a well-rounded offensive unit with senior running back/wide receiver Mike Vervoort having an all-around great year with 1,737 yards of combined offense (101 carries, 922 yards, 17 TDs; 48 catches, 815 yards, 10 TDs), 27 offensive touchdowns and 29 total touchdowns. Also, running backs Chris Marshall (104 carries, 590 yards, 7 TDs; 28 catches, 335 yards, 3 TDs) and Zach Freemer (80 carries, 445 yards, 14 TDs; 16 catches, 293 yards, 3 TDs) and wide outs Kyle Braun (39 catches, 816 yards, 8 TDs) and Jake Shaffer (36 catches, 557 yards, 5 TDs) have played key roles.

Up front, the Rovers average 6-foot-2, 251 pounds that is skewed a little bit because of 6-foot-2, 315-pound sophomore guard Matt Snyder. Six-foot-2, 260-pound senior tackle Joel Yahner, one of just two seniors on the line, is the leader of the unit.

Brockway’s defense has been the most improved part of the team this year and is allowing 19.3 points per game on the year including just 10.8 ppg over the last four weeks.

NOTES – Brockway has never won two PIAA playoff games in the same season. In fact, no District 9 Class AA team has ever won two PIAA playoff games in the same year … District 9 is just 2-11 all-time against the WPIAL in the PIAA playoffs including 0-3 in Class AA … South Fayette is in the PIAA playoffs for the first time in its history. The Lions boys’ basketball team won the PIAA Class AA title last year … The winner plays the winner of the Sharon-Forest Hills game in the semifinals next week … South Fayette is ranked third in the state in Class AA by the Pennsylvania Football News while Brockway is ranked 10^th.