Christian Brumbaugh is a self-motivated person.

He has a 4.0 grade point average in the classroom. His football coach calls him one of the hardest workers on the team. And his politeness and humble nature allow him to get along with most anybody.

But as Brumbaugh prepares to begin his senior season as the starting quarterback at South Fayette High School, he can't help but admit he still feels a stiff shove that originated just after the final game of his junior campaign.

"The feeling we had walking off that field, knowing what we could have done, knowing the team we had. It was a rough way to end our season because we had such a great regular season," Brumbaugh recalled of his team's 47-34 upset loss to Aliquippa in the quarterfinals of last season's WPIAL Class AA playoffs, when South Fayette came in as the No. 1 seed.

He added, "It was hard walking off that way, but it's served as a lot of motivation for us to get better."

For Brumbaugh, those previous few words couldn't be any more accurate.

Just over a week away until the first game of his final high school season, Brumbaugh, one of the top quarterbacks in the WPIAL, looks better than ever. He's getting the ball out of his hands with more zip, has developed a better rapport with his receivers, and has added 10 pounds of muscle to his 6-foot-3 frame.

"He's a complete quarterback," said South Fayette coach Joe Rossi. "He just does so many great things. He's improved a lot since last year. He's been working on timing with his receivers. He's bulked up, so I know his arm strength has gotten better. He's worked hard and is just a student of the game."

Last season, his second as a starter, Brumbaugh put up some of the best numbers in the WPIAL while leading the Lions to their first conference championship since 1999. Brumbaugh topped the WPIAL in touchdown passes in the regular season, and finished the year by completing 66 percent of his passes for 2,184 yards and 32 touchdowns, while throwing only eight interceptions.

Since then, Brumbaugh has focused on tightening the bond and timing between him and his receivers, many of whom he's been playing with for years. Among them are two of his favorite targets from a year ago, seniors Tyler Challings-worth and Eric Myers.

"I've been working with the receivers on the timing of our routes, and just trying to perfect everything," said Brumbaugh. "A lot of the guys I've been playing with for a while, over the course of my life and my career, so we have a lot of chemistry. There are some newer kids stepping in, so we're starting to develop that, too."

Another factor continuing to contribute to Brumbaugh's and the Lions' success is the strong production of the running game.

Senior running back Jeff Davis ran for 1,209 yards and scored 21 touchdowns last season, and his talents keep opponents honest when attempting to slow down the Lions' spread offense.

"A lot of teams, if you look around the WPIAL, are somewhat one-dimensional teams," Brumbaugh said. "I think with us working together it makes us a more difficult team to defend and our offense much stronger."

Last season, that offense averaged 33.9 points per game, the best mark in Class AA.

Brumbaugh still has a lot he wants to accomplish his senior year, and that includes picking a college. He's received interest from several MAC schools, as well as Division I-AA William & Mary, but has been in no hurry to make a decision.

"I've talked to some colleges that are still interested, so I'm not too worried about it," he said. "Not going [into the season] with a commitment doesn't make me nervous, but it makes the first couple of games important recruiting-wise."

Not that Brumbaugh needs any extra motivation.

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