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Brett wins battle of Brumbaughs as South Fayette beats Seton-LaSalle
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South Fayette quarterback Brett Brumbaugh looks to pass against Seton-LaSalle Friday night. -
Seton-LaSalle quarterback Luke Brumbaugh is taken down by South Fayette''s Dylan Opar and Dylan Nock Friday night. -
South Fayette's Zach Challingsworth pulls in a touchdown pass as he's defended by Seton-LaSalle's Tom Rizza Friday night.
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Before the Brumbaugh Bowl, the brothers simply were being nice to each other. When South Fayette quarterback Brett Brumbaugh got to the stadium Friday night, he sent his older brother, Seton-LaSalle quarterback Luke, a cell phone text message wishing him good luck.
Then Brett's South Fayette team went out and delivered a message on the field that wasn't so nice to Seton-LaSalle.
The South Fayette Lions made it clear that the Century Conference championship is theirs this season -- and lil' brother is one of the main reasons.
South Fayette put on a dominating performance, Brett Brumbaugh threw for close to 400 yards passing, and the Lions whipped Seton-LaSalle, 51-12, at Baldwin High School. South Fayette led by 21 points before the game was four minutes old.
As South Fayette coach Joe Rossi addressed his players on the field after the game, he told them they had taken back what was theirs. Although the season is only five weeks old, the win gives South Fayette sole possession of the Century lead with a 5-0 record (5-0 overall).
The Lions are now a heavy favorite to take back the conference championship that Seton-LaSalle won last year.
South Fayette, the Post-Gazette's No. 2 WPIAL Class AA team, had won it the two previous seasons. No. 4-ranked Seton-LaSalle dropped to 4-1 in the conference and 4-1 overall.
As for the Brumbaugh Bowl, Brett won bragging rights in the house as he completed 21 of 35 passes for 378 yards and four touchdowns (he threw two interceptions). Only a sophomore, the 6-foot-3, 185-pound Brett is now 63 of 101 this season for 1,232 yards and 18 touchdowns.
Luke, a senior, had a rough night for Seton-LaSalle, going 5 for 15 for 37 yards. He threw three interceptions, and one was returned for a touchdown.
But Luke, who also plays defensive back, intercepted one of Brett's passes in the second half.
The two embraced each other on the field after the teams went through the handshake line. They talked for a while and laughed.
"He got me on the one pick, so he has a leg up on me," Brett said, with a laugh.
"It's hard to play against him, but it's fun, too, because it's just like old times in the backyard or downstairs playing [video game] Madden. ... He's still my best friend until the day I die."
Brett said his parents watched from the Seton-LaSalle side of the field. His parents declined interview requests from the media this week .
"They were just rooting for both offenses because they just want to see us do well," Brett said. "They sat on the Seton side with all of my family, but I know they had my pin on, and I knew they were cheering for me up there, and at the same time they were cheering for Luke."
While Brett got the win and had the much better game, he will be the first to tell you he owes a great deal of his success to his receivers. South Fayette has a terrific group of receivers who made a number of acrobatic catches. Brett Brumbaugh completed passes to six players. The leader was Zach Challingsworth, a Pitt recruit who is proving to be one of the most versatile players in Western Pennsylvania.
Challingsworth caught nine passes for 131 yards and one touchdown. He ran three times for 23 yards. He also intercepted a pass, forced a fumble and blocked an extra-point attempt. It is the seventh time in the past two seasons that Challingsworth has blocked an extra point or field goal.
Justin Watson caught four passes for 115 yards and Conner Beck four passes for 104 yards.
"Personally, I think our receivers are the best in the WPIAL," Brett Brumbaugh said.
Rossi said: "He has four playmakers out there. We're not real big, but we play fast and we play up-tempo, just to try and take advantage of our athletes."
South Fayette had gotten off to strong starts in its first four games, and this one was more of the same. Seton-LaSalle blinked and trailed, 21-0. The Rebels had run one play and trailed by three touchdowns.
Watson caught a 28-yard touchdown pass from Brett Brumbaugh to cap the first possession. Seton-LaSalle fumbled the ensuing kickoff to set up Challingsworth's 8-yard touchdown catch. On the first play after the kickoff, Mike Fetchet intercepted a pass and returned it 32 yards for a score, and the Lions led by 21 with 8:09 left in the first quarter.
"We try to jump on teams as fast as we can," Challingsworth said. "We don't want them to have any life or breathing room."
First Published September 29, 2012 12:04 am
