CTK 2015 – WPIAL Double-A 2014 Football Flashback

By: Bruce Markey
Friday, August 7, 2015 | 12:02 AM

The Green Machine was twice as nice in 2014. While Aliquippa continued their ‘annual’ march to Heinz Field for a seventh straight year last fall, it was South Fayette that was perfect…again. The Lions beat the Quips for the third time in five years for the WPIAL Class AA crown, then three weeks later, SF completed a second straight 16-0 season by adding another PIAA gold to their treasure chest.

2014 WPIAL Double-A Highlights:

*  While South Fayette has dominated Class AA the last two years, there is little doubt they were led by the Lion King. Brett Brumbaugh set both the WPIAL and PIAA state record for passing yards in a career with 11,084 passing yards. He graduated holding the WPIAL record for career touchdown passes with 127 and became the first quarterback in WPIAL history to throw for 3,000 yards in two different seasons. Brumbaugh moved into the starting lineup late in his freshman year and his record as a starting quarterback was 45-2 in leading South Fayette to back-to-back WPIAL and PIAA Class AA championships as the Lions carry a 32-game winning streak, fourth-best in WPIAL history, into the 2015 season.

*  The Lions also had a pretty good Hunter. Running back Hunter Hayes led all classification rushers with 2,103 yards on the ground, nearly 500 yards more than runner-up Elijah Jackson of Highlands. It helped that Hunter played five more games. Hayes led all scorers as well with 33 touchdowns. Dylan Hochbein of Freeport and Danzel McKinley-Lewis of Seton-LaSalle each had 54 receptions, most in Double-A. Hochbein ended up with 873 yards and McKinley-Lewis had 754.

*  We not only said goodbye to the districts all-time leading passer after the 2014 season, we also said so long to a pair of Alle-Kiski high schools. Both Kittanning and Ford City High Schools closed their doors and will merge into new Armstrong High School starting this fall. The Sabers, a Semifinalist several times earlier this century, missed the playoffs and finished with a record of 3-6. However, the Wildcats recent success continued  with a 6-3 record and a tie for third place finish in the Allegheny Conference. The final game ever in Kittanning history was the WPIAL Class AA First Round playoff game at The Pit as the Wildcats fell to the Aliquippa Quips 55-20.

*  Welcome to Class AA. Highlands moved down from Class AAA where in 2013, they finished 6-3 and made it to the Quarterfinals. Meanwhile, Apollo-Ridge moved up from Class A following a 7-2 record and a trip to the Quarterfinals. Both the Golden Rams and Vikings liked the move as they finished 1-2 in the Class AA Allegheny Conference with a combined 17-1 record in the regular season. Once again both teams made it through Round One only to fall again in the district Quarterfinals…Highlands to Seton-LaSalle and Apollo-Ridge to Washington.

*  Close but no postseason cigar. With Avella having snapped the previous longest WPIAL football playoff drought in 2013 with their first playoff berth since 1976, the longest current drought belongs to Southmoreland. The Scotties nearly ended that dubious streak last fall when they took a 4-1 record into Week 7 needing only one more Interstate Conference victory in the final three weeks to earn a playoff berth for the first time since 1979. That fifth win never came however as Southmoreland lost to Waynesburg 26-21, Washington 41-7 and Mount Pleasant 45-8 to finish 4-4 and in fifth place in the conference as the drought ticked to 36 years and counting.

2014 WPIAL Double-A Regular Season Standings:

(Top 4 teams from AA conferences qualify for playoffs)

# = Clinched Section Title
* = Clinched Playoff Berth
x = Eliminated From Playoff Chase

CLASS AA ALLEGHENY CONFERENCE

2014 WPIAL Double-A Playoff Results:

(All scores marked with (MSA) are archived on MSA Sports)

2014 WPIAL CLASS AA CHAMPIONSHIP GAME:

South Fayette Lions 31 – Aliquippa Quips 22  (MSA)

WPIAL CLASS AA Semifinals:

South Fayette Lions 35 –  Seton-LaSalle Rebels 21  (MSA)

Aliquippa Quips 44 –  Washington Little Prexies 26  (MSA)

WPIAL CLASS AA Quarterfinals:

South Fayette Lions 39 – South Park Eagles 21  (MSA)

Seton-LaSalle Rebels 28 – Highlands Golden Rams 21  (MSA)

Aliquippa Quips 40 – Mount Pleasant Vikings 0  (MSA)

Washington Little Prexies 58 – Apollo-Ridge Vikings 30  (MSA)

WPIAL CLASS AA First Round:

South Fayette Loins 65 – Waynesburg Raiders 6  (MSA)

South Park Eagles 21 – Beaver Bobcats 20  (MSA)

Highlands Golden Rams 24 – New Brighton Lions 19  (MSA)

Seton-LaSalle Rebels 20 – McGuffey Highlanders 0  (MSA)

Aliquippa Quips  55 – Kittanning Wildcats 20  (MSA)

Mount Pleasant Vikings 38 – Shady Side Academy Indians 0  (MSA)

Washington Little Prexies 34 – Steel Valley Ironmen  7  (MSA)

Apollo-Ridge Vikings 58 – Beaver Falls Tigers 40  (MSA)

2014 PIAA Double-A Playoff Results: 

(All scores marked with (MSA) are archived on MSA Sports)

2014 PIAA CLASS AA CHAMPIONSHIP FOOTBALL GAME:

SOUTH FAYETTE LIONS 28 – Dunmore Bucks 16  (MSA)

PIAA CLASS AA Semifinals:

SOUTH FAYETTE LIONS 44 – Hickory Hornets 14  (MSA)

Dunmore Bucks 23 – Wyomissing Spartans 21

PIAA CLASS AA Quarterfinals:

SOUTH FAYETTE LIONS 42 – Karns City Gremlins 15  (MSA)

Hickory Hornets 28 – Tyrone Golden Eagles 0

Wyomissing Spartans 45 – Montoursville Warriors 28

Dunmore Bucks 30 – Neumann-Goretti Saints 18

PIAA CLASS AA First Round:

SOUTH FAYETTE LIONS 31 – ALIQUIPPA QUIPS 22  (MSA)

Karns City Gremlins 23 – Chestnut Ridge Lions 14

Tyrone Golden Eagles 35 – Mount Union Trojans 21

Hickory Hornets 12 – Greenville Trojans 7

Montoursville Warriors 21 – Loyalsock Township Lancers 19

Wyomissing Spartans 35 – Berks Catholic Saints 21

Neumann-Goretti Saints 32 – Springfield-Montco Spartans 7

Dunmore Bucks 35 – Northwestern Lehigh Tigers 27