Ellwood to have hands full with unbeaten South Fayette
Written: Nov 04, 2010
 
By JOE SIMON
New Castle News
Ellwood City coach Don Phillips knew just how to get his team’s attention following a dreadful practice Monday.
He showed the Wolverines some game film of their first-round opponent in the WPIAL Class AA playoffs, South Fayette.
Halloween may be over, but it was scary stuff.
The Lions are coming off their second straight 9-0 regular season. They’re averaging more than 40 points per game. Their quarterback has thrown for more yards and touchdowns than anyone in the WPIAL, and they possess five different receivers who have caught four or more touchdown passes.
Not too surprisingly, practice was much more crisp on Tuesday.
“I wanted them to see their opponent,” Phillips said. “I challenged them. I said, ‘Let’s find out how important this game is to you.’ I wanted them to see the things that we’re talking about that we want to do. I wanted them to see this is what they do, this is how we want to prepare for them.”
The Wolverines (6-3) have much to ready themselves for. They weren’t given any breaks for reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2000 after a sensational turnaround from a 1-8 record in 2009. South Fayette was dominant in a grueling Century Conference, with the Lions’ lowest scoring output being 28. Many of the players were part of last year’s playoff team, which defeated Beaver Falls and held a 27-15 lead on Aliquippa before surrendering 32 points in the fourth quarter in an eventual loss.
This season has been even better. Three-year starting quarterback Christian Brumbaugh, a 6-foot-4, 200-pounder, has been superb. He’s completed 139 of 207 passes (67 percent) for 2,034 yards, 27 touchdowns and four interceptions. South Fayette coach Joe Rossi isn’t shy when talking about the senior.
“He’s the best quarterback in the WPIAL,” said Rossi, who added that Brumbaugh has offers from several Division I schools. “It’s nice to have a guy like him because most high school teams aren’t used to covering the pass.”
Ellwood City better be. The Lions have four different players with 20 or more catches, led by Tyler Challingsworth, who has caught 42 passes for 606 yards and four touchdowns. Josh Patterson and Zach Challingsworth lead the team with six touchdowns receptions, while Eric Meyers and running back Jeff Davis each have five apiece.
Phillips said he is not allowing all the gaudy statistics or the wide-open spread offense run by South Fayette to alter his belief in the Wolverines. Ellwood City hung tough against the likes of Beaver, Beaver Falls and Aliquippa, and he doesn’t expect anything less against another elite opponent.
“Our kids have a lot of confidence,” he said. “I’ll be honest, this is uncharted waters for them. That first initial hit for them, the butterflies are going to be there. Once they settle in, they’ll realize, ‘OK, let’s go play.’ I really feel that maturity and the leadership of our seniors will help that kick in.”
The main difference in facing the Lions, Phillips said, is the spread offense, a formation Ellwood City hasn’t faced to this point. Phillips’ main concern is keeping the Wolverines from becoming confused when four and five wide receivers go out for passes.
“It’s a different style,” Phillips said. “We’ve seen speed through an Aliquippa and a Beaver Falls that’s not like South Fayette’s speed. But because of the things they do and the diversity of their offense, it’s a different challenge.”
Another part of that diversity is the Lions running game. Phillips said South Fayette utilizes an “I” formation to help open holes for Davis, a dual-threat running back who has 29 catches and also ran for 938 yards and nine touchdowns of 118 carries. Full back Trevor Fiorentini has seven touchdowns on just 27 carries. It’s a balanced attack that Rossi enjoys deploying on opponents.
“We’re capable of doing anything,” he said. “We’re pretty multiple. It’s not just a full spread (offense). Our fullback has quite a few touchdowns and we have a good tight end who we can bring in to help pound the ball a little bit. Our running back ran for 1,200 yards and 20-some touchdowns last year. He’s just a shade under 1,000 this year. He’s really a scat back. He’s not a bruising tailback, but in our offense, that’s what it calls for, so it’s a nice fit.”
Ellwood City has quite the offense itself, and Rossi knows it. He said he was impressed with how well the Wolverines matched up, talent-wise, against Beaver Falls and Aliquippa. He talked about the size and speed of running back/receiver Kyle Crawford; the poise of quarterback Gino Ceriani and a defense that swarms to the ball. His primary focus, though, was up front.
“That’s where the game is going to be won,” he said. “A lot of coaches say that, but it’s very true in this game. Both teams have pretty good offenses and defenses, so that’s what it’s going to come down to. They have some size on the line. They have the capability to pull and trap. Some teams are limited in what they can run, but these guys can move, and it allows them to run all kinds of different plays.”
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