EXPANDED HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL COVERAGE
Conference win streak stretches to 53 games
High school football game of the week: Blackhawk’s James Damo, right, intercepts a pass intended for South Fayette’s RayQuin Glover.
It was a most unusual first half from South Fayette’s standpoint. The Lions have had a potent offense for years under coach Joe Rossi, but they had a big doughnut after the second quarter.
But this was a conference game. So, after a scoreless first half, the usual thing happened for the South Fayette Lions. They won. South Fayette turned to click and clamp in the second half. Quarterback Jamie Diven clicked and the Lions defense clamped down on visiting Blackhawk. The result was a 21-0 win in a key WPIAL Class Class 4A Northwest Eight Conference game.
The win stretched South Fayette’s conference winning streak to 53 games. The previous conference loss for the Lions was in October 2011.
“Blackhawk did everything you need to beat us, which is get some turnovers and control the ball,” Rossi said. “But we feel we’ll eventually score.
“At halftime, we told everyone to stay calm.”
So the locker room was the calm before the storm of the second half — and Diven led the offensive push. After completing only 2 for 10 passes for 38 yards in the first half with one interception, he was 6 for 9 with 203 yards and two touchdowns in the second half. Diven, who entered the game as the WPIAL’s seventh-leading passer, finished 8 of 19 for 241 yards.
Both of Diven’s touchdowns in the second half came on throws to receiver Mike Trimbur — and they came on the same play.
“It’s just called ‘smash,’” Trimbur said. “It’s designed for me to run a corner route. But I saw I could beat them on a clear route. Jamie saw that, too, and we capitalized on it.”
Triumbur’s first touchdown catch was for 47 yards, and Blackhawk coach Zack Hayward said there was a blown coverage. South Fayette held on to the 7-0 lead until Trimbur caught a 36-yard scoring pass from Diven with 4:13 left in the game.
“I thought our defense bent, but didn’t break, and that helped,” Rossi said.
“Jamie had some kids open in the first half and kind of overthrew them. But this is only his sixth game really as a starter. … I think it was just the juice flowing in his body a little bit. I think the second half, he settled down and made some nice throws.”
Blackhawk actually led in time of possession, 25:44 to 22:16. But that didn’t matter that much on the scoreboard. The Cougars finished with 203 yards, including 166 on the ground.
They came in with a game plan of trying to pound the ball, using a two tightend set on many plays. The Cougars were trying to go 6-0 for the first time since 2006, when they started 7-0.
“We have three really good running backs, so it’s no secret,” said Hayward, Blackhawk’s first-year coach. “We try to control the ball and do as much as we can to try and chew that clock. Tonight, we weren’t able to do that in the second half.”
Blackhawk quarterback Chance Liptak completed 6 of 12 passes for 37 yards. Marques Watson-Trent led Blackhawk in rushing with 88 yards on 19 carries.
“We told the kids all week that they were a good football team,” Rossi said.
“They’re scrappy. That’s Beaver County football. That style of offense really fits them.
“It’s like the old Joe Hamilton days when he was coach there.”
South Fayette’s final touchdown came on Andrew Franklin’s 4-yard run with 1:33 left.
“I don’t think the conference winning streak means that much,” Trimbur said.
“It just feels like another win.”