‘Better days’ ahead for Hampton football

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, October 18, 2018 | 8:27 PM

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If the measure of a good team isn’t always in wins and losses, then neither do they measure coaching. It’s sometimes about getting the most out of what you have.

Jacque DeMatteo feels that’s happened for his Hampton football team, which faces an uphill task in improving on its two-win total from last year.

“Without shortchanging the seniors now, we’re seeing how we can get better for the future,” DeMatteo said of the Talbots, who entered Week 8 at 2-6 overall and 1-5 in the Class 5A Northern Conference. “I feel our better days are going to be ahead of us. I know we’ve struggled on the scoreboard, but we’ve been battling teams to the best of our ability.”

The Talbots’ first-half schedule included a one-point loss to Shaler, a three-point loss to North Hills and a loss to Armstrong in a game that was tied at halftime.

Hampton scored a big 34-31 victory against Kiski Area before giving perennial powerhouse West Allegheny a 24-14 scare.

“I’ve been impressed with our seniors,” DeMatteo said. “There’s nine of them, and they’ve held it together. They show up to practice on Monday each week. It starts in the weight room and carries over. And the underclassmen, I’ve been impressed with how they’ve been improving.”

It has been a game of numbers, consistency and staying healthy for Hampton, which has been missing starting tailback Vinny Schmitt for a good portion of the season. The lack of depth hurts the 44-man Talbots roster when facing a team with 95 players like West Allegheny.

“I definitely feel frustrated,” said senior wide receiver Brandon Stephany, who provided a spark in the win over Kiski Area with a special teams touchdown.

“I just feel like we haven’t been paying full games. We’ve had good quarters and good halves. But that contributes to the losses to the bigger teams where you need to play four quarters.”

The defense has been a bright spot, having given up 185 points entering Week 8 — right behind the top two teams in the conference, Penn Hills and Mars.

“What’s really been encouraging is we have been getting better on defense from where we were at the beginning,” DeMatteo said. “And I feel like we’ve settled on the defense for the future because there’s a lot of young guys.”

The offense has seen senior quarterback Max Obenrader take on a bigger load as the season has progressed, and junior Max Smith has been seeing increased playing time at tailback despite battling injuries.

“When we come off the field, the underclassmen are making good plays,” Stephany said. “You can see the potential in the team. We always tell them they’re going to be great next year, to keep improving as we have been.”

Still, with the season winding down, the seniors have found a way to keep morale high.

“If you come to a practice, you’d think we were in the playoffs,” DeMatteo said. “There’s nobody in our circle of trust pointing the fingers. We tell them to trust the program and get better every day.”

The team will get a chance to cap the seniors’ careers in a special way if it can oust its biggest rival, playoff-bound Mars.

“If we can come out and play some good football against them, maybe we’ll pull out a win,” Stephany said of the Week 9 matchup.

“I think the seniors, especially, we always somehow lose to Mars. I think we really want to beat them to finish off our high school careers.”

After the season ends, optimism surrounds a program that has been playing teams close the past couple of seasons.

“We’re battling,” DeMatteo said. “I’m not happy about the scoreboard or record. It stinks, and it’s frustrating. But at the same token I have to reward them for their effort and energy. I think we’re doing the best we can as coaches, and I think they’re putting their best foot forward.”

Devon Moore is a freelance writer.

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