Hampton football team racks up postseason accolades

By: John Grupp
Saturday, November 19, 2022 | 11:01 AM

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Hampton senior defensive lineman Gabe Harris was surprised to earn all-Greater Allegheny Conference honors, but maybe he shouldn’t have been startled at all.

“There were a lot of nights where my friends were going out to eat or hang out,” he said, “and I just decided to keep lifting.”

The hard work paid off as Harris and six of his teammates were named first-team all-Greater Allegheny in voting by coaches.

Four seniors — wide receiver Benny Haselrig, offensive lineman Aidan Lewis, all-purpose back Eric Weeks and defensive back Joey Mayer — and junior running back Brock Borgo and junior defensive end Gabe Gannelli were recognized among the best at their positions when the WPIAL Class 4A conference voting was released in mid-November.

“We fared very well,” Hampton first-year coach Steve Sciullo said.

The postseason accolades came after a heartbreaking WPIAL first-round playoff loss, in which the ninth-seeded Talbots (5-6) fell at No. 8 Montour, 34-33, on Nov. 4 on a 23-yard Hail Mary TD pass as time expired to cap a 99-yard drive.

Borgo, a two-way standout, rushed for 1,017 yards and five touchdowns, highlighted by a 211-yard, two-TD night in a 49-42 victory at Mars. On defense, he added five interceptions, including a 73-yard pick-six at Kiski Area, and three forced fumbles.

“It felt good because last year I was second team, and I felt like I deserved first team,” said Borgo, who rushed for 1,085 yards and 17 TDs last season as a sophomore.

Haselrig and Mayer are repeat first-team all-conference performers. Haselrig was tabbed for the third straight season after posting some of the WPIAL’s best numbers, catching 58 passes for 944 yards and 13 TDs.

Mayer, who passed for 967 yards and 15 TDs and ran for another 356 yards and five TDs at quarterback, was named all-conference defensive back for the second consecutive year.

“I can’t say enough good things about Joey,” Sciullo said.

Another big-play threat, Weeks finished with 302 rushing yards and three TDs on 29 carries and 414 receiving yards and five touchdowns on 17 receptions. Weeks, a Canisius baseball recruit, averaged 15.6 yards every time he touched the ball.

Lewis (5-11, 185) earned first-team honors after starting at left guard on an all-new offensive line. He helped anchor a balanced offense that averaged 345 yards per game, including nearly 200 on the ground.

Gannelli, who posted a team-high 13 sacks along with 11 quarterback hurries and eight tackles for loss, was surprised to make first-team all-conference.

“It’s different,” he said. “I’m a junior. I never thought I would have made it this far.”

Harris also came a long way. He moved back to Hampton from Kentucky prior to his junior season. The 6-foot-4, 240-pounder added about 20 pounds of muscle during the offseason and posted 38 tackles, including seven for loss, and three sacks this season. He was also a little shocked to receive a group text from Sciullo with the all-conference news.

“I was pretty happy to see it,” he said. “I was a little surprised, but everyone that was on there worked for it. It was nice to get recognized for all of the effort that we put in.”

Standing out

Fourteen Hampton football players received all-Greater Allegheny Conference recognition:

First team — Brock Borgo, jr., RB; Benny Haselrig, sr., WR; Aidan Lewis, sr., OL; Eric Weeks, sr., all-purpose; Gabe Gannelli, jr., DE; Gabe Harris, sr., DL; Joey Mayer, sr., DB

Second team — Luke Hartle, sr., DB; Mike Morgano, sr., ILB; Luke Fiscus, jr., K

Honorable mention — Nate Glock, jr., OL; Kaden Hoolahan, sr., OL; Gryffin Keller, jr., DL; Mike Santorello, sr., ILB

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