South Allegheny driven to reach new heights as turnaround continues

By: Antonio Rossetti
Friday, August 15, 2025 | 6:01 AM

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South Allegheny reached the playoffs for the first time since 2021 last season, finishing 9-3 for its first winning season since 2020.

After back-to-back 1-9 seasons, the Gladiators were fed up. With a motivated and energized cast of players, South Allegheny found its mojo.

“We have to continue to play to our standards,” coach Brian Hanson said. “That was the one thing that was a theme last year. It wasn’t like a certain offensive or defensive statistic or anything like that. We started to have an identity on how we play football. … If we’re preaching every day that every kid does his job, and we walk off the field where the other team didn’t out-effort us, we found success with that, and we’re continuing that theme this year.”

The Gladiators held an electric Ellwood City offense to 13 points in the playoffs. Nonetheless, they came up just short, faling 13-12. The Gladiators are motivated to get back.

“We want it badly,” senior all-section lineman Bryce Guest said. “The whole team, that’s what we’ve been striving for all offseason. You want to go deep in the playoffs. We want to win a section title. That’s what we’re looking forward to.”

Guest, who has started more than 30 games in his high school tenure, talked about how it feels to turn the ship around and bring winning football back to South Allegheny.

“It’s always been there for us,” Guest said. “We’ve always had the talent. It’s just we never had the chemistry as a team or a head coach to put us together. When you finally get that breakthrough and you finally start to win some games, it’s just relief off your shoulders.”

The Gladiators collected more wins last year than their previous three seasons combined. Hanson, going into his third year as head coach, has never seen a team more motivated.

“After that loss to Ellwood City, normally I give the team off until December, but too many kids were trying to sneak in the weight room and wanted to get things started,” Hanson said. “We started up a week later, and it’s been full go ever since. We’ve got the players and the coaches that want to make a run.”

Junior Malakai Myers is embarking on his second year as a starter. He is motivated to get back and said that Hanson and the rest of the staff are just as motivated.

“I believe that it’s the coaches, and the coaches that we have are really tough,” Myers said. “They’re also really dedicated to get back to that spot and to go even further in the playoffs.”

Myers will get reps at wide receiver, running back, and for this season, quarterback as well.

Coming back to help spearhead the offense is all-section wide receiver Drew Cook. Cook led the WPIAL with 1,490 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns. Hanson expects big things from Cook and Myers.

“They will play huge roles,” Hanson said. “Both of them have put a ton of time in in the offseason. … You can tell they’re a step faster, they’re stronger, they’re more confident, so let’s see what they can do.”

Myers is in the conversation as the starting quarterback after Ryan Cortes graduated. Hanson said whether he is a quarterback or wide receiver, he will be involved in the offense.

“I do what I need to do for my team,” Myers said. “If my coach needs me somewhere, then that’s where he needs me. Mainly, it doesn’t matter about me moving around. It’s just what I can do for the team that matters.”

Hanson added that Myers was strictly focused on football, not playing baseball over the summer. Hanson said he’s been impressed with his work. Myers is ready to throw to a star wide receiver in Cook.

“He is going to have a huge impact,” Myers said. “Not only him, but we have a couple other kids that are coming up and I believe that if they start trying to mess with Drew, we have some other really big targets that we can hit.”

Kymair Brown will be a leading target. Hanson described him as an excellent route runner and a very physical player with great hands. Myers added Tyrone Claytor will also be a top receiver.

Sophomore Alijah Cook, Drew’s younger brother, is also in the picture for the starting quarterback position. Hanson talked about Alijah and Drew’s connection.

“The two boys work extremely hard,” Hanson said. “You almost sometimes want to lock the gates at the stadium because if you left it up to them, they would be there all night. They work hard. They study and keep their nose clean. There’s really good chemistry between each other and Alijah has some good chemistry with his other receivers too, because he’s such a smart kid. He really works hard at understanding defenses.”

Running back Cam Epps, who tallied over 2,000 yards in his high school career, has graduated. Hanson said that although he is just 5-8, Epps had big shoes that need to be filled.

Coming into the fold will be a running back tandem of Joey Gamret and Derrick Pace. Both are ready for the task and gained experience last year. Gamret tallied 116 yards and three touchdowns and Pace notched 165 yards and two scores.

“Cam missed about three and a half games last year, and we had 100-yard rusher at that position for each of those games,” Hanson said. “Derrick is more of a downhill kind of one-cut runner. He’s a really strong kid. He has similarities with Epps in that way. Joey can kind of do it all. He has great vision, great balance, good speed and is a really strong kid.”

Hanson added that the tandem gives them versatility depending on what defense they face. Linemen Cash Pistilli and Bryce Guest said Hakim Harell will also be in the running back room and is a speed threat. Guest has confidence in the tailbacks.

“Hakim’s really fast and shifty,” Guest said. “He’ll be really good, and Joey’s more downhill, but he can still wiggle. We have Derrick as well, and he’s just a straight downhill power back. We have plenty of options at running back.”

The two will be running behind a line that features three all-conference linemen from last year: Guest, Markus Hanson and Peyton Aschmeller. Pistilli, who is a versatile lineman, played tight end last season.

Pistilli said that the line’s strength and versatility will lead to success.

“We can move Bryce anywhere because he’s a very versatile lineman,” Pistilli said. “You can move me anywhere because when we were at Millersville recently, I was at starting center, but he was also giving me reps at tight end because I can catch the ball.”

Guest and Hanson play important roles for the Gladiators.

“Playing bookend tackles is very imperative for the success of our offense,” Hanson said. “They play a very valuable role. I could tell both kids put a lot of work in, and they’re playing their best football right now.”

Pistilli is excited for the defense.

“Joey Gamret is really good, but he’s still hurt right now, but once he comes back, he’s going to be a dog on the defensive side,” Pistilli said. “Our D-line is really good, really good. Me, Payton and Bryce, we’re going to be unstoppable.”

Hanson said that Max Jeffcoat and Austin Shane are the two ring leaders on defense.

“They play inside linebacker, and they’ve had a phenomenal summer,” Hanson said. “When we do drills, it looks like both of them are on a rope with each other. They’re in tune with each other that well.”

Chance Cole will start at cornerback and Drew Cook and Brown will be the safeties. Myers was impressed with Brown.

“He’s going to have a huge year, especially on defense,” Myers said. “What he did at the camp, it was just unbelievable. He really showed that he should be there, and he’s trying to make a statement.”

Brown is just one of many who will help on defense.

“We’ve got a lot of speed in the secondary,” Hanson said. “It’s like the same thing on offense. We have a lot of speed at receiver. We’re going to put a fast football team on the field.”

Overall, South Allegheny expects more this season. Pistilli loves having coaches as motivated as the players.

“We have one of the best coaching staffs in the WPIAL,” Pistilli said. “I feel like our coaches got us way better. They’re hard on us, but they’re hard on us for good reasons, because it’s going to help us get better and you could tell by the way we played last year.”

Hanson is proud to be part of the turnaround, but the work is not done yet.

“It’s pretty impressive to watch where the program is heading,” Hanson said. “You’ve got 30 to 35 kids there every night going through two and a half hours straight. We have eight football coaches out there, and we work them hard, and it’s because they’re able now to work harder than they did in years past. I think they’re only just scratching the surface with that. They’re excited.”

South Allegheny

Coach: Brian Hanson

2024 record: 9-3, 4-2 in Class 2A Allegheny Conference

All-time record: 199-371-6

SCHEDULE

Date, Opponent, Time

8.22 Ringgold, 7

8.29 Brentwood, 7

9.5 at Carlynton, 7

9.12 at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart*, 7

9.19 at South Park*, 7

9.26 Ligonier Valley*, 7

10.4 at Shady Side Academy*, 2

10.10 Apollo-Ridge*, 7

10.17 Sto-Rox, 7

10.24 Steel Valley*, 7

*Conference game

STATISTICAL LEADERS

Passing: Ryan Cortes*

159-267, 2,334 yards, 27 TDs

Rushing: Cam Epps*

129-1,182 yards, 13 TDs

Receiving: Drew Cook

80-1,490 yards, 18 TDs

*Graduated

FAST FACTS

• Jesse James, Dave Opfar, Ron Crosby and Jim Cope played at South Allegheny and made the NFL. James was the most recent, playing in the NFL from 2015-2022.

• When Glassport Memorial Stadium was constructed in 1950, it showcased 136 floodlights and was known for how bright the stadium was.

• The Gladiators play at Gladiator Stadium, which replaced Glassport Memorial Stadium in 2022.

• South Allegheny’s only WPIAL title came in 1977.

Tags: South Allegheny