Special bond propels Hampton residents at Kiski Prep football

By: HSSN Staff
Sunday, October 8, 2017 | 11:39 PM

There's a couple of Hampton natives making noise in local high school football — just not with the Talbots.

Jake Fedell and Jason Kcehowski are senior team captains at Kiski Prep in Saltsburg who decided to take a different path to athletic success. It just so happens they've been traveling that path together.

Now, they stand as leaders of a team that, by picking up a 54-14 victory against Perkiomen on Saturday afternoon, improved to 5-0.

But while Fedell and Kcehowski have been friends since third grade, their paths to Kiski were different.

Kcehowski had a connection at Kiski from his brother, Kevin, who enjoyed a successful academic and athletic career and went on to play football at Indiana State.

“Just being around the school and coming to games to see him,” said Kcehowski, who plays defensive end and tight end. “I thought it was the right fit for me as opposed to public school. I like how the teachers live on campus, and you can get help whenever you need.”

Fedell, on the other hand, struggled to find his footing academically in middle school. Those days are far behind him.

“I came in as a freshman, and in middle school my grades were not as they should have been,” said Fedell, who plays offensive tackle and linebacker. “Academically, it's been a lot better at Kiski. I've made honor roll every single year.”

Both have been starting since their sophomore years and cite coach Jim Perry's model of always being in competition as a major motivator.

“The main focus is competing,” Fedell said. “We make each other better. They make you better. You make them better. That makes the team better.”

Kiski Prep came into the season having lost a few of its top players from last season, including its starting quarterback. But the team has flourished with Fedell and Kcehowski as captains.

“We had a lot of talent last year we lost and were wondering how we'd pick up from there,” Kcehowski said. “But coach Perry did a great job of bringing in new players to fill their roles. That's helped tremendously throughout the season.”

Kcehowski and Fedell were a tremendous help to each other, especially early in their careers.

“That's what made the transition as a freshman easier,” said Fedell. “Instead of trying to meet people on your own, we kind of leaned on each other.”

Said Kcehowski: “We've been playing together so long. We know we have each other's backs. That's something we try to tell the team: ‘We have your backs. Do you have ours?' We'll be in the huddle, Jake and I already know what the other is going to say just because we've been playing together for so long. It's kind of a special relationship in that way.”

Kcehowski also likes Kiski Prep's Saturday afternoon games, which he hopes will prepare him for the next level. Both players have received interest from a handful of schools: Fedell at Baldwin-Wallace, Robert Morris, Geneva and Thiel and Kcehowski at Wagner, Lehigh and his brother's alma mater, Indiana State.

“Family gets tossed around a lot in so many places,” Fedell said. “But up in Kiski, it really is a family. I have brothers I can depend on that have my back all the time.”

Devon Moore is a freelance writer.