3 Things to look for: Hampton vs Mars
Tagged under: District 7, Gameday Hub, News, pfn
Greg Hillman | September 17, 2026
ALLISON PARK, PA– Hampton and Mars kick off at Fridley Field on Friday for the 19th meeting since 2008. Mars has dominated this series, winning 15 of its 18 previous matchups. But this year is a much different season for both teams.
Hampton has won two of its first three games for the second year in a row under head coach Steve Sciullo. Last week, the Talbots got a comforting 24-14 win over Ringgold after a depleting loss to Armstrong in week 1.
It was something Joey Stephenson said would be “the best thing to happen to us”.
Still a long way to go, but it was a nice bounce-back win for Hampton.
Mars is still in search of their first win in 2026. Mars is currently adjusting to the post-Eric Kasperowicz era. First-year head coach Zach Benedek will have to lead his Fightin’ Planets in a tough 4A Parkway Conference. With a schedule featuring Blackhawk, Montour, & Central Valley, the freshman coach has his work cut out for him.
But he does have a small group of returners that are going to help guide a somewhat young Mars squad. Those players include Smyth Dunaway, Ryan Walker, Ray Chase, and Adam Genevro.
In addition to those guys, Benedek has a rare commodity at his disposal. Two reliable junior quarterbacks: Nate Walker and Colin Yurisinec. Yurisinec was the primary quarterback last year, throwing for over 1,600 yards and 14 touchdowns. But he and Walker have somewhat split the quarterback duties this season.
So here are 3 things to look for when Mars takes on Hampton.
- Which quarterback?
Continuing the quarterback talk, Mars has the capability this season (and possibly next season) to throw any team they play a curveball. Having two quarterbacks ready is very rare in the game of football. Both Yurisinec and Walker have each appeared in two games this season. Yurisinec got the Week 0 start against Seneca Valley, while Walker started in Week 2 vs. Chartiers Valley. And both QBs were used in Week 1 at Aliquippa.
Mars is a throwing team. Both QBs have thrown the football a combined 115 times through three games. That’s an average of 38.3 times per game. But when you have a receiver in Brady Brennan, it makes sense to want to throw to him, especially with a running game that is still coming along.
So which quarterback will be used? It’s hard to know. Could be one, could be both. Walker did show flash in Week 1 against Aliquippa and threw for 350 yards against Chartiers Valley. So is Mars going with the “hot hand”?
- Wide Receivers.
Much like in Hampton’s last home game, Friday’s game will feature a pair of top receivers in Hampton’s Heath Borgo and Mars’ Brady Brennan. Both players come into this game in the top-10 in receiving yards in the WPIAL. Brennan currently has 284, and Borgo has 309.
Borgo had a game-changing 99-yard touchdown reception last week at Ringgold that helped extend the Talbots’ lead in a critical moment in the game. Borgo has proven he can be a Do-It-All type of player for Hampton.
While Brennan isn’t tall like Borgo, his speed is what makes him a dynamic player. In Week 0 against Seneca Valley, Brennan recorded 4 catches for 112 yards, with 2 touchdowns. Last week against Chartiers Valley, he racked up a whopping 9 receptions for 135 yards and a touchdown. He currently averages 94.6 yards per game.
Hampton will have to learn from their previous home game when Armstrong’s Quinn Olsen tore up the Talbot’s secondary with 6 receptions for 97 yards, averaging 16.2 yards per catch. So, watching Brennan’s whereabouts is going to be key to the game for the Talbots.
Mars will also have to find a way to slow down Borgo and look for him in the secondary, as he can change the game in both directions.
- Extra Points.
Last week, Hampton scored four touchdowns against Ringgold.
They didn’t convert a single extra point.
Steve Sciullo decided to go for two on his first two touchdown drives. Missed both times. Finally, on the third attempt, he elected to kick the extra point. Jake Lucas did not convert on that either.
So, fourth time’s the charm? Uh…
0 for 4…
Adding all of the missed extra points together, that’s seven missed points in total. That’s a whole extra touchdown. That game ended 24-14, which very easily could’ve been 31-14. Now, at the end of the day, it didn’t matter too much since Hampton’s defense stood strong again. And didn’t allow the Rams to score until the 3rd quarter.
But with how badly the extra point attempts went last week, does Steve Sciullo elect the field goal over the two-point conversion?
They got away with it last week since Ringgold had almost nothing to show for offensively. But as the season goes on and the opponents get tougher, those PATs are going to be so valuable.
We’re going to find out how aggressive Sciullo gets with those PATs, assuming the opportunities present themselves.
Hampton and Mars annual meeting kicks off from Fridley Field at 7:00 pm.
