3 Things: +1 to look for: Hampton vs Kiski Area
Tagged under: District 7, Gameday Hub, News, pfn
Greg Hillman | October 8, 2026
ALLISON PARK, PA– Kiski and Hampton are set to play for just the 5th time ever on Friday night. This is a critical game in the Greater Allegheny Conference.
Hampton comes in at 1-0, and Kiski comes in at 0-1 in conference play. The Cavaliers very much benefit from a win against the Talbots. A victory would not only leapfrog them ahead of Hampton but also gain them 10 Gardner points for Hampton’s win over Indiana last week.
The Talbots finally found some offensive footing last week against the Indians. The Talbots found the end zone three times, putting up 21 points in the win. They had only scored 23 points in the two previous games. Jake Kennedy found the end zone on two occasions, getting the bulk of the work now that Decan Csellar is sidelined with an injury.
Hampton, while not gaining any Gardner points –nor can they gain any this week—will look to jump ahead into first place in the conference with a win. That would set up about as close to a conference championship as you can get next week at McKeesport.
Kiski needs a win badly. They sit at 1-5 overall, but it’s the conference wins that matter the most. As I said, a win would get them right back in the playoff race. Remember, it’s the top two teams from each conference that automatically qualify for the postseason. And a win puts Kiski in that spot. Unfortunately, a loss to McKeesport last week put a damper on any conference title hopes, but it’s still McKeesport’s to lose. And not impossible for Kiski to win the conference.
Hampton has won 3 of the first 4 meetings between the schools. Kiski’s only win came back in 2019. These two teams haven’t played since 2023. With conference realignment revisited every couple of years, it’s rare that these two teams come together on a football field. They meet on a basketball court almost every year.
So, with all that said, here are three things to look for when Kiski and Hampton hit the field on Friday.
- More receivers?!
I know, I know, more receiver talk.
But this is fun, right?
Two more top receivers in the WPIAL visit Fridley Field on Friday: Daevion McNeil & Teegan Shirley. They join a number of top receivers to come to Hampton this season after Armstrong’s Quinn Olsen and Theron Cupec and Mars’ Brady Brennan.
Facing a top receiver has not been kind to Hampton this season. Quinn Olsen and Theron Cupec just had their way with the Talbot secondary back in Week 1 for Armstrong. Cupec led the way with 8 receptions for 122 yards and 1 touchdown. Olsen racked up 6 receptions for 97 yards. Fast forward to Week 3, when Brady Brennan only had 4 receptions but took 2 of them in for touchdowns.
McNeil is currently 7th in receiving yards with 544. He currently has 18 receptions with 8 touchdowns, which is tied for third in the WPIAL with Plum’s Semaj Robinson. That averages about 27 yards per reception.
Hampton will need to watch how they defend this week after paying so much attention to Brady Brennan in the Mars game that they forgot to focus on the Mars’ running game. Possibly some more zone will be played by Dan Gigler’s defense this week. While that strategy can work, it often results in short-to-medium yardage given up. That adds up. And so can the points. But it’s how the damage is limited that will be the key. Hampton’s defense still ranks at the top of 4A through six weeks of the season.
There’s a saying I heard recently. I don’t recall who said it, or what they exact words were, but it went something like, “As long as the other guys end up on the ground, we’ve done our job.”
On the other side, Heath Borgo had two massive sideline completions late in the game last week to help Hampton add on to their lead in route to a 21-12 victory over Indiana. Boro currently sits at 8th in the WPIAL with 522 yards. He only has 2 touchdowns to show for however, but is looking to change that against a Kiski team that gives up 25.6 points per game.
With two top receivers going head-to-head, there could be a lot of footballs flying through the air. Oh, and not to be forgotten, Teegan Shirley, whom head coach Brayden Thimons called before the season started “our best player, athletically”. Shirley is a do-it-all type of player for Kiski. Besides being a great wide receiver, he basically plays anywhere on defense.
- The line.
This seems to be a trend. I get it, I’ve used this one a lot this season along with watching the wide recievers. However, this one might be the most important one so far.
Kiski’s line is really good.
Having a four-star recruit at any position helps. That’s a nice commodity for head coach Brayden Thimons. Nick Anderson is a highly regarded lineman. He leads a Cavaliers line that has got some size to it. Luke Crider and Lavon Wade help bulk up the trenches. That helps quarterback Landon Artman make good decisions in the pocket with all that time.
Now, doubt Kiski has the advantage over Hampton in that department. But not that much of an advantage. Hampton has some size upfront as well with Evan and Eli Hunkele, & Evan Schiller. Not to mention, Preston McGuire comes in during critical minutes of the game to help bulk up the line as well.
Hampton has been pretty good at getting into the backfield this season. Tackles for loss have helped them out when they’ve needed it. They’ll need it this week too against a good quarterback with talented wide receivers. Most football games are won upfront. Remember the Mars game?
- Jake Kennedy.
Kennedy really stepped up last week after the injury to Decan Cseller. Hampton will need him to do the same going forward. Kennedy found the end zone twice in the fourth quarter last week against Indiana. And now he is RB1 with Csellar out. To his immense credit, he continued to work hard and grind out those tough yards even when Csellar was getting the majority of the carries over the last couple of weeks.
Now he gets an opportunity to put his talents on full display behind an offense that found some traction a week ago. But it will be a tough assignment with how good Kiski’s interior line is. That’s where the blocking comes into play.
If the offensive line can hold off the defensive front long enough and Kennedy can find the gaps, this offense will look a lot more dangerous as they move through October. Oh, and you’ve got to take care of the ball, which is actually something Hampton has been very good at.
+1. Coaching.
One bonus thing to look out for is the coaching. Kiski is on their third head coach in as many years. Brayden Thimons has had a tough start to the season so far. However, the playoffs –and conference title—are still in play. Which is why this game is virtually a playoff game for both teams. Even though Thimons has been with the program for the last two years, he is still only six games into his head coaching career.
Steve Sciullo has been doing this for a little bit longer. Would he throw the young coach a curveball (I know, wrong sport) during the game? It’s something he decided not to do against Zack Benedict and Mars, who got his first career win over the Sciullo and the Talbots back in Week 3. Understandable since it was early in the season. Can’t show all your cards to early.
Remember that lateral pass Hampton pulled off against Central Valley? The one –with the help of a 15-yard penalty—that set up Jake Lucas’ 33-yard game-winning field goal?
This one…
Watch this play on the kickoff return that helped set up Hampton’s game winning FG.
A LATERAL pass!
(That and a 15-yard personal foul penalty on Central Valley)@PaFootballNews
@Talbots_FB
@WPIAL_Blitz
@WPIAL_Insider
@PA_TodaySports🎥: Central Valley Sports Network https://t.co/OuKlhGab0P
— Greg Hillman (@ghillman_media) September 26, 2026
It will be interesting to see if something like that is thrown at Thimons and the Cavaliers just to get them on their heels a little bit. Now, if you’re Sciullo, you’d have to be smart about it. You can’t just do a trick play for the sake of it. If the opportunity presents itself, then go for it.
Or save them for next week against you-know-who.
Hampton and Kiski kick off from Fridley Field on Friday at 7:00 pm.
