2025 Team Preview: The South Allegheny Gladiators

Layton Adams OL/DL – 6′ 210 – 2025

Peyton Aschmeller OL/DL – 5’9 265 2026

Markus Hanson TE/OL – 6’4 255, 2025

Drew Cook WR/DB – 5’11 165, 2025

Kai Myers ATH – 5’10 165, 2026

Austin Schane – FB/LB – 6′ 205, 2025

Cash Pistilli – DL – 6′ 215, 2026

Max Jeffcoat – LB – 5’10 195, 2026

Derrick Pace – SS – 5’9 170, 2026

Joe Gamret – OLB – 5’9 180, 2025

Chance Cole – DB – 5’9 145, 2026

Conner Morabeto – K – 5’8 140, 2025

Mason Hanson – OL/DL

Isa Russell-Akkoyun – OL/DL

Kymair Brown – WR/DB

Tyrone Claytor – WR/LB

Cailen Carter – OL/DL

Anthony Klacic – OL/DL

“We are excited for the 2025 season.  This is my 3rd year as Head Coach and we finally have some continuity within the program.  We’ve set our standards high and our team has really responded in a positive way.  From a physical perspective, the most impressive attribute of our team is our overall team speed.  We can get behind defenders in a hurry and we have a bunch of guys who can swarm to the football on defense.  We graduated some very good players in Cam Epps, Camden Lewis, and Ryan Cortes but we have 7 starters back on offense and 8 starters back on defense.  We have a great QB battle going on right now between Alijah Cook and Kai Myers.  Both are capable of winning varsity games.  All-State WR Drew Cook returns for his senior season where he led the state in receiving yards (1490).  We have a great running back battle going on between Derrick Pace, Joe Gamret, and Max Jeffcoat.  Jeffcoat and Pace are old school downhill runners, while Gamret is a guy who is good inside and outside the box and is tremendous at catching the ball.  Markus Hanson gives the the QB a big target downfield from the TE position.  Up front – Bryce Guest, Peyton Aschmeller, Mason Hanson, and Cash Pistilli anchor the OL.  

Defensively, Cash Pistilli, Max Jeffcoat, Austin Schane, and Bryce Guest are the heartbeat of the defense.  All of them were all conference players along with Drew Cook.  Jeffcoat and Schane should be among the best ILB duos in 2A.  They’ve played a ton of football and have tremendous motors in getting to the ball.  Guest will be a 4 year starter on the DL and has shown flashes of dominating games.  He’s having a great summer so far and we expect big things from him in the fall.  

For us to reach our potential we need to become a more disciplined team.  We have a great coaching staff and we’ve spent this entire off-season fostering great relationships with our players.  Our players are taking more of a leadership role which is great to see.  This is the fastest and strongest team I’ve coached at South Allegheny and we have to take advantage of these attributes.  If we can run the ball well on offense and stop the run on defense, we’re going to be a tough out.  The key is keeping the standards high and focusing on one down at a time. “

Brian Hanson