Perfect start has propelled soaring Hamburg Hawks to new heights
The Hamburg Hawks have entered uncharted territory, earning a state football ranking for what is believed to be the first time in program history. First-year head coach Matt Hoffert knows such recognition can be short-lived.
“It’s great being state-ranked,” he said of learning that the Hawks are No. 10 this week in Class 3A in the PennLive.com state rankings, “but we’ve gotta take care of what we need to take care of week in and week out. We’ve gotta be 1-0 at the end of the week and we’ve just gotta keep getting better every day.”
Being 1-0 this week means knocking off Lancaster Catholic, which is two spots ahead of Hamburg in the Class 3A rankings, at No. 8. The Hawks and Crusaders meet Friday in Lancaster for what well could mean the Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 5 championship. They are the only unbeaten teams in the section at the halfway point of the regular season.
Hoffert, his focus strictly on Friday’s game, will do his best to tamp down any celebration over this program milestone.
“I’m sure they’re going to be super-excited,” he said of his players, “but I’ll make sure I keep ’em grounded.”
Hamburg is one of three Berks teams in the state rankings. Unbeaten Exeter remains No. 3 in Class 5A; unbeaten Wyomissing remains No. 1 in Class 3A.
The Hawks are 5-0 for just the second time in the program’s 54-year history. They won their first six games in 2006, when they finished the regular season 8-2.
In 1985, when they set the program record with 10 victories and won their only Inter-County League championship, they opened 4-0 before losing to Daniel Boone in Week 5.
Hamburg is one of six unbeaten teams in the Class 3A rankings, along with Wyomissing, No. 2 Danville, No. 3 Elizabeth Forward, No. 7 Penn Cambria and Lancaster Catholic.
There were no major shakeups in this week’s rankings as each of the six No. 1’s won last week.
Hempfield, fresh off a 17-14 win over previously ranked Manheim Township, moves into the Teams to Watch category in Class 6A; the Black Knights are the only Lancaster-Lebanon League team in the 6A rankings.
In Class 5A Solanco, which improved to 5-0, debuts at No. 8 in the rankings; Exeter is the only other league team listed in the 5A rankings.
CLASS 6A
Rank β Team β District β Record — Previous
1. St. Josephβs Prep (12) β 3-1 β 1
2. Garnet Valley (1) β 5-0 β 2
3. Emmaus (11) — 5-0 β 3
4. State College (6) β 5-0 β 4
5. North Allegheny (7) — 5-0 β 5
6. Coatesville (1) — 5-0 β 6
7. Harrisburg (3) β 3-1 β 9
8. McDowell (10) — 4-1 β 10
9. Hazleton (2) — 5-0 β NR
10. Central Bucks East (1) — 5-0 β NR
Teams to watch: Central York (3) 4-1, Cumberland Valley (3) 4-1, Downingtown East (1) 4-1,
Hempfield (3) 4-1, Nazareth (11) 4-1.
CLASS 5A
Rank β Team β District β Record — Previous
1. Upper Dublin (1) β 5-0 β 1
2. Imhotep Charter (12) β 2-2 β 2
3. Exeter (3) β 5-0 β 3
4. Upper St. Clair (7) — 5-0 β 8
5. Strath Haven (1) — 5-0 β 7
6. Roman Catholic (12) — 4-1 β 5
7. Chester (1) — 5-0 β NR
8. Solanco (3) — 5-0 β NR
9. Hempfield Area (7) — 5-0 β NR
10. Cathedral Prep (10) — 3-2 β 4
Teams to watch: Bethel Park (7) 4-1, Great Valley (1) 5-0, Peters Township (7) 4-1, Scranton (2) 5-0.
CLASS 4A
Rank β Team β District β Record — Previous
1. Aliquippa (7) β 4-0 β 1
2. Bishop McDevitt (3) β 3-1 β 2
3. Jersey Shore (4) β 5-0 β 3
4. Central Valley (7) β 5-0 β 4
5. Meadville (10) β 5-0 β 7
6. McKeesport (7) β 5-0 β 8
7. Manheim Central (3) — 5-0 β 9
8. Pope John Paul II (1) — 5-0 β 10
9. Armstrong (7) — 4-1 β NR
10. Allentown C.C. (11) — 3-2 β 5
Teams to watch: Bethlehem Catholic (11) 3-2, Dallas (2) 5-0, Lampeter-Strasburg (3) 4-1,
Valley View (2) 4-1, West Allegheny (7) 4-1.
CLASS 3A
Rank β Team β District β Record — Previous
1. Wyomissing (3) β 5-0 β 1
2. Danville (4) β 5-0 β 2
3. Elizabeth Forward (7) β 5-0 β 4
4. Belle Vernon (7) β 2-2 β 5
5. Loyalsock (4) — 4-1 β 6
6. Avonworth (7) — 4-1 β 7
7. Penn Cambria (6) — 5-0 β 8
8. Lancaster Catholic (3) — 5-0 β 9
9. North Schuylkill (11) — 4-1 β 10
10. Hamburg (3) — 5-0 β NR
Teams to watch: Clearfield (9) 4-1, Neumann-Goretti (12) 2-1, Northwestern Lehigh (11) 4-1,
Tyrone (6) 5-0, West Perry (3) 5-0.
CLASS 2A
Rank β Team β District β Record — Previous
1. Farrell (10) β 4-1 β 1
2. Mount Carmel (4) β 5-0 β 2
3. Richland Township (6) β 5-0 β 4
4. Lakeland (2) β 5-0 β 5
5. Sharpsville (10) — 5-0 β 6
6. Steel Valley (7) — 4-0 β 7
7. Berlin Brothersvalley (5) — 5-0 β 8
8. Bedford (5) — 5-0 β 9
9. Beaver Falls (7) — 4-1 β 10
10. Dunmore (2) — 4-1 β NR
Teams to watch: Bishop Guilfoyle (6) 3-2, Neshannock (7) 4-1, Serra Catholic (7) 4-1, Southern Columbia (4) 3-2, Westinghouse (8) 5-0.
CLASS 1A
Rank β Team β District β Record — Previous
1. Canton (4) β 5-0 β 1
2. Steelton-Highspire (3) β 3-1 β 2
3. Bishop Canevin (7) β 4-1 β 3
4. OLSH (7) β 5-0 β 4
5. Tri-Valley (11) — 5-0 β 6
6. Reynolds (10) β 4-1 β 7
7. Muncy (4) β 4-0 β 8
8. Redbank Valley (9) — 5-0 β 9
9. Penns Manor (6) — 5-0 β NR
10. Eisenhower (10) — 5-0 β NR
Teams to watch: Northern Bedford (5) 5-0, Northern Lehigh (11) 4-1, Rochester (7) 3-1, Windber (5) 4-1.
