Can the Hampton High School football team record a third consecutive upset?

Or will Hopewell continue its unbeaten season and get a chance to possibly face three-time defending champion Thomas Jefferson at Heinz Field?

Both questions will be answerered tomorrow night at Montour High School's Thomas Birko Stadium, as the Hopewell and Hampton face off in the WPIAL Class AAA semifinals. The winner earns a berth in the title game, which will take place Nov. 27 at Heinz Field.

"We can finally talk about the possibility of playing at Heinz Field," Hopewell coach Dave Vestal said. "All season, people have wanted to talk about playing at Heinz Field, but we try to avoid that subject. We only want to be concerned with our upcoming opponent."

Hopewell enters the game with an 11-0 record, while Hampton is 7-4. The Vikings are seeded No. 2 behind Thomas Jefferson, while the Talbots are the No. 14 seed in the playoff field.

"Playing at Heinz Field is finally within our grasp," Vestal said. "This is the game that can get us there. But it will not be easy. Hampton has pulled two upsets and is hoping to add us to the list."

Hampton opened the tournament with a 19-7 win against No. 3 seed Chartiers Valley in the opening round. The Talbots advanced to the semifinals with an impressive 35-14 win against No. 6 seed Uniontown in the quarterfinals.

"Jacque [DeMatteo, the Talbots coach] has done a great job at Hampton," said Vestal. "They've sneaked up on a few people, but it's obvious to see how good this team is once you see them on film."

Hampton reminds Vestal of his first two seasons at Hopewell. The Vikings placed second in the WPIAL in 2001, then won WPIAL and PIAA titles in 2002.

"Jacque has a very physical team that likes to run the ball and control the line of scrimmage," Vestal said. "That reminds me of our teams in 2001 and 2002. [The Talbots] were very impressive in both playoff wins."

Hampton tied for third place in the Greater Allegheny Conference. The Talbots lost to Knoch and Franklin Regional in conference play and to West Allegheny and Shaler Area in non-conference games.

"Most people didn't expect us to get this far, and I have to admit that I was one of them," DeMatteo said. "Getting to the semifinals has certainly exceeded my expectations.

"This is the first time in school history that we've played in a WPIAL semifinal game. We're really looking forward to the challenge of facing a team that many think is the best in Class AAA."

Hopewell earned its semifinal berth with victories against Derry, 28-14, and Mars, 33-0.

"We will have to play our best game to have a chance," DeMatteo said. "The emphasis has to be on Rushel Shell, but Hopewell also has an effective passing game."

Shell leads the WPIAL with 2,308 yards on 222 rushing attempts. He has also scored 29 touchdowns, 28 on the ground.

"Shell will get his yards," DeMatteo said. "We just have to keep him from breaking the long runs. We need to control the ball on offense and keep [Shell] off the field."

Shell is joined in the Vikings backfield by quarterback Matt Hundenski, fullback Brendon Taylor and talented reserve Malcolm Lay. Hundenski has thrown for 815 yards (completing 41 of 78 passes) and 12 touchdowns, and run for 329 yards and eight touchdowns. Lay has 514 yards and five touchdowns.

"Hopewell has a couple nice receivers and the quarterback [Hundenski] is a [WPIAL] wrestling champion," DeMatteo said.

Hundenski's favorite target is wide receiver Mark Ross, who has 27 catches for 635 yards and has scored 13 touchdowns.

"A key for both teams is to take care of the ball," Vestal said. "Turnovers played a big part in last week's win against Mars. We forced four turnovers and committed only one. We capitalized on three of those turnovers."

Hampton is led by tailback Andrew Bly, quarterback Phil Powell and wide receiver Bill Young. Bly has rushed for 1,350 yards and 16 touchdowns on 198 carries. Powell has thrown for 698 yards and six touchdowns (completing 52 of 116 passes). Young has caught 22 passes for 242 yards and two touchdowns.

"Bly is a stocky kid who runs very hard and follows his blockers well," Vestal said. "He picks up a lot of yards after initial contact."

Bly is joined in the backfield by fullback Steve Magister, who has rushed for 339 yards and two touchdowns on 58 carries.

• What: Hampton (7-4) vs. Hopewell (11-0).

• When: 7:30 p.m. tomorrow.

• Where: Montour High School's Thomas Birko Stadium.

• The skinny: Hopewell is the No. 2 seed, while Hampton was the No. 14 seed in the Class AAA playoffs. The winner advances to the WPIAL Class AAA final against either Thomas Jefferson or West Allegheny.

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