By Anthony Jaskulski

It takes much more than resiliency to conquer what this team has so far in 2008.

After coming off a 3-7 season which saw them lose their first round WPIAL playoff game to North Allegheny last year, Hempfield found themselves with plenty of returning talent to build around—including a potential D-1 stud under center—which sent a football buzz through the entire township.

However, June 20^th ripped a massive hole in the Spartans soaring plans, when quarterback Shane Meisner tore a ligament in his right knee during a baseball game, knocking him out for the entire 2008 football season.

“It’s tough when you lose one of your best players for the year, not even getting to play a game yet,” said lineman and team captain Nick Carnicella. “He was just a really tough guy to lose.”

But on the heels of a 2-2 record and fresh off of a gigantic, come-from-behind win over Norwin last Friday, Hempfield once again is buzzing with confidence and excitement.

“We lost a leader on the field from both sides of the ball when Shane went down,” said Hempfield head coach—and father of Shane—Greg Meisner. “But right now, his leadership has rubbed off on the other kids and they have all taken it upon themselves to contribute in leading this team.”

Three of those leaders include junior running back R.J. Thomas, who rushed for 101 yards in the 16-14 win over the Knights a week ago; kicker Josh Cavalier, who booted three field goals in the same game, including the eventual game-winning 35-yarder; and sophomore Dante Nania, who has taken over Meisner’s spot at quarterback.

“Right now we have 14 injuries, and nine of those are kids that saw a lot of action,” said Meisner. “We have battled from a lot of things, and this year there is no exception with all of our injuries and putting new kids in different positions. It’s been tough, but the kids are responding as well as I could expect.”

Hempfield, which hasn’t had a winning season in 11 years, raced out to an opening week victory over Greensburg-Salem, before dropping consecutive games to Shaler and Penn-Trafford, losing by a combined total of 76-17.

But despite their past struggles and the two big losses, the Spartans still consider themselves a tough, rugged group that will put together a rally no matter the score or how much time is left in the game – something Meisner said he hasn’t seen from his team in recent years.

“This team got behind with four minutes in the game, and I thought at that point we’d be panicked,” he said of last week’s victory against Norwin. “Instead, they drove the ball 60 yards down the field and set up the go-ahead field goal. I don’t think we had that kind of mentality in the years I’ve coached here before. These kids just don’t quit.”

That no-quit mentality evolved from the most experienced and strongest unit of the Spartans squad, the offensive line.

Anchored by senior captains Carnicella, Doug Knight and tight end Matt Sefchok, the Hempfield line has opened gaping holes, allowing the running back tandem of Thomas and Ryan Hayden to reach well over 450 yards rushing already this season.

“This team has seen a lot of injuries but we’ve stayed pretty strong throughout everything,” said Carnicella. “We’re a tough group and there is never any sign of quitting.”

The Spartans and their surging line will face their toughest competition yet in Erie McDowell this Friday.

Led by Wisconsin-bound back/linebacker A.J. Fenton, the Trojans (2-2) are coming off a hard-fought 19-13 loss to McKeesport last weekend, and find themselves just as hungry for a win as Hempfield this Friday.

“They are a really good football team and have a lot of good talent on that roster,” Meisner said of the McDowell team. “Obviously A.J. Fenton does a lot for them on both sides of the ball and, really, I think they are a better team than their 2-2 record indicates. We’ve got our hands full with them, but in the same sense I think we have plenty of confidence and ability on our own side.”

Facing it’s most difficult part of the schedule with games against Gateway and McKeesport coming up, in addition to this week’s bout with the Trojans, Hempfield and it’s crop of young talent also face the daunting task of learning their true identity – something that Carnicella says is a playoff-first personality.