Pierce Mason-Hamburg

Pierce Mason wanted to “stick out” so he decided to dye his hair blonde before the football season. His haircut isn’t the only thing that stands out. Mason’s statistics jump off the page. In just five games, he’s rushed for 837 yards while averaging 14 yards per carry for the (5-0) Hawks. The 6’1, 185-pound senior tied the school record with 292 rushing yards against Eastern York on September 9th. Bryan Wagner set that mark versus Kutztown in 1996. Mason came back in Week 4 and put up 277 yards and five touchdowns at Annville-Cleona. That’s 569 yards on the ground in two games. Mason gives credit to the guys opening the holes. “I think that whole O-line doesn’t get what they deserve. I couldn’t do it without any of those guys up front,” he said. Mason is 14 yards shy of 2,000 for his career. Hamburg is scoring nearly 52 points per game. The Hawks established a school record with 75 points against Warrior Run in Week 2. Xander Menapace, a 3-year starter, is completing 67% of his passes with eight touchdowns and only one interception. “It’s amazing to be able to lean on someone like that. He’s so smart. He knows that offense inside and out. He keeps that offense together like glue,” emphasized Mason. Menapace, a 6’5, 211-pound senior, has thrown for 719 yards in the Hawks’ spread offense. Mason has piled up 18 combined touchdowns for first-year head coach Matt Hoffert. The former Hamburg player and assistant coach is preparing for a key Section 5 matchup in the Lancaster-Lebanon League. The Hawks travel to unbeaten Lancaster Catholic on Friday. I asked Mason about the importance of this week’s game in the race for the Section 5 championship. He replied, “I think it’s huge. I think everyone knows that [we’re] the two top competitors for it. This game might be the decider for it.” The Crusaders hung 55 points on Northern Lebanon last week. Mason stressed that the Hawks need to limit penalties and stay focused for four quarters. He has seven tackles for loss at outside linebacker. Hamburg is allowing 19 points per contest. Defensive tackle Charles Sheppard has collected 13.5 TFL and a team-high three sacks. Mason joked about what would happen if he had to square off against Sheppard. “I think he would eat me. He’s a force to be reckoned with. He would definitely obliterate me,” Mason said. Sheppard finished 8th at 285 pounds in the PIAA-2A wrestling tournament last season. Charlie Zettlemoyer, a 180-pound inside linebacker, leads the Hawks with 43 tackles. Derek Ruiz has come up with three of Hamburg’s nine interceptions. He’s one of just eight seniors on the roster. Mason told me that he enjoys playing Call of Duty in his free time, and ‘The Longest Yard’ is his favorite sports movie. Mason is an Eagles fan. He believes they’re a top five team in the NFL. The Eagles and Hawks are flying high so far this football season.