Xander – Berks Sports Report

Xander Menapace-Hamburg

Paul Roberts — Sat, 05 Nov 2022 01:56:00 +0000

It certainly wasn’t the start that the Hawks envisioned. They trailed #5 seed Upper Dauphin 14-0 with two minutes left in the opening quarter. Hamburg senior quarterback Xander Menapace remained confident. “There was not a doubt in my mind and anyone else’s mind that we could keep driving down the field and punching it in every single drive,” he emphasized. That’s exactly what fourth-seeded Hamburg did in the third period of the District 3-3A quarterfinals. The Hawks reached the end zone on all four of their possessions in that quarter and went on to win 49-35. The (8-3) Trojans arrived on Hawk Hill with a 7-game winning streak. An interception by Tegan Engle on Hamburg’s first series set Upper Dauphin up at the Hawks’ 45-yard line. 220-pound senior Brandon Snyder capped the drive with a 3-yard run. After forcing a three-and-out, the Trojans quickly marched 56 yards for another score. Alex Hepler’s 1-yard run made it 14-0. Menapace responded with a 4-yard touchdown run with 55 seconds remaining in the quarter. Hamburg evened things up on Pierce Mason’s 22-yard score midway through the second period. The 6’1, 185-pound senior was just getting warmed up. Ricky Clark’s 39-yard field goal attempt was blocked by Upper Dauphin as time expired. The Hawks’ offense shifted into another gear after halftime. Menapace connected with sophomore Ty Werley in the left corner of the end zone for a 27-yard touchdown. Derek Ruiz then picked off Aidan Bingaman’s pass along the sideline and returned it to the 23-yard line. Mason cashed in the turnover with an 11-yard score for a 28-14 advantage. He ripped off a 56-yard touchdown on Hamburg’s next possession. Ruiz raced 62 yards for another score with 34 seconds to go in the quarter. The Trojans found themselves down 42-21. They didn’t go away quietly. Bingaman flipped a 4-yard pass to Landon Mace early in the fourth quarter. The 6’3, 195-pound tight end had four catches for 22 yards and 2TD. Mace entered the game with just seven receptions, but three of them were touchdowns. On fourth-and-three, Bingaman scrambled for an 11-yard score with 6:37 left. All of a sudden, Upper Dauphin was within 42-35. Mason’s 48-yard touchdown run was erased due to a holding penalty. However, the Hawks wouldn’t be denied. Menapace gave a hard count on fourth-and-four from the Trojans’ 43-yard line with 4:33 remaining and Upper Dauphin jumped offside. Mason sealed the victory with an 8-yard run off the left side with 76 seconds to go. It was his fourth rushing touchdown of the night and 35th of his career which tied Vreeland Wood’s school record. Mason racked up 268 yards on 25 carries. “They couldn’t stop him. We knew that so we just kept giving it to him. He’s a beast,” said Menapace. The 6’5, 210-pound quarterback enjoyed playing at home one last time. “We have great fans, great crowd all the time no matter if it’s a District game or a regular game. You were at the Frost Bowl, great atmosphere. I can’t thank everyone enough,” he stressed. Menapace went 13-of-17 for 141 yards and an interception. He threw for one touchdown and ran for another. Menapace set the school record for completions in a career with 229. He also established a new single season record for passing yards with 1,710. Hamburg finished with 516 total yards including 375 on the ground. The (9-2) Hawks allowed 389 yards. Bingaman, a 6’1 sophomore, was 12-of-30 for 156 yards with a touchdown and a pick. Brady Morgan played through an injury and wound up with 74 yards on eleven carries. The 5’8, 160-pound senior also tossed a touchdown pass to Mace late in the third quarter. Morgan ran for a team-high 1,059 yards and 13TD this season. 190-pound senior fullback Branden Fetterhoff provided 65 yards on eleven touches. Eight different players got a carry for the Trojans for 217 rushing yards. This was Upper Dauphin’s tenth appearance in the District 3 tournament. They claimed the Class 2A championship in 2019. Hamburg is in the District 3 postseason field for the eighth time. The Hawks picked up a win for the second year in a row. Menapace talked about a culture shift that has occurred with the team. He replied, “I think it starts with the players. It starts in the locker room. It’s a drive that you want to get up every day and win it for your town, and win it for your program.” Hamburg will travel to unbeaten Wyomissing next Saturday for the District 3-3A semifinals. The Hawks are averaging 45 points per game. Only Manheim Central has scored more points in the Lancaster-Lebanon League. Menapace and I also discussed the Eagles’ Super Bowl chances and his favorite Halloween candy.

Xander Menapace-Hamburg

Paul Roberts — Sat, 13 Aug 2022 19:25:00 +0000

November 5th, 2021 is a date that Xander Menapace will never forget. The Hawks made school history by earning their first District 3 playoff victory. They beat #6 seed Bermudian Springs 31-27. “It really felt amazing. That night it was crazy. That was the most I’ve ever seen it packed,” he said. The 6’4, 205-pound quarterback went 5-for-5 for 115 yards and two touchdown passes in that Class 3A quarterfinal. Hamburg had been (0-6) all-time in the District 3 tournament. Menapace is looking to get back to the postseason in 2022. He completed 63% of his passes a season ago for 869 yards and 9TD. The Hawks will be putting the ball up much more this year under new head coach Matt Hoffert. The former Hamburg lineman and assistant coach takes over for Jeff Chillot who stepped down after one groundbreaking season. Pierce Mason returns at running back after averaging 10.3 yards on 65 carries last year. Menapace told me to look out for sophomore RB/LB Aiden Readinger. “Sky is the limit for that kid. He’s really shifty, fastest kid I’ve ever seen. He has a high ceiling,” he said. Menapace will be targeting Derek Ruiz, Cohen Correll, Alex Bentz, and 6’3 senior Kevin McFarland. Ruiz’s older brother, Diohnny, made the Class 3A all-state team last season after rushing for 1,313 yards (11.0/carry) and scoring 21TD. He’s now playing rugby at West Chester. Menapace had the opportunity to attend several camps this summer. I asked about the feedback that he received from college coaches. The 3-year starter replied, “They like my size. They like my arm strength and they like the type of kid I am. Everyone says that I need to get faster so that’s what I’ve been working on.” Menapace has spent a lot of time working with former Wilson head coach and quarterback guru Jim Cantafio. He was (69-19) over eight seasons with the Bulldogs. Hamburg returns six starters on offense and five on defense. 6’2, 280-pound OT/DT Charles Sheppard is back up front. The Hawks are part of Section 5 in the new Lancaster-Lebanon League. They’re joined by Schuylkill Valley, Kutztown, Lancaster Catholic, Northern Lebanon, Annville-Cleona, Pequea Valley, and Columbia. Menapace, who averaged 10 points for Hamburg’s basketball team, mentioned that he enjoys golfing in his spare time. He’s still searching for his first hole-in-one. However, he’s no longer searching for a District 3 playoff victory after last year’s (7-4) campaign. The Hawks are looking to soar even higher this season.

Xander Velez-Gov. Mifflin

Paul Roberts — Tue, 26 Apr 2022 20:13:00 +0000

Ja Morant was named the NBA’s Most Improved Player on Monday. On the same day, Xander Velez improved to (6-0) and increased his batting average to .524. If there was a Most Improved Player award in the Berks Baseball League, Velez would garner strong consideration. The junior right-hander played a key role in Governor Mifflin’s 12-4 victory over previously unbeaten Muhlenberg. Despite not having his best command, Velez held a dangerous Muhls’ lineup to two runs on four hits over five innings. He struck out five, walked six, and hit a batter. Velez entered Monday’s marquee matchup with a 0.86 ERA. He features a fastball in the high-80s along with a good changeup. As a sophomore, Velez didn’t see much time on the mound. The Mustangs relied on Connor Maryniak (13-0, 1.13), Matt Gehris, and Tyler Minick. Maryniak and Gehris combined to throw 134 innings. Velez had an 8.59 ERA in just 7.1 innings. He’s transformed into one of the top arms in the county and some Division II colleges have taken notice. Velez has also made tremendous strides at the plate, raising his batting average more than 300 points from .205 in 2021. He said, “Last year I couldn’t hit [anything].” Velez leads the (14-0, 7-0) Mustangs with 21 RBI. He has five doubles, two triples, and seven stolen bases. He’s already driven in twice as many runs as a season ago. The No. 3 hitter went 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI against Muhlenberg. Velez reached base in three of his four plate appearances. I asked Velez how he would pitch to himself. We also discussed what happened when he faced Minick, a UConn commit, during an intrasquad scrimmage. Minick launched two home runs and a double on Monday in Shillington. The all-county selection knocked in four runs and scored three times. Velez has a lot of confidence in their offense. Gov. Mifflin is averaging 8.9 runs per game. He said they don’t really talk much about their undefeated record. Velez revealed his favorite college baseball team. He also told me about his favorite classes at Gov. Mifflin. The Mustangs are on the road Wednesday afternoon when they battle rival Wilson. Gov. Mifflin took the first meeting with the Bulldogs 3-1 on April 5th. Velez was the winning pitcher for that one. While he certainly wasn’t thrilled with his performance versus Muhlenberg, Velez has a lot to be proud of this season.

Xander Menapace-Hamburg

Paul Roberts — Tue, 12 Oct 2021 19:48:00 +0000

Xander Menapace is one of the top-rated quarterbacks in Berks County. The 6’4, 195-pound junior has thrown 7TD passes and just one INT this season. Menapace is completing 65% of his passes. I asked him if he would like to put the ball up in the air even more (dumb question on my part). We talked about the NFL QB that he likes to watch the most. Here’s a hint…take a look at Xander’s haircut. Menapace discussed his relationship with Conrad Weiser standout QB Logan Klitsch. The Hawks fell to the Scouts 31-27 last week. Menapace finished 11-15 for 137 yards and 2TD. He also ran ten times for 69 yards. Menapace said the (5-2) Hawks need to play a complete game. They host Tanner Maddocks and Fleetwood on Friday.

Xander Menapace-Hamburg

Paul Roberts — Thu, 02 Sep 2021 21:05:00 +0000

Xander Menapace is back under center for the Hawks. The 6’4, 195-pound junior is looking forward to throwing the ball more this year with Jeff Chillot taking over as head coach. Menapace went 9-14 for 186 yards and 2TD in a season opening rout of York County School of Technology. Xander’s father, Aaron, is Hamburg’s athletic director and an assistant football coach. Xander talked about their relationship and their connection to perennial powerhouse Southern Columbia. Xander also told me about his hobbies off of the football field.