Xander Menapace-Hamburg

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.