If football is a numbers game, the odds of the Hampton football team qualifying for the WPIAL playoffs were about as dismal as a packed stadium all being able to accurately pronounce the first name of Talbots coach Jacque DeMatteo. (It's "zhahk," by the way, the French pronunciation).

Among the unfortunate digits bestowed upon the Talbots were two significant ones. One, their roster had trickled down to an unenviable count of 27 players at one point this fall, a staggering amount for any WPIAL school, particularly a Class AAA program.

Two, they were coming off a distasteful 1-8 season, and were 3-15 over the past two years.

But at some point, the chances of a breakout year began to multiply exponentially. And before the Talbots knew it, a potential ugly season ended up as beautiful as Cinderella.

Hampton was indeed one of the Cinderella teams in the WPIAL this season. Not only did the Talbots qualify for the playoffs, but they advanced to the semifinals for the first time in school history.

"For these kids to do what they did is extraordinary," said DeMatteo. "To be honest, I didn't think we would go that far. But at the same time, I saw a lot of changes in these kids."

A few of the primary changes was the players buying into DeMatteo's system -- the former Shaler coach was in his second year at Hampton -- and a cohesiveness that formed in the offseason.

"They really pulled together," DeMatteo said. "They worked hard in the offseason and I think it carried over to the summer and fall.

"They really bought into things. And I think the chemistry is moving in the right direction."

It's not like the Talbots had an outstanding record -- they finished 7-5 -- but the foundation for a perennial winner may have fallen into place.

DeMatteo said things began moving in the right direction when he challenged his players after a 10-7 loss to Knoch.

The Talbots went on to win two of their final three regular-season games to qualify for the playoffs, and then, despite being the No. 14 seed, won a pair of playoff games -- one being an upset of No. 3 seed Chartiers Valley -- to venture into uncharted territory.

"The chemistry and confidence grew in the latter part of the season," DeMatteo said. "You could feel and you could see it."

They say all good things come to an end, and that proved to be the case when Hampton met powerful No. 2 seed Hopewell in the semifinals at Montour last Friday, a contest the Talbots lost, 31-9. DeMatteo's bunch might have been heavy underdogs, but Hopewell coach Dave Vestal came away quite impressed with their effort

"They didn't sneak up on anybody," Vestal said. "They're a good football team."

Opposing teams found out Andrew Bly was a good running back, too. Bly put together some amazing numbers late in the season, rushing for a staggering 857 yards over a four-game stretch prior to the season finale. He finished with more than 1,400 yards and 16 touchdowns.

"We talked about our offense being a train, and Bly was the engine that moved the train. We rolled behind him. Plus, our other backs and our line played very well, so it was a team effort."

Bly will graduate next spring, though, as will a significant number of Hampton starters. Among them linebacker-defensive end Jordan Paskorz, a Michigan recruit of whom DeMatteo said, "if he has the same work ethic and attitude he had coming into the offseason, he'll be great at the next level."

Having helped the Hampton program move to a new level this season, DeMatteo smiles when he reflects on the season, and is even more happy about what lies ahead.

"Honestly, we set our goals in the offseason, our goal was to make the playoffs. I think beyond that was a bonus for us," DeMatteo said. "Things are going in the right direction and I'm really excited about it."

Mike White's "High School Sports Edition" videos are featured exclusively on PG+, a members-only web site from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.