Rushel Shell's past week epitomized that of his Hopewell team last night.

The Vikings' ballyhooed sophomore tailback spent Monday and Tuesday in a hospital bed, fighting through the affects of an untimely bout of tonsillitis.

Three nights later, he and his team fought through an attack of sluggishness and mistakes.

But luckily for the parties involved, the final prognosis was positive on both counts.

Shell and the Vikings looked a little under the weather at times, but surged and did what needed to be done to defeat Hampton, 31-9, in a WPIAL Class AAA semifinal at Montour.

"We came out slow," said Shell, who said he lost 17 pounds because of the illness. "They're a good team. They have a good line up front and they like to hit. But we just came together and got the win."

The second-seeded Vikings (12-0) will next face Parkway Conference rival West Allegheny (10-2), which stunned three-time defending champion Thomas Jefferson. The Vikings defeated West Allegheny, 34-26, earlier this season.

Shell fell short of reaching 4,000 yards for his career -- he sits at 3,981 -- but still put forth a top-notch effort by running for 157 yards and three touchdowns on 28 carries. He led a ground game that chewed up 210 yards and seemed to keep Hampton's defense on the field continuously.

Defense was also a big key for the Vikings, as they limited the Talbots (7-5) to 153 yards of offensive, including 63 on the ground. Hampton running back Andrew Bly, who had rushed for 857 yards in his past four games, was held to just 78 yards on 24 carries. The Talbots didn't score until they got a safety and touchdown after they trailed, 24-0.

"That was big," said Hopewell coach Dave Vestal, just after getting doused with ice water. "Our defense kind of bent but didn't break at times. It's a team effort and our kids just found a way to make it happen in 48 minutes."

After their high-scoring offense -- a Class AAA-best 38.2 points per game heading into the game -- was stymied early, the Vikings quickly separated themselves from the Talbots in the second quarter. Shell took an option pitch to the left, shook a defender and burst for a 3-yard score. And then two minutes later, Hampton snapped the ball over its punter's head and Hopewell's Rob Swan fell on it in the end zone to put the Vikings ahead, 14-0.

Shell, who added touchdown runs of 4 and 15 yards, said he was hoping to play Thomas Jefferson in the WPIAL final to avenge a loss in the playoffs a year ago. Instead he will face a West Allegheny team who he has scorched for 557 yards and four touchdowns in two career meetings.

"I lost a little step [last night]," Shell said, "but next week I'll get it back."

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