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Hopewell High School Football

Hopewell High School Football

Let’s Vote for 4 Hopewell Viking Football Players!!

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 2 minutes read

Believe it or not, the 2025 Hopewell Vikings High School football season opener is just 42 days away!

With the start of football season fast approaching, various media outlets are preparing for it by running various polls and list for top players in various categories.

Locally, the Beaver County Times has started an on-line poll asking readers to vote on top players at various skill positions.

Thus far, the Times has posted on-line voting for Beaver County’s top quarterback, running back and wide receiver and 4 Hopewell Viking players have been included.

Vikings sophomore defensive back Avery Bokor, quarterback James Armstrong, sophomore running back Brody Rock and senior wide receiver Logan Triscila are on the list. You can vote as many times as you’d like.

With that being the case, as they say, let’s vote early and more importantly, let’s vote often. Here are the links-

Vote for Bokor for Beaver County’s Top Wide Receiver–  https://www.timesonline.com/story/sports/high-school/football/2025/07/11/who-is-the-top-returning-defensive-back-in-the-beaver-valley/84459522007/

(VOTING CLOSES ON JULY 18TH AT NOON)

Vote for Triscila for Beaver County’s Top Wide Receiver– https://www.timesonline.com/story/sports/high-school/football/2025/07/10/who-is-the-beaver-valleys-top-returning-receiver-in-2025/84459437007/

(VOTING CLOSES ON JULY 17TH AT NOON)

Hopewell’s Logan Triscila

Vote for Rock for Beaver County’s Top Running Back– https://www.timesonline.com/story/sports/high-school/football/2025/07/09/who-is-the-top-returning-running-back-in-the-beaver-valley-in-2025/84459337007/

(VOTING CLOSES ON JULY 16TH AT NOON)

Hopewell’s Brody Rock

Vote for Armstrong for Beaver County’s Top Quarterback– https://www.timesonline.com/story/sports/high-school/football/2025/07/08/who-is-the-beaver-valleys-top-returning-quarterback-in-2025/84459286007/

(VOTING CLOSES AT JULY 15TH AT NOON)

James Armstrong

Hopewell QB James Armstrong

 

By the way, Hopewell opens the 2025 season with an away game at Riverside on August 22nd before their home opener on August 29th vs. New Castle.

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Hopewell High School Football

Hopewell’s Julian Baldwin Suffers Season-Ending Injury

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 1 minutes read

Adversity is something that every person has to deal with at some point in their lives. It’s not a matter of if but when.

Unfortunately for Hopewell football player Julian Baldwin he’s been hit with some unfortunate news that he’s going to have work to overcome.

The upcoming senior suffered an injury that will cost him his entire senior football season. Baldwin DID NOT get injured in a team football event.

Doctors have given him an initial diagnosis of being sidelined anywhere from 4-6 months. This is devasting news for JB as he’s been working hard all offseason to improve his skills and get ready for his last season of high school football.

“If you know me, you know football is everything to me. This game is the thing I love, and it means more to me than anything, but due to unfortunate events on June 8th, I broke my tibia,” says Baldwin. “My head is held very high and I’m trying to stay as positive as I can, but I was given unfortunate news that I will be out 4-6 months, which would be my whole senior season. My family and I have talked things through, and we are figuring the future out.”

“I’m very thankful for all the people that have given me support throughout my journey and I could not thank you more. This is going to be a long hard journey back but I will get back. Go Vikes!”

This is also difficult news for the Hopewell team as Baldwin was the quarterback of the Vikings secondary and their primary signal caller. Coach Mottes will now call upon someone else to fill Baldwin’s void.

JB this is no doubt unfortunate but it’s only a small bump in your journey. Knowing your work ethic and determination, you’ll be back rehabbing, working out and on the field before you know it.

 

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Hopewell High School Football

Good Night For Hopewell HS Football in 7-on-7 Games

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 3 minutes read

HOPEWELL TOWNSHIP– The big sports night at Hopewell High School tonight started with a 7-on-7 football game between Hopewell, Aliquippa and New Castle.

In the first game, Hopewell took on Aliquippa, followed by New Castle vs. Aliquippa and finished up with Hopewell vs. New Castle.

The way it worked was the game consisted of two halves with a 25-minute running clock. Each took started at the opponents 40-yard line, with a 1st down at the 25 yard line and then again at the 10 yard line.

If they failed to do so, the other team took over once again at the 40-yard. The quarterbacks had 4 seconds to throw the ball, or it counted as an incomplete pass. A touchdown counted for 6 points, while an opposing interception counted as 2 points.

HOPEWELL VS. ALIQUIPPA:
-This game was dominated by the defenses as the opposing secondaries did a good job of taking away anything deep.

*On their 2nd drive, Hopewell got on the board first. Things got get up by a big gain from quarterback James Armstrong to Brody Rock. The drive was completed by a TD pass from Armstrong to sophomore wide receiver Avery Bokor. Hopewell led 6-0.

*Aliquippa tied the game at 6 but Hopewell had an answer. Armstrong connected with senior wide out Logan Triscila followed by a long TD from Armstrong to Rock. Hopewell led 12-6.

*Aliquippa tied the game at 12 but the Vikings responded with another TD. On 3rd down, Armstrong hit Rock for a first down. Then next play, Armstrong connected on an inside slant in the endzone to Cameron. Hopewell led 18-12.

*On their last drive, Aliquippa tied the game at 18 and the game looked like it would end in a 18-18 tie but that wasn’t the case. Stay tuned for the end result.

HOPEWELL VS. NEW CASTLE:
-It took a while for Hopewell’s offense to get going against Aliquippa but that wasn’t the case against New Castle. The Vikings had it in high gear from the start and looked really good in a 30-18 win. In fact, every time the Hopewell offense had the ball, they scored a touchdown.

*1st Drive: On 3rd down, Armstrong connected on a corner of the endzone TD to senior Kingston Krotec. Hopewell 6-0.

*2nd Drive: On the very first play, Armstrong connected with Rock on a 40-yard TD pass up the right sidelines. Rock is going to be an extremely different matchup for opposing teams trying to guard him this season because of his size and speed.  Hopewell 12-6.

*3rd Drive: On the 2nd play, Armstrong scanned the field and found sophomore running back Bruiser Wade in the back of the endzone. Hopewell 18-6.

*4th Drive: Once again, Armstrong found Rock deep up the right sidelines to a TD, Hopewell 24-12.

*5th Drive: Armstrong rolled out to his left and threw deep and connected with Rock in the back of the endzone. 30-18.

FINAL: HOPEWELL 30 NEW CASTLE 18

ALIQUIPPA VS. HOPEWELL:
-As I mentioned, this game appeared to end in an 18-18 tie however, Aliquippa didn’t want things ending in a tie and after the Hopewell/New Castle game, they wanted to resolve things to determine a winner. Each team started at the opposing teams 15-yard line and had 3 plays to score.

*Aliquippa got the ball first and scored to go ahead 24-18. Hopewell took over and on the very first play, Armstrong connected with Cameron for a TD. Game tied at 24.

*On Aliquippa’s next possession, former Aliquippa player came up with an interception, which gave Hopewell 2 points and a 26-24 win!

FINAL: HOPEWELL 26 ALIQUIPPA 24

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Big Night of Sports Events at Hopewell High School

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 1 minutes read

The weather will be perfect so if you’re looking to get out tonight, there’s plenty happening tonight at Hopewell High School.

If you’re a sports fan, you’ll have a chance to watch football, basketball and baseball!

The Hopewell Colt League baseball team, the Hopewell High School basketball team will host summer league games, and the Hopewell HS football team will be hosting a 7-on-7 event.

Here are the details on what’s going on this evening:
*The Colt League team will take on South Side Beaver with the first pitch set for 6 PM. Hopewell currently has a record of 3-2.

*The Vikings HS boys basketball team has been competing in the Pittsburgh Basketball Club’s Summer League and tonight, the games are at Hopewell High School. Coach Biega’s team will take on Seton LaSalle with the tipoff scheduled for 7 PM.

*If you’re looking to watch some football, Coach Mottes and his team will be taking on Aliquippa, Farrell and New Castle in 7-on-7 football. Action begins at 5 PM.

If you have the time, come out and check out some of the action and support these athletes.

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Hopewell High School Football

Hopewell Football Competing Today at W&J 7-on-7 Tournament

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 1 minutes read

Although the officially high school football season doesn’t begin for another couple months, but that doesn’t mean the team isn’t involved in serious competition.

Today is one of those days as Coach Mottes and members of his team will be competing in the prestigious W&J 7-on-7 Tournament.

In this one-day tournament, the Vikings will get a chance to compete and measure themselves against talented teams from Western Pennsylvania and beyond. Teams that have signed up to compete in this 7-7 competition are Aliquippa, Upper St. Clair, Hempfield, South Fayette, Wheeling Park, Beaver, Laurel Highlands, Washington, Ringgold, OLSH, Blackhawk, Bridgeport, Shaler, Washington (WV), North Catholic and Uniontown.

The way this works is that these teams are split into 3 different sections of 6 teams. The 3 teams in a section will play against each other with 2 teams eventually advancing to the next round. After that there’s a semifinal and an eventual championship game.

Let’s hope it’s a long day for the Hopewell team in Washington County! Competition for Hopewell begins at 9:50 AM, the second round starts at 12:45 PM, semifinals at 2 PM and the championship game scheduled to begin at 3:40 PM.

For the most part the skill position players on offense and defense will be competing in this.

Hopewell is also involved in a 7-on-7 tournament this summer with teams from Farrell, New Castle and Neshannock. That began last week with Hopewell defeating all 3 teams soundly.

That round of games took place at Farrell but coming up on Thursday, the competition will take place at Tony Dorsett Stadium. Action will get underway at 5 PM.

Come check out the 2025 Hopewell Vikings!

 

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Hopewell High School Football

Hopewell’s Rocco Marcantonio Working Hard to Achieve Lifelong Dream

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 3 minutes read

One year ago, Hopewell athlete Rocco Marcantonio received headlines as one of the top players on the Vikings High School boys’ soccer team but was an unknown commodity in terms of a football kicker.

Fast forward to today and that’s no longer the case, as Marcantonio is still a standout on the soccer team but is now well known for his leg and being one of the best kickers in the state of Pennsylvania.

The senior kicker received headlines last season for connecting on a 55-yard field, which tied a WPIAL record set 22 years ago by East Allegheny’s Josh Miller.

Along with this kick, Rocco also connected on 8 other field goals and was 30 of 31 on PAT attempts.

With this success came attention from colleges for Marcantonio as during the season he received an offer from the Akron Zips.

Since then, Marcantonio has been on a number of unofficial college visits, which have included invitations to kick in front the special teams’ coaches. Rocco has been to Penn State, Michigan and over the weekend traveled to both UConn and Buffalo to show off his leg. In the last month, Marcantonio also received an invite to participate in a Kohl’s Kicking Camp in Georgia.

“Traveling all round and meeting these various coaches has been exciting,” said Marcantonio. “I wouldn’t say it’s been a challenge; I look at it as being fun, a learning experience and good training for me. I believe it keeps me ready for the season.”

“Just being lucky enough to get in front of these coaches and getting my name out there is really exciting. That’s as important to me as getting an offer there.”

In terms of what his day consisted of, Marcantonio says each workout was pretty much the same and he believes that he helped his cause.

Rocco Marcantonio at Michigan

“They were similar but a bit different. When I was at Buffalo, we did a couple different training drills before we did charting and competition,” said Marcantonio. “At Pitt, we did a few different drills than Michigan and UConn. But all the charting and the competitions were the same. Before beginning, all the coaches just told me to relax and stay locked in.”

“I think I did very well, in my opinion. Afterwards, a lot of the coaches told me that I did very well and that they would like to keep in contact with me and would keep me in their contacts.”

I don’t know about you but I would’ve been nervous knowing that I was potentially kicking for a college scholarship but that wasn’t the case with Rocco.

Hopewell’s Rocco Marcantonio at UConn

“Really, I wasn’t nervous at all. I was actually more pumped up to get in front of them and to have another an opportunity to get my name out there.”

In terms of his upcoming schedule, Marcantonio tells VSN that he will be performing at an upcoming camp at Robert Morris along with making a trip to Kent State. After that, his focus will be on the upcoming 2025 Hopewell football season.

“I’m really excited for the upcoming season. I’m ready, excited, focused and ready to get to work.”

Considering how much work he’s put in over the last year, I wrapped up my talk with Rocco asking him how bad he wants to earn more D-1 scholarships offers?

“I want it really bad,” said Marcantonio. “I would do anything to earn them. I can’t really explain it, but I just want it so bad.”

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Hopewell High School Football

Tre Cameron Receiving Help/Working Hard Towards Achieving Lifelong Dream

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 5 minutes read

Sophomore Tre Cameron is one of the most physically gifted athletes in Hopewell High School.

That’s a lofty statement but it’s the truth. Personally, I’ve been fortunate enough to watch Cameron compete in various sports since his elementary days.

Whether it was football, basketball or baseball, Cameron has always been one of the best players not only on his team but also who he was competing against that particular game.

Some athletes are fortunate to be gifted like that and that’s certainly the case with Tre.

With all that being said, last season was a new experience for Cameron as he competed in varsity sports for the first time. Because of the age difference of the kids along with the different programs Hopewell went up against, 2024 was a learning experience. Cameron had to learn how to compete in high school athletics and had to earn his opportunity to get on the field.

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On the football field, Cameron showed enough to Hopewell head coach Matt Mottes to become a part time starter at cornerback and saw considerable time as a wide receiver. Cameron’s breakout game came against McGuffey when he had 7 catches for 106 yards, his first career high school 100-yard game. On the defensive side of the ball, Cameron performed well at cornerback but was young and really learning to play the position.

Considering the lofty standards that he has for himself, Cameron wasn’t satisfied with his performance and has been grinding hard all offseason to not only open the eyes of opposing teams but also college football coaches.

Make no mistake about it, Cameron has the size and athleticism to play D-1 football and he plans on doing everything possible to make that happen. Currently, Tre is 6’0″, 160-pounds so when he’s able to able 15-20 pounds to that frame, lookout.

Vikings Sports Now had the chance to sit-down and spend some time with Cameron, and we got into a wide range of topics starting with how he’s a different player than he was one year ago.

“Physically, I have really been working over the last year to improve myself,” said Cameron. “Mentally, I’m working really hard to learn more about the game so that I can be a great player mentally and a student of the game. While at the Robert Morris camp on Sunday, their head coach said a lot of players can be elite from the neck down, from the neck up what separates a lot of players. I want to become a great student of the game.”

“My dad has been really helping me with this, staying on my back, trying to help me learn more about the game. Also, Coach Mottes and Coach Zach (Rosa) are really helping me out, which I’m appreciative of.”

Looking back at last season, Cameron says that one area that he’s determined to get better at is with his blocking from the wide receiver position. He knows that the Vikings offense will run the ball a lot and he needs to do his part in doing a better job of blocking at his position.

While he enjoys playing both positions, Cameron says that if he’s fortunate enough to play at the college level, he’d like for it to be at wide receiver.

“Definitely on offense. I just feel with how shifty I am, I can make more of an impact offensively than defensively,” said Cameron.

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Speaking of offense, Cameron was excited talking about the 2025 Hopewell offense that features James Armstrong, Brody Rock, Nasir Wade, Logan Triscila, Avery Bokor and others.

“Offensively, I think our team can and will be very good this season. We (teammates) talk about it and the number of weapons that we have this year and how things might play out. I’m really excited to see how everyone on the team will develop throughout the year and what will happen.”

In terms of the physical work he’s putting in, Cameron tells me that he gets up every day from 6 AM until Noon with Larry Moon. Following the morning workouts, he goes home rests, eats a good lunch and is back at Hopewell High School working out with either the football, basketball or track teams.

“When I start at 6 AM, we start with agility work and then after I eat something, at 10 AM, it’s lifting and about strength and conditioning. Then from 11 until Noon, it’s working specifically on cornerback drills. I’ve really noticed a difference as far as my coverage skills and offensively, my hands have gotten a lot better than last year.”

The work and dedication that Cameron and many of his Hopewell teammates have been putting in this offseason is no doubt impressive and will pay future dividends.

My question to Cameron is where this work ethic comes from and the end game/purpose of all this?

“The end game for me is to be able to play football past high school and hopefully one day in the NFL,” said Cameron. “All this drive, really started with my dad and him staying on me and pushing me to try and be the best player and person that I can be every day. My dad, my mom and my entire family has faith in me and have put a lot of time and love into me.”

“I’m very fortunate because every kid is blessed with the family support that I have always received. At times it’s annoying but I know at the end it’s because they are doing it for the betterment of me and my future.”

When looking ahead to his future, Cameron is waiting and more importantly, working towards that first college scholarship offer. Over the weekend, he took part in a prospects camp held at Robert Morris University.

While an offer didn’t come, it’s only a matter of time. To borrow a famous phrase from WWE Hall of Fame manager Paul Heyman, “That’s not a prediction, that’s a spoiler.”

“I definitely think about getting that first scholarship, especially with seeing kids around the WPIAL in my grade already receiving them,” said Cameron. “But I try not to think about it too much and worry more about putting the work in.”

I closed things up by asking Cameron can he imagine what it’s going to be like if he’s fortunate enough to one day receive a college scholarship offer.

“If I get that first one, I don’t know what it’s going to be like for me (smiling). Depending on where I am, I might cry.”

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Hopewell High School Football

Hopewell QB James Armstrong Reflects on Changes Over Past Year

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 3 minutes read

Life has changed quite a bit over the last calendar year for Hopewell High School freshman James Armstrong.|

One year ago, Armstrong was playing with the Hopewell Pony League team that was on their way towards winning the Beaver County Pony League Championship. He was also working out with the Hopewell High School football team preparing for his first season of varsity football. Little did he know that he would become the full-time starter at quarterback due to the season-ending injury in training camp to junior Kingston Krotec.

Fast forward to 2025 and Armstrong is still busy but the focus has changed in certain areas.

‘Boo Boo’ is working out with the Vikings HS basketball team in their Summer League sessions as he’ll be a focal point of next years squad.

However, the biggest change is how Armstrong is viewed as a football player. The difference is that James is now a known commodity to people outside of Beaver County and has turned into a D-1 football recruit after landing an offer from the Pitt Panthers.

Armstrong is now finding out that being a D-1 football recruit brings with it pressure and attention from coaches.

College coaches know Armstrong has talent but because he’s only a freshman, they are attempting to get him to come to their campus and attend football camps in order  to watch him workout and to evaluate him themselves. Unlike college official visits which are paid for by the football program, attending these prospect camps aren’t free.

Currently, Armstrong has been invited to attend camps at Toledo, Virginia, Towson, Rutgers, Alabama, Michigan State, Robert Morris, Indiana, Northwestern and Michigan.

 

Due to a number of different reasons, Armstrong has decided to attend upcoming prospects camp at Rutgers, Robert Morris and has accepted an invitation to participate in the prestigious 2 Tenths Top 150 Camp in Pittsburgh. This is run by legendary Dee Brown and is attended by all the top players in the WPIAL.

“Right now, that’s what I have planned,” Armstrong tells VSN. “I really wanted to go to like six camps but I had schedule conflicts and our team is participating in 7-on-7’s coming up. My reason for going to these is to just keep my name out there and keep playing football in order to improve. I’m not really worried about attending camps this offseason, my main focus is to personally improve for the upcoming season.”

“I’m going to Rutgers because I’ll be in Philadelphia next week with family and it’s only an hour or so away from where my family is at. The coaches from Rutgers have been contacting me and wanted me to visit them in the spring but I wasn’t able to get there.”

Before working out with the Vikings basketball team this afternoon, Vikings Sports Now sat down with Armstrong to talk about this past year, how things have changed and what’s ahead.

“Last season at this time, I was a lot more timid,” said Armstrong. “I’m always a confident player but I was nervous a lot last year. I’m completely different this year and have way more confidence. When I attend these camps, I won’t be nervous and will be out there just playing my game.”

In terms of goals for this football season, Armstrong priority number one is winning and getting Hopewell to the playoffs. As far as personal goals, he has some areas that he wants to improve in.

“I need to really just get better at really just being a quarterback. I’m focused on making better decisions on the field, I want to stay in the pocket more and not just run around. Last year, I got caught running around a lot and if I would’ve stayed in the pocket, I would’ve had someone open. I need to get better at reading the defenses and finding the open routes. It’s all about making the right decisions.”

Personally, I’ve talked with Armstrong numerous times over the past couple of years and today he seemed different, more mature and with a focus. If things stay that way, the 2025-26 sports season could be a special one for Hopewell and for Armstrong individually.

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Hopewell High School Football

Hopewell DB Julian Baldwin Adds 3rd Football Offer

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 1 minutes read

Hopewell junior defensive back Julian Baldwin has a burning desire to play college football.

Baldwin isn’t just hoping this happens, ‘JB’ is putting the necessary work in to improve his stock with college programs in order to make this happen.

As he just completed a successful season with Coach Brunton and the Hopewell High School Track and Field program, Baldwin received more good news on the football front.

Baldwin received an offer from Mike Sirianni and the very successful Washington & Jefferson football program. This becomes Baldwin’s third offer- Waynesburg and Westminster.

“Thank you most importantly but I give all my praise to the man above and my parents,” Baldwin tells Vikings Sports Now. “I’ve been in touch with the (W&J) coaches for a while. I’m going to their camp on Saturday.”

“Coach Mike lives in Hopewell and he comes to every game and supports me. I’m sure that we will talk way more in person on Saturday. This was a big offer because W&J is one of the best schools in the PAC if not the best. I’m truly grateful.”

Baldwin tells Vikings Sports Now that he’ll be attending an upcoming camp at St. Vincent College.

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Hopewell High School Football

Recruiting Notes on Hopewell 2028 QB James Armstrong

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 1 minutes read

Although we’re still 5 months away from the start of football season, there’s never an off-season for high school football recruiting.

This is the time of year when college football programs are trying to get players on campus for unofficial visits. The two reasons for that are 1) the coaches get a chance to meet and possibly work out a player, in case they want to extend an offer then or in the future. 2) if the player already has an offer from that program, the coaches have an opportunity to do some in-person recruiting.

Considering he’s only a freshman, the recruiting process for Hopewell quarterback James Armstrong hasn’t truly started. The fact that he already holds offers from Pitt, Akron and Sacramento State are a testament to his potential and that the next few years will be a wild ride.

Because of his age and the importance that teams are putting into the NCAA transfer portal, recruiting is likely to be slow for Armstrong until the actual start of the season when coaches are able to see more game film of him.

With that being said, we have some recruiting news on Armstrong as some teams want him to come for a visit. In the last month, Armstrong has received invites to attend football camps at Indiana, Northwestern, Rutgers and yesterday he received an invite from the University of Michigan.

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Currently, Armstrong is playing baseball on the Vikings High School team but before you know it, football season will be here.

This past season, Armstrong accounted for 2131 all-purpose yards and 25 touchdowns in his first year of varsity action. Considering the returning talent and the addition of talented Aliquippa freshman running back Nasir “Bruiser” Wade, the Hopewell offense has a chance to be lethal in 2025.

 

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