Everyone knows the dreaded feeling of gray clouds culminating on the horizon. For an athlete, rain brings a sense of anxiety and suspense and could throw off a team’s entire game plan just moments before the start of the contest. The two teams stood in opposition, with the Jays relying heavily on the run and the Crusaders providing an all-out aerial assault. On a cold and rainy Saturday afternoon, the Hopkins Blue Jays conquered the onslaught of water and wind and defeated the Crusaders of Susquehanna on their home field.
At the start of the game, the Jays looked lethargic and took a striking blow when Crusader quarterback Nick Crusco hit teammate Will Howell for a 70-yard touchdown pass. After Susquehanna’s extra point was blocked, the Jays took advantage of their next offensive possession when senior quarterback Braden Anderson punched a one-yard carry into the end zone. The score became 7-6 with 8:27 left in the quarter, and each team remained scoreless until the second quarter.
Both teams exchanged touchdowns in the second, with sophomore running back Dionisio Roman plunging in for another one-yard touchdown for the Jays. The eight-point gap proved to be short-lived when Crusader receiver Denzell Walker caught a 41-yard pass to make the score 14-13, where it would stay until halftime. The Blue Jay defense looked great with multiple three and out stops, one of which was taken away by a roughing the kicker penalty. Susquehanna subsequently scored off the newly formed drive as a result of the penalty, and Hopkins went into halftime trying to figure out how to stop the deep pass.
The third quarter proved successful for the Jays as they opened up scoring with a two-yard touchdown from Roman. After holding the Susquehanna offense to a three and out, the Jays answered offensively with a large run. However, this huge play was cut short by an unsportsmanlike penalty with 6:45 left to go in the third quarter. Undaunted by the removal of such a big play, Anderson scored on a six-yard run to make it 27-13 Hopkins. Attempting to make it a 16-point lead, the Jays failed on the two-point conversion when their kicker attempted to run it in off of a fake extra point opportunity.
At the end of the third quarter, the Hopkins sideline sounded electric as everyone on the Jays side of the stadium could sense victory. However, one of Anderson's first passes was intercepted at the beginning of the fourth quarter, and the Crusaders took over first and 10 at the Hopkins 31-yard line. Walker came up huge for the Crusaders when he caught a deep pass on a third and long opportunity to give the Crusaders a first down and extend the drive. Susquehanna then scored on a five-yard run into the end zone and made the score 27-20 with 11:58 remaining in the game. This scoring drive gave the Susquehanna fans and sideline a tremendous amount of momentum, and their excitement echoed throughout the rest of the game.
After a couple of possessions from each team, Susquehanna faced a fourth and two on the 45-yard line with 5:25 left to go in the game. Senior safety Ryan Rice promptly intercepted the ensuing pass, giving Hopkins possession on its own 47-yard line. Momentum would shift away from the Jays once again as Crusader defender McLoughlin recovered a fumble, giving Susquehanna the ball back with 3:56 left in the game.
Susquehanna faced a fourth and eight opportunity with the clock winding down, and Crusco converted a 37-yard pass to his tight end Devon Pascoe. Rice came up huge in the clutch once again, forcing a fumble that Hopkins would recover with just 1:25 left to play, essentially sealing the game for the Jays.
The tandem of sophomore running back Stuart Walters and junior running back Brandon Cherry collected 229 yards over 37 carries, each finishing with an identical 6.2 yards per carry. Senior defensive linemen Michael Rocca and Michael Longo each tallied a sack in the victory.
With the win, Hopkins improves to a 2-0 record. The Jays play Moravian at home next Saturday and hope to keep their perfect record alive.
Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The News-Letter.