Football undefeated for 4th straight season

The seventh-ranked Blue Jays completed their fourth consecutive undefeated regular season with a 48-28 victory over the McDaniel Green Terror. With a 10-0 record, the Blue Jays earned their sixth straight Centennial Conference title.

“We came out strong, which is exactly what we needed to do,” senior wide receiver Bradley Munday said. “Our mindset was to come out and get off to a fast start and carry that momentum throughout the rest of the game. While we had a few slumps during the game, we finished strong and completed our 10-0 regular season goal and won the conference outright.”

The Jays raced out to a 27-0 lead in the first 16 minutes, scoring touchdowns on their first three drives of the game. Senior quarterback Jonathan Germano fired a 12-yard touchdown pass to Munday and a 10-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Boone Lewis, Jr.

Nearly doubling their lead, junior running back Ryan Cary scored on a nine-yard run, while sophomore running back Tyler Messinger scored on a 17-yard run.

In the 22nd minute, the Green Terror got themselves on the scoreboard after converting a blocked punt into a three-play, 15-yard drive. The Green Terror’s quarterback Will Koester made the 10-yard pass to wide receiver Bamasa Bailor to seal the touchdown.

Following the McDaniel touchdown, the Blue Jays responded with two of their own, as Germano made his third touchdown pass of the game to sophomore wide receiver Luke McFadden to complete a successful 68-yard drive. Freshman wide receiver Dane Rogerson scored another touchdown for the Jays with a one-yard run to advance their lead to 41-7 in the last minute of the first half.

The Blue Jays’ defensive line also served as a threat. The Green Terror covered only 65 yards on 27 plays and zero rushing yards on 13 attempts in the first half.

Many of the Blue Jays’ non-starters made appearances on the field in the second half of play. McDaniel capitalized on the Jays’ substitutions and scored three consecutive touchdowns in just over 19 minutes.

Despite the Green Terror’s scoring run, Hopkins still had a 41-28 cushion with just under eight minutes left in the game. The Jays quickly responded to McDaniel’s success with a 66-yard drive and a final one-yard run to record the last touchdown of the game.

Through the duration of the game, 11 different Blue Jays would have at least one reception, while senior Munday had a career high eight receptions.

Defensively, senior strong safety Pat Runger made a team-high seven tackles against McDaniel. Notably, senior defensive back Jack Toner, sophomore defensive back Michael Curry and sophomore defensive lineman Anthony Davidson all recorded interceptions.

As Saturday’s victory sealed a perfect regular season for the Blue Jays, it also means the Hopkins seniors will finish their careers with a perfect 40-0 regular season record.

With their newly-earned Centennial Conference title, Hopkins secured a spot in the NCAA Tournament. While in years past, the Jays fell in the first or second round, this year they will look to advance further than any team in program history.

“We want to do something special and something that no Hopkins football team has ever done,” Munday said. “We know that we have to keep our focus on one week at a time, but we have high aspirations to make a serious run.”

In preparation for the upcoming NCAA Tournament, the Blue Jays plan to continue what they have been doing all season: working hard and coming together as a team.

“We will do the same thing we have done all year — be attentive and detail oriented in film study and meetings, practice extremely hard and take every rep like it’s a game rep,” Munday said. “Most importantly, Coach Margraff’s number one point at the beginning of the year is to make sure we are a team as opposed to having freshmen, sophomores, etc. Everybody has contributed to the process and has done their job and stepped up to make a really positive impact.”

Last Sunday evening at the NCAA Football Division III selection show, it was announced that the Jays will return to Homewood Field to face the Randolph-Macon Yellow Jackets in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Kickoff is set for Saturday, Nov. 19 at noon.