The mid-afternoon rain stopped just in time for another kickoff last Friday. The seventh-ranked Blue Jays tallied another Centennial Conference victory, knocking off the Gettysburg Bullets by a score of 54-14. The Blue Jays not only improved their Centennial Conference record to 6-0, but also set the Centennial Conference record for most consecutive league victories with 34 wins.
The Blue Jays quickly gained momentum, scoring a touchdown on each of their first three drives, all within the first quarter.
Sophomore quarterback Zack Baker told The News-Letter that the team really prioritized coming out strong to open the contest after starting slow in a number of games this season.
“We wanted to come out of the gates firing this week because in the last few games we had sluggish starts,” Baker said. “We came out and scored quickly on offense, and our defense played great all night.”
Junior running back Ryan Cary racked up the first two touchdowns of the game with scoring runs of four and five-yards, respectively. Senior wide receiver Boone Lewis, Jr. scored the third touchdown after hauling in a 17-yard pass from senior quarterback Jonathan Germano.
Defensively, the Blue Jays stymied the Bullets’ offense as they recorded five punts and a turnover in their first six possessions. Gettysburg totaled just 46 yards through their first five possessions of the game.
After a Blue Jays’ turnover in the second quarter, they managed to score on their next three possessions, giving them a 38-0 lead going into the locker room.
The Bullets eventually made their way onto the scoreboard at the beginning of the second half, driving 81 yards in 15 plays.However, Gettysburg’s touchdown did not stop the Blue Jays from creating an even larger lead. The Jays scored back-to-back touchdowns, making the score 52-7 by the beginning of the fourth quarter.
Freshman wide receiver Dane Rogerson sprinted five yards into the end zone to score the first of the two touchdowns. The second was a seven-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Drew Tomaini to sophomore wide receiver Kyle Morris. This was Tomaini’s first career touchdown pass and Morris’ first career touchdown reception.
In response to the Blue Jays’ back-to-back touchdowns, the Bullets scored their second touchdown of the game. However, the Jays would close out the game by securing their first safety in nearly two years.
The Blue Jays totaled 320 yards passing and 206 yards rushing during Friday night’s game, making it just the eighth time in school history that Hopkins has totaled more than 300 yards passing and 200 yards rushing in a single game.
Individually, several Jays reached significant milestones. Senior wide receiver Quinn Donaldson caught his 20th career touchdown reception, becoming the sixth player in school history to have 20 career TDs. Likewise, senior wide receiver Bradley Munday reached 232 receptions in his career, the third most career receptions in school history. Baker’s impressive streak of 27 consecutive completions came to an end against the Bullets, but not before he set the school record and came just two completions shy of setting a new NCAA Division III record.
Defensively, the Jays were led by senior linebacker Jack Campbell, who totaled 12 tackles and an interception. The Bullets were only able to convert three of their 16 third down chances.
Baker is confident that the Jays can continue their success as long as they do not get too far ahead of themselves.
“We are focused on winning one game at a time,” Baker said. “We have great players and if we just focus on executing every single play, we will do fine.”
The Blue Jays will play next against the Ursinus Bears away this Saturday, Oct. 29.
Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The News-Letter.