On Saturday, Hopkins football took home a share of the Centennial Conference Title by dominating No. 15 McDaniel's Green Terror, 27-7.
The Jays also became the winningest team in school history with an 8-2 record, and will advance to the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) South Bowl this upcoming weekend. The game will mark Hopkins' first ever playoff appearance.
In Saturday's win, both teams were clearly motivated for the game and their enthusiasm translated to a fast start. McDaniel came out ready to play, and showed it by driving down the field for a score on their first possession.
The Terror scored on a 6-yard touchdown run, going ahead 7-0 with only four minutes elapsed in the first quarter.
The Jays offense went three and out on their first possession, but the defense played strong and forced McDaniel to punt. The Jays special teams unit came up big on the play, as freshman Mike Barrasso blocked the punt, and sophomore Matt Campbell recovered the ball, bringing it to the McDaniel 22.
Junior quarterback George Merrell connected with sophomore wide receiver Brian Wolcott for a 17-yard pass which gave Hopkins a first and goal at the five. A few plays later, Merrell ran it in from the one, and junior kicker Chris Smolyn's extra point tied the game at 7-7.
The defensive stand, superb special teams play and the quick touchdown significantly brought up the morale on the Jays sidelines. "We really gained some momentum here, and we kept it for the rest of the game," said junior tackle Zack Kail.
Senior defensive tackle and captain Pat Doyle commented on the defense, saying, "We knew we had to set the tone for the game by playing with emotion. I think we did that. We did the same thing we've been doing all season. We just made plays."
In the beginning of the second quarter, senior punter Bert Fernand kicked a deep punt to the McDaniel return man, who fumbled the ball at the 29. Sophomore Jake Kail recovered, giving the Jays great field position. A few plays later, Merrell threw a screen pass to Wolcott, who advanced it 16 yards upfield. After four unsuccessful plays, Hopkins was faced with a fourth and 10 at the McDaniel 13.
The Jays decided to go for it, and the risk paid off, as Merrell hit junior wide receiver Jason Lehman for a 13-yard touchdown, putting the Jays up 14-7.
The Jays defense forced McDaniel to punt on their next possession, but the punter fumbled a bad snap and Barrasso recovered the ball for the Jays at the 29.
After a few plays, Merrell ran the ball in from the two-yard line for the Jays third touchdown of the day. With 2:00 remaining in the half, Hopkins was up 21-7.
On the ensuing possession, McDaniel began to drive up the field, until senior CB Mark Robinson intercepted the ball at the Hopkins 18. Freshman tailback T.J. Lyons advanced the ball downfield on a few long runs. With seven seconds left, the Jays had driven down to the McDaniel 30.
On the last play of the half, they tried a hook and lateral. Freshman quarterback Zack DiIonno passed the ball to junior wide receiver Chris Moriarty, who then pitched it to Lyons.
Lyons was tackled at the five as time expired, but the near score sent the Jays morale through the roof as they went to the locker room for halftime.
In the beginning of the third quarter, McDaniel was driving upfield, but it was cut short when senior linebacker Mike Little forced a fumble, and freshman defensive end Brian Cook recovered for the Jays.
The Hopkins offense could not get much going, and punted a few plays later. For the second time, the McDaniel return man fumbled the punt, and freshman Jim Sanders recovered the ball at the 10 for the Jays.
A few plays later, DiIonno scrambled into the end zone from the nine, giving Hopkins a 27-7 lead.
The Jays defense did not allow another point to be scored, and for the second year in a row, Hopkins upset their nationally ranked McDaniel opponent.
Against McDaniel, the Blue Jay defense gave perhaps its best performance this season. The entire defensive squad was named to the Centennial Conference Honor Roll. McDaniel had come into the game averaging about 370 yards in total offense per game, but the Jays held them to just 254 yards.
Campbell and Little contributed with 10 tackles each, and Robinson and freshman defensive back Max Whitacre each had an interception. The rest of the defense and the special team unit accounted for five recovered fumbles.
"The way we played Saturday is indicative of how hard we have worked as a unit all year. The coaching staff put together a great game plan, and we executed it to a tee," said Robinson, "Everyone was flying around making plays, McDaniel didn't know what hit them. It was complete domination."
This strong defensive effort allowed the Jays a 10 minute advantage in ball possession, and gave the offense a lot of excellent scoring opportunities.
Offensively, the Jays also dominated. The offensive line led the way for Hopkins backs to gain 145 yards on the ground, against a defense which had let up an average of 74 rushing yards per game.
Merrell was injured at the end of the second quarter, but in only half of a game he managed to throw a touchdown and run for two more.
For his outstanding performance Merrell was named Centennial Conference Offensive Player of the Week.
With this game, the Blue Jays earned a share of the Centennial Conference Championship, which involves a three-way tie with McDaniel and Muhlenberg.
The Jays set a school record for most wins in a season with their 8-2 record. Also, many players earned spots on the all-conference team.
The Jays' First Team All-Centennial players include senior tackle Leif Glynn, senior center Kevin Kostibos, senior defensive tackle Pat Doyle, senior linebacker Mike Little and sophomore safety Matt Campbell.
Two juniors, kicker Chris Smolyn and linebacker Paul Longo, made the Second Team All-Centennial.
Making Honorable Mention were three seniors -- guard Brian Williams, defensive end Nick Loicano and cornerback Mark Robinson -- along with sophomore wide receiver Brian Wolcott and freshman tailback T.J. Lyons.
The Jays' successful 8-2 record qualifies them to compete for the ECAC Southwest Championship Bowl.
Next week, they will travel to Frostburg State, to play the 6-4 Bobcats in the Jays' first ever post season appearance.
Frostberg State defeated Salisbury State last week. The game this week is considered the unofficial Maryland Division III championship game. The only Division III football schools in Maryland are Hopkins, Frostberg State, Salisbury and McDaniel.
Frostberg State finished the season with a 6-4 record. The only opponent that the two teams had in common this season was Ursinus which both teams managed to defeat.
The Blue Jays defeated Ursinus 27-9 in a game at Ursinus. Frostberg State defeated Ursinus 35-14 in a home game. Hopkins has never competed against Frostberg State in a football game.
