Andrew Kase is leading the Hopkins football team to a rip roaring 3-0 start. This past Saturday, Kase ran for 173 yards and made four rushing touchdowns as the Jays downed the Gettysburg Bullets 49-27.
Kase, a junior from Wyoming, PA., is the team's only elected captain. The coaching staff and players depend on Kase to lead them to victory, and so far this season the running back has done just that.
As an individual, Kase has performed extraordinarily. The 173 yards is his second most in a single game (227 yds is his most) and the ninth time in his career at Hopkins he has rushed for over 100 yards in a game. His four rushing touchdowns against Gettysburg tied the school record for most in a game. With 339 total rushing yards, he is on pace to break his personal total of 1009 rushing yards last year.
His impressive stats on Saturday, which include 38 rushes and a reception, earned him Centennial Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors. For the season, Kase is second in the conference in touchdowns (6) and fourth in rushing (113 ypg). This is Kase's first time being named player of the week for the conference's first News-Letter athlete of the week award.
Kase, however, is most impressed by his team's 3-0 start. "At the end of the day the scoreboard is all that matters" Kase said.
He is the third Hopkins football player to be named conference player of the week so far this season. On defense, senior cornerback Chris Baldwin was named player of the week for his incredible performance against St. Lawrence, the first game of the season. Balwin was also named ECAC Southwest Defensive player of the week. Alex Lachman, a sophomore kicker, was named special-teams conference player of the week for his overtime achievements against Randolph-Macon.
After establishing himself as a central part of the offense, with five rushing touchdowns and four receiving touchdowns last year, Kase has put points on the board in the first three games. But Kase depends on his team.
As a running back Kase expressed how much his success depends on the offensive line. "We have a big offensive line and that allows us to drive against any team," Kase said. "The offensive line has allowed Hopkins to put together long, successful drives."
Kase repeated a mantra of head coach Jim Margraff, "The sooner we become one team and not four classes, the sooner we will win." As many yards as Kase brings to the Hopkins offense with his feet, he brings even more with his intangibles.
Kase was aware that the freshman class would be talented and the success of the team would depend on the success of the freshman and sophomore classes. Kase reflects that it was he and his fellow upper classmen who have attempted to "help the freshman feel a part of the team from the get-go."
Freshman quarterback Hewitt Tomlin threw for 260 yards and two touchdowns against the Bullets and received his snaps from another freshman Doug Drummond. As captain, Kase was specifically charged with the task of making sure that all players are comfortable on the field and working hard towards victory.
As the leader of a team which has had little success in the past two years but this year expects to win the Conference, Kase compliments his coaching staff, equipped with a well-balanced play-calling strategy. The Blue Jays beat Randolph-Macon in the second game of the season in triple overtime. This was a huge win for the team according to Kase, and combined with the decisive conference victory, the Jays will no longer be underestimated.
Kase could not stress enough that his personal achievements are not the only reason for the team's success to start the season. This team elected Kase as captain but they have won not as an offense, nor as a defense, nor as a class, but as a team.
This Saturday Kase and the Jays travel again to Moravian for their second conference game, and then will return home for an important game versus the defending Centennial Conference champs Muhlenberg on Oct. 4.
