During parents weekend, the Blue Jay football team hosted the Juniata College Eagles in its "Blackout" game, which is comparable to a homecoming for Hopkins football. With its large crowd of parents and students, the Jays performed incredibly as they shut out the Eagles 12-0, the second straight weekend Hopkins football has posted a shutout.
The win increased the Jays' record to six wins and two losses, a dramatic improvement over last year's 4-6 team, and was the first time since 2003 that the team recorded two consecutive shutout games. It was also the first time in the history of the program that the two consecutive shutout games were played against Conference opponents.
One of the key elements in this Blackout game was the strength and tenacity of the defense. "Defense had a great week of practice and it certainly carried over into the game last weekend," freshman Sam Wernick said. "The strong defense prevented the Juniata offense from doing much of anything. They weren't even close to scoring, which made it easier for us to play offense."
Despite the fact that all of the scoring was performed in the second half, the Jays had been dominant throughout the entire game. In the third quarter the Jays defense had forced Juniata to punt on their first drive. This allowed Hopkins offense to start their successful drive at the 34-yard line.
The Jays combined their strengths of throwing and running throughout this 66-yard drive to the end zone. Freshman quarterback Hewitt Tomlin threw for a perfect 4 for 4 on this drive, tallying 49 yards. On the scoring play, junior running back Andrew Kase was handed off the football. As he ran to one side of the field, attracting the defensive flow of the Eagles, he pitched the ball to sophomore wide receiver Tucker Michels, who was traveling in the opposite direction. This reverse tallied six yards and a touchdown, making the score 6-0.
"We've been running that play for about two weeks now," Michels said. "I thought that the play was perfect for the situation. When you have an explosive running back like Kase, the whole defense will tend to follow him, and if he pitches it to a player moving in the opposite direction it will throw off the whole flow of the defense. It was a great choice by the coaches."
Juniata's offense had been suppressed by the Jays' powerful defense, rendering them unable to score in the third quarter. Although the Eagles' offense was snuffed, the Jays could not capitalize until late in the fourth quarter on a drive lead by Kase. After the Blue Jay defense had forced another Juniata punt, the offense started their three play, 57-yard drive to the end zone. This drive was highlighted by Kase's 46-yard scoring run to the goal, the longest rushing of the season. He also reached the school-record of 12 rushing touchdowns in a single season.
The Eagles took over at their own 37-yard line after the kickoff following Kase's touchdown. This was their only chance to score, adding even more pressure to the Hopkins defense by advancing to the 10-yard line. At first and goal, the Juniata offense was bending over backwards to capitalize on their only successful drive. The defense stepped it up by forcing four straight incompletions. Once the offense got the ball back, they ran out the clock, achieving a shutout victory.
Junior linebacker Colin Wixted led the defense in tackles, accumulating seven this game. The defense held Juniata's offense to only 46-yards rushing and 125-yards passing.
"Our coach had always taught by the principle of 'bend but don't break,'" Wixted said. "We can give a little, but when the time comes to really step it up we have to play strong. On the last Juniata drive and the third and fourth downs throughout the game, our defense had to hold strong and not give up any points in order to get this shutout. This made us play hard throughout the game."
One highlight worth noting is Kase's rushing success. In addition to accumulating the most rushing touchdowns in a single season (12), he has also achieved many other records. Kase currently holds the record of most career 100-yard games (14) and has 1,151 rushing yards this season, topping the previous record of 1,047 yards, rushed by Adam Cook in 2003. Kase ran for 180 yards in this game against Juniata.
Another team accomplishment was Hewitt Tomlin's very efficient 20 to 30 on passes for the day with 253-yards passing. He connected with receiver Tucker Michels for six receptions and 58 yards and Sam Wernick for five receptions and 95 yards.
Hopkins football is back in action next Saturday at Franklin & Marshall in Lancaster, Penn. Competition starts approximately at 1 p.m.
