Football defeats McDaniel, ECAC bowl vs Lebanon Valley

The Hopkins Football team concluded the regular season on Saturday at Homewood Field as they played host to the McDaniel Green Terror. An impressive crowd of 1,475 was in attendance to support the Blue Jays in the season finale, a crushing 34-10 victory to capture a three-way tie for the Centennial Conference title.

Hopkins tied with Muhlenberg and Ursinus, all three finishing with a 7-2 record in the conference. Unfortunately, due to the head-to-head tiebreaker format, Hopkins did not receive the automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs. Instead, the Jays will play in the ECAC South Atlantic Bowl game this upcoming Saturday.

Early in the first quarter on Saturday, Hopkins forced a McDaniel punt and took control of the ball for their first possession of the game.

Starting the drive at their own 20-yard line, the Jays marched 80 yards downfield for a touchdown to set the tone of the game. Junior quarterback Hewitt Tomlin threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to classmate Nick Fazio to cap the drive.

Later in the quarter, the Green Terror kicked a 32-yard field goal to record their first points of the game. Hopkins led after the first period by a score of 7-3.

The scoring remained quiet until midway through the second quarter when the Jays exploded for 17 unanswered points. Juniors Tyler Porco and Scott Barletta each rushed for a touchdown in the second quarter. The two scores put Hopkins on top by a score of 21-3.

With time expiring in the first half, senior place kicker Alex Lachman drilled a 24-yard field goal.

The Jays stifling defense refused to allow a touchdown in the first half, recording an interception and forcing four punts.

Hopkins kept the ball in the hands of their offense, controlling the ball and the clock throughout the half; the Jays nearly doubled the time of possession of McDaniel in the second quarter. Heading to the locker room at halftime, Hopkins led by a score of 24-3.

Once again Tomlin compiled a tremendous game, completing 23 of 37 passes and throwing for 340 yards and a touchdown in the attack against McDaniel.

The entire team expressed its dominance in the recent weeks and junior cornerback Sam Eagleson added that the team’s performance was one of the best of the season.

“We are playing our best football of the year right now,” Eagleson said.

The third quarter began with a Hopkins punt and a McDaniel touchdown on the ensuing possession. The Green Terror recorded a nine play, 70-yard drive in which the only points in the third quarter were scored on the 2-yard run by Vince Snarki. The Jays offense was held to just 26 total yards in the third quarter.

Hopkins could taste the conference title with time ticking away in the fourth quarter. Lachman tallied his second field goal of the game to increase the Blue Jay lead to 27-10.

The following drive, Fazio scored his second touchdown of the game, this time on a 2-yard rushing score. The touchdown rounded out the scoring as Hopkins put away McDaniel by a final score of 34-10.

Junior Ryan Piatek and sophomore Taylor Maciow led the Black and Blue attack, totaling 13 tackles and 11 tackles, respectively, while each recorded one-and-a-half sacks.

The Jays maintained their winning streak against McDaniel, beating the Green Terror for the 10th consecutive time. The season win streak was also increased to four games, all of which were won by double-digit margins.

Hopkins gained a share of the Centennial Conference crown, winning the conference for the sixth time since 2002. Still, the team was frustrated to miss a return to the NCAA playoffs.

“We finished the season on a very strong note. It’s a shame we did not make it to the NCAA playoffs, but we are all thankful for one more game, and it’s important to us that we prove how good of a team we are,” Eagleson said.

On Saturday, Hopkins will play Lebanon Valley at Homewood Field at 12:00 pm. The Jays will wave good-bye to the graduating seniors at the ECAC South Atlantic Bowl, with one final opportunity to prove their elite status and end an emphatic season.