Blue Jays continue to soar into end zone

The Hopkins Blue Jay football team entered this weekend's Centennial Conference match-up riding an eight-game win streak dating back to last season, including two dominating performances to begin the 2011 campaign.  

The Jays travelled to Bethlehem, PA to take on the Greyhounds of Moravian College this past Saturday afternoon for an early season contest and remained perfect in the early going, improving their overall record to 3-0 and 2-0 in the Centennial with a 41-0 blowout win.

Hopkins, who had defeated the Greyhounds by a similar 41-3 score in 2010, ran on all cylinders from the start, scoring twice after consecutive punts to take a 13-0 advantage.

Junior running back Jonathan Rigaud capped off an eight play, 64-yard drive with an 11-yard plunge into the end zone to begin the scoring.  

After the defense forced another three-and-out, sophomore wide-out Dan Wodicka hooked up with senior stand-out quarterback Hewitt Tomlin on the first play following the punt for a 74-yard touchdown off a beautiful fake.

The next combined nine possessions by each team resulted in punts with each team vying for field position.

It wasn't until the clock read 1:42 left to play in the first half that the Jays added another score.  Tomlin hit wide receiver Scott Cremens on a go route for a 41-yard score which capped up a long, sustained drive that lasted seven plays and spanned 89 yards. "I knew Hewitt was going to take a chance since it was one-on-one coverage," the junior from Finksburg, MD recounted. "I ran a simple go-route, and Hewitt put the ball in the perfect spot and luckily I was able to bring it in for the score."

This score stretched the lead to 20 as the first half came to a close. The Jays hit the locker room with a head full of steam and a lead they would not relinquish.

The score remained the same for the majority of the third quarter until the final six minutes.

Hopkins turned a punt, a sack, a forced fumble by junior P.J. Caulfield, and an interception by sophomore John Arena into three touchdowns and a 41-0 lead that included Cremens' second touchdown of the afternoon, a six-yard snag from Tomlin--his third of the afternoon.

The Jays finished with 471 total yards of offense, eclipsing the 450-yard mark for the third time this season and eighth time in a row dating back to last season. The win streak itself is the third longest in school history.

The Hopkins offense has relied much more heavily on the ground game this year relative to last, making their attack that much more lethal.

"The run game has been huge for us so far this year," Cremens said. "Some teams have to add another player to the box, which gives the receivers a little more space to maneuver in the secondary."

The Blue Jays return Centennial Conference offensive player of the year in senior wide-out Sam Wernick who broke several single-season receiving records in 2010.

This year, however, as one would expect, Wernick has drawn more double teams and safety help, leaving Cremens and Wodicka with an opportunity to step up against single coverage.

The duo has certainly done its part, combining for six touchdowns and 504 yards receiving in the early season.

That said, the old football adage says, "Defense wins championships." The Blue Jays have certainly received that memo, bringing along a fierce defense to combine with their powerhouse offense.

Over the first three games of the season, the defense has held opponents to just seven points per game and under 200 total yards per game while accruing ten sacks, six interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns, and two forced fumbles.

Leading the Jays in tackles for the early going is junior linebacker Adam Schweyer, followed closely behind by senior linebacker and co-captain Ryan Piatek. Piatek is also tied for the team lead in interceptions (two) and defensive touchdowns (one).

The defense has returned many of their starters from a year ago, and is hoping to build on that experience in order to compliment the superb offense in competing for another Centennial Conference Championship, and a berth in the NCAA D-III football tournament.

Standing in their way is the Blue Jays first big conference test in Muhlenberg, a game that will be played this Saturday afternoon at Homewood Field.

Muhlenberg, like the Jays, are 2-0 in the conference, and are poised to make another run through the Centennial Conference.

The Mules came to Hopkins a year ago and escaped a hard-fought contest with a 30-27 win in which the defense stifled the Jays passing attack, intercepting four Tomlin passes throughout the contest.

"Muhlenberg is always a very solid defensive team," Cremens said, "The coaching staff is going to come up with a great game plan and as players, we just have to execute."

The 6-foot, 180-pound wide-out also added, "Luckily, we have the opportunity to play against another great defense every day in practice…hopefully it will translate to the field on Saturday."

So come out and support the Blue Jay football team this Saturday as they take the next step in their journey towards a Conference Championship and beyond as they hope to increase their winning streak to nine games over conference-rival Muhlenberg.