Experienced seniors lead football, 45-14

Football season is finally here and after a grueling preseason, the Hopkins football team traveled to New York on Saturday to commence the 2011 regular season. The trip was extremely successful, as the United States Merchant Marine Academy was no match for the Blue Jays. Starting quarterback senior Hewitt Tomlin, The News-Letter's Athlete of the Week, set multiple records in a dominant 45-14 win over the Mariners.

The Blue Jays took the field with intensity, and set the tone early by forcing the Mariners to punt on their first possession. The ensuing drive was completed with a 20-yard touchdown pass from Tomlin to junior wide receiver Scott Cremens with eight minutes remaining in the first quarter.

While the Blue Jays tenacity was evident, the Merchant Marine Academy matched Hopkins' spark when the Mariner defense forced a fumble that led to a one-yard touchdown run to even the score at seven.

However, Tomlin, the Centennial Conference's co-offensive player of the week, refused to allow the score to remain close for long. He threw two more touchdowns before the final minutes of the first quarter expired.

The first TD toss, a 17-yard strike to senior wide receiver Sam Wernick, was quickly followed by a 16-yarder to sophomore Daniel Wodicka which opened the floodgates in favor of the Blue Jays, 21-7.

Tomlin's ability to spread the ball to all of his receivers and close-out drives throughout the game attributed greatly to his success. He compiled 297 passing yards on the day and tied a Hopkins single game record with six touchdown passes. Tomlin also became the first quarterback in school and Centennial Conference history to compile 8,000 career passing yards.

"Hewitt was great," senior defensive back Sam Eagleson said. "He has really emerged as a leader and it shows in his play on the field."

Hopkins was unable to score in the second quarter, and entered the locker room at halftime with a 21-14 lead. The Blue Jay scoring attack erupted in the third quarter, though, and the defense seemed to have found their groove.

Just 29 seconds into the second half, Tomlin connected for a 37-yard touchdown strike to Wodicka. The six-foot-two, Tennesseean completed all 17 of his third quarter passes, totaling 189 yards in the quarter alone, and added three more touchdowns to reach his total of six for the game.

Wernick, last year's Centennial Conference offensive player of the year, would add one more touchdown reception and sophomore tight end Brendan Hartman caught his first touchdown of the year.

In the midst of the offensive frenzy, Hopkins' defense stepped up and delivered. Eagleson intercepted a pass with the score still 28-14 early in the third quarter which led to a Blue Jay touchdown on the ensuing possession.

One possession later, senior linebacker Tyler Brown recovered a fumble on an errant pitch by the Mariners, again leading to a Hopkins score. At the end of the third quarter, Hopkins led the Merchant Marine Academy by a score of 42-14.

The fourth quarter was relatively quiet on both sides of the ball, as the only score came on a 25-yard field goal by Hopkins' sophomore place-kicker Richie Carbone.

As the final seconds ticked, the Blue Jays celebrated their first win of the year, starting their season 1-0 after a pummeling 45-14 win. Tomlin finished the game 28-for-37, while Wodicka caught a career high 11 receptions for 133 yards and two touchdowns. Wernick reeled in nine balls for 90 yards and two touchdowns of his own. Hopkins completed the game with 491 yards of total offense.

On Saturday, September 10th, the Jays will host Susquehanna at 2 p.m. at Homewood Field, their home-opener. Hopkins currently boasts a six-game winning streak that dates back to October 23, 2010, the last time Hopkins matched-up with Susquehanna. With a team littered with four-year starting seniors, confidence is running high throughout Blue Jay nation.

Said Eagleson, "I believe this is the best team I have been on in my four years, and I expect us to continue winning."