Athlete of the Week: Quinn Donaldson-Football

The Hopkins football team traveled to Ursinus College this past Saturday and defeated the Bears 42-14 in heavy wind and rain. The Blue Jays put their foot to the pedal and never looked back, maintaining their perfect overall record of 8-0 and improving to 7-0 in the conference. The win also marked Head Coach Jim Margraff’s 175th career victory, thus passing the former record holder Eddie Hurt for the most collegiate wins in Maryland state history. Sophomore Quinn Donaldson accounted for two of the Hopkins  touchdowns in the victory, both of which were receptions of over 50 yards. Although the Jays  played well as an entire unit, Donaldson truly stood out, and he carried the momentum for the team throughout the game. As a result of his stellar play and astounding contribution to the victory over the Bears, Donaldson has earned this week’s Athlete of the Week honors. The News-Letter: What were the keys to victory against Ursinus? Quinn Donaldson: When we prepared for Ursinus and every other team we’ve played so far, the coaches put a lot of emphasis on starting fast and getting on top early. We’ve had a good amount of success with jumping out to early two-to-three score leads. Specifically against Ursinus we knew we would have a lot of opportunities to take shots down the field and make big plays through the air offensively, and we were able to do that successfully on Saturday.

N-L: What does your team need to improve on moving forward? QD: Moving forward our team needs to continue to be fully prepared mentally to take on each team we play. Something that coach Margraff often tells us is that we need to “win the war, then fight the war.” Our team firmly believes that our games are won during our preparation throughout the week. From there, once we get to Saturday, it’s all about executing what we worked on all week. As long as we continue to stay true to our fundamentals and improve the mental aspect of our game, the physical part will take care of itself and we will continue to have success.

N-L: What was going through your mind after your first long touchdown? QD: That touchdown was off a play that we practiced all week and knew that if we ran it well, it could go for a touchdown. When coach called the play, I knew that as long as I got good separation from the defense, [quarterback Braden Andersen] would deliver a good ball, and we’d have a big play. When a potential big play you practiced all week goes for a long touchdown like it did on Saturday, that’s when you get really excited because you can see your preparation turn into success right before your eyes. After the touchdown I was really excited, and I felt confident that things would continue to go our way for the rest of the day. I knew after that play it was going to be another great Saturday for us.

N-L: What’s your favorite thing about this year’s team? QD: My favorite thing about this year’s team is our attitude. We have the mindset that when we play to our full potential, we can win against any team on any day. That mindset makes everyone hold themselves accountable to do their job to the best of their abilities and give their best effort at all times. Seeing everyone, from our captains to our second- and third-string guys, always giving great effort is fantastic. When you see the results that that effort produces, it makes you very happy and encourages you to continue to push yourself. We’re never content with our current success, as our current success only leaves us wanting more. We’re happy about 8-0, but we’re hungry for win number nine. That’s what I love about this team. We always want more, and we’re willing to do whatever it takes to reach our goals as a team. We’re all team-first players.

Donaldson finished the day with a career high 142 receiving yards and helped lead his team to another decisive victory. The Jays continue their season Saturday at Franklin & Marshall College and look to extend their perfect record to nine straight victories.