The first day of class always brings with it certain levels of electricity, jitters and excitement for the start of a new semester. It was fitting that the Homewood Campus would play host to a tough matchup on the gridiron.
The Hopkins football team kicked off their season against the highly touted Washington and Lee Generals. The energy in the crowd was tangible and for good reason, as two qualified teams took the field.
The Blue Jays program has reached a level of regular season dominance over the past five seasons, which cannot be superseded by any other stretch in its history.
The Blue Jays are coming off of a perfect 10-0 regular season and yet another Centennial Conference crown. They are ranked 15th in the D3football.com preseason polls and have won 53 of their 54 past regular season games.
The 20th-ranked Generals also came into the contest riding the momentum of an unblemished regular season record in 2015, making this the only game in all of D-III football featuring two teams who finished last season undefeated.
Fueling off the energy of the home crowd, the Blue Jays raced out to an early 14-0 lead in the opening quarter. The early success was propelled by the multidimensional Ryan Cary, who seems primed for a breakout campaign in his junior season.
Both of the Jays opening drives were capped off with 12-yard runs by Cary, who was able to use his burst to breeze past defenders on his way to the end zone.
The Generals utilized their highly praised running attack to get back into the game, cutting the deficit down to 21-14 early in the second quarter of play.
Cary delivered his third touchdown of the day by catching a pass from senior quarterback Jonathan Germano and racing 38 yWards into the end zone.
Late in the second half, Cary darted into the end zone on an 11-yard run amounting to his fourth and final touchdown of the game, allowing the Jays to open up a 28-14 lead, a margin which they would hold onto for the remainder of the contest. Ultimately, Hopkins ended the game with a solid 45-29 victory.
Cary had the best game of his career as a Blue Jay, finishing with a career-high 158 yards on the ground to go along with 69 yards receiving. His four-touchdown total matches the school record, signaling to the Conference that Cary and the Jays offense are a force to be reckoned with this season.
When asked to comment on his breakout performance, Cary attributed his success to the hard work the team put forward in the off season.
“Everybody was just ready to play a tough opponent, and that helped spark us and really get the team fired up to play,” Cary said.
Offensively, the Jays amassed an even 500 yard total on the day, with 276 rushing and 224 passing. Standout quarterback Germano led the passing attack for the Jays with 176 yards and two touchdowns.
Although the defense surrendered 350 yards on the ground, they were able to hold the Generals below their 408 yard per game average in the 2015 season. Better yet, the Generals were only able to amass 60 yards passing.
While the opening victory against a quality opponent is an excellent start to the 2016 campaign for the Blue Jays, Cary was quick to point out that the team still has a long season ahead of them.
“It’s important to never be complacent with one performance, especially knowing that it was a non-Conference game.” Cary said. “Although we love getting the win, it doesn’t really help our ultimate goal of winning the Conference. So it is key we stay focused on the team goals.”
The Blue Jays will return to the field after their first win of the season this upcoming Saturday, Sept. 10. They will travel to Selinsgrove, Pa. to take on the Susquehanna University River Hawks. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
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