Regardless of who lines up under center for the Hopkins football team, the Blue Jay's offense just keeps rolling. Under senior quarterback Hewitt Tomlin, the Centennial Conference leader with a sparkling 160.8 quarterback rating and 257.7 yards per game, Hopkins had amassed a total of 142 points and 1,521 yards of offense on their way to a 3-0 record.
However, against Muhlenberg, the senior was forced to sit this week due to injury, putting sophomore Robbie Matey in the spotlight for his first start of the season.
Despite seeing limited time in the previous three games, the team knew they could rely on Matey, a fact echoed by sophomore defensive lineman Joe DiTrolio.
"We all had complete faith in Robbie and his ability to lead our offense," Ditrolo said. "It was no surprise to us that he stepped up in a huge way and made the key passes that helped lead us to another win.
"Our coaches did not really alter our team's philosophy going into the game. Our coaches came up with a plan at the beginning of the week and as long as we executed that plan we knew that we would get the job done."
Both teams started out slowly as a result of excellent defensive play, combining for nine punts in the first half as the Jays led the way 7-3.
The scoring quickly picked up after halftime with a 66-yard touchdown pass from Mules quarterback Dan Deighan to Marcus Toomy just two minutes in the third quarter.
At that point, Hopkins faced perhaps their most difficult moment of the 2011 season. Down late in the game with a new quarterback off a shaky first half, the Blue Jays and Matey could have easily lost focus and begun looking towards next week in hopes of the return of their star senior.
Instead, the young leader found his stride and went 3-3 on the very next drive to lead his offense on a 67-yard touchdown drive, capped off by junior Scott Barletta's one-yard touchdown run.
Soon after, Hopkins would take the lead for good, getting up by as many as 17 points from a passing touchdown from Matey to fellow sophomore Daniel Wodicka in the third and a rushing score from junior Jonathan Rigaud in the fourth.
For the day, Matey finished 25-for-31 for 251 yards and one touchdown. Other impressive performers from the day were running back Rigaud with 71 yards and a touchdown, junior reciever Scott Cremens with eight receptions for 90 yards, and sophomore punter Richie Carbone who had a busy day with seven punts, his longest reaching 50 yards.
The excellent offensive performance was matched by a rabid Hopkins defense. Aside from the 66-yard touchdown to open the third quarter, the defense harassed Mules' quarterback Deighan all day into three interceptions and just 208 passing yards.
On the ground, the boys in Black and Blue manhandled the Muhlenberg runners into a measly 2.2 yards per carry over the game and not a single look at the end zone.
Although Hopkins fans should expect their regular starter Tomlin to return to action next week, they can also be pleased that the team has the depth and focus to sustain their success with or without the Tennessean.
All told, the Blue Jays now stand at 4-0, first in the Centennial Conference, and will certainly improve on their 23rd place national ranking. Despite their hot start, however, this Hopkins team understands the season is still young.
"Our team's philosophy is that we take this season one game at a time," DiTrolo said. "4-0 is a great start, but it doesn't guarantee us anything in terms of a conference championship or a postseason bid."
That attitude will surely pay dividends down the road, beginning with conference rival Juniata next Saturday afternoon in Huntingdon, PA. Be sure to follow the Blue Jays there and the rest of the season in their journey for another Centennial Conference Championship.
