On a breezy Friday night under the lights, the ninth-ranked Hopkins Blue Jays ran out on Homewood Field to a thunderous crowd, looking intimidating in all-black uniforms, further decorated by pink accessories in honor of Breast Cancer awareness. The hosting Blue Jays powered their way past Centennial Conference rival Gettysburg 37-14 to give head coach Jim Margraff his 174th victory, a Maryland state record. The victory was the 17th straight regular season win and Hopkins is now 7-0 for the fourth straight year. Senior quarterback Braden Anderson was extremely sharp throughout the game, totaling 306 yards with four touchdowns in only a half of action. His favorite target on the day was sophomore Bradley Munday, who caught 6 passes for 124 yards including an impressive 50-yard score, beating his man deep downfield and making an acrobatic leaping catch in the end zone. Hopkins continued their success on the ground with Stuart Walters leading the rush attack, averaging 6.5 yards per carry on 11 attempts for 72 yards and a touchdown. Brandon Cherry added an additional 60 yards of total yardage. Regarding the offensive performance, Cherry was happy with how the team came out rolling, but believes the team push to achieve more. “We were able to strike early and often," Cherry said. "However, we still haven’t been able to play to our full potential collectively. Once we get to that level as an offense, it will really be exciting.” On the opening possession, the Bullets showed some aggression keeping their offense on the field for a fourth down conversion attempt. The stout Hopkins defense forced the turnover with a clutch tackle from Jack Toner and got the crowd going early. That’s when Anderson took the field to begin his phenomenal day, leading a five-play drive capped by a 35-yard pass to Stuart Walters, giving the Blue Jays the early 7-0 lead. After forcing a punt on defensive, Hopkins needed only one play with possession to strike again as Anderson found Munday for the 50-yard score extending the lead 14-0 with plenty of time left in the first quarter. Yet another punt on the ensuing Gettysburg drive allowed Anderson to lead the offense 36 yards down the field before Stuart Walters found pay dirt on a 15-yard scamper. In just three short possessions, the Blue Jays found themselves ahead 21-0. From the second half on, Coach Margraff substituted liberally, giving some younger players beneficial on-field experience. Anderson yielded to Will Nunn, Jon Germano and Chris Martin, and they all added mobility when sensing pressure in their opportunities as quarterback. They handed off to a myriad of backs while adding scrambles of their own, resulting in 10 total rushers for the Blue Jays running game. The second half also marked renewed liveliness for the Bullets as they got a healthy contribution from Kyle Wigley, who was explosive out of the Gettysburg backfield, bouncing his way between defenders and accumulating two touchdowns on separate 40-yard and 21-yard efforts. Wigley’s runs accounted for all of the Gettysburg offense, as quarterback Zach Miller could not find any sort of rhythm against a Hopkins defense that looked as good as ever. Michael Longo, Jack Campbell and Keith Corliss put constant pressure on Miller and the Gettysburg offense, combining for 15 tackles and 3 sacks. The defense also limited the Bullets offense to 129 yards through the first three quarters and has now allowed a meager total of 121 passings yards in the last two games. The defense continues to be the backbone of a very talented Blue Jays football team. After four straight games with over 30 points and 400 total yards, there is certainly an undeniable momentum for the undefeated Blue Jays, but the team remains focused on the task at hand. Cherry and the rest of the team is focused on a potential playoff run. He stressed that the team needs to remain focused on one week at a time. “We have a game this week against a tough opponent in Ursinus so that is the only part of our season that we are worried about right now," Cherry said. With that sentiment in mind, Hopkins will carry their winning streak into a conference matchup against Ursinus next week, followed by a trip to Franklin and Marshall the next week. The Jays will wrap up the regular season at home against McDaniel on Nov. 15. With the momentum that the Jays currently possess, the team certainly has their eyes set on a trip deep into the NCAA playoffs.
Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896
November 28, 2024
