Last weekend, the Hopkins football team faced their toughest test yet this season against the Moravian College Greyhounds at Homewood Field. Both teams came into the contest undefeated in what would prove to be an entertaining matchup.
Facing an early 6-3 deficit, the 11th ranked Blue Jays went on a 26-0 run during the second and third quarters, sparked by a balanced offensive attack and a swarming defensive presence. Leading 13-6 at the halftime mark, the Jays raced down the field on the opening possession of the third, ending with an eight yard strike from standout senior quarterback Jonathan Germano to senior wide receiver Boone Lewis, Jr., putting the Jays up 19-6. The Jays would secure three additional points on the strength of a historic kick from junior Jamie Sullivan. On the edge of field goal range, the Jays decided to go for what amounted to a 50 yard shot.
“Honestly we were a little surprised he called the kicking team out, but we were still very confident,” Sullivan said. “I got a great snap from Bill Ferrari and a great hold from Matt, and the line took care of the rest. At 50 yards you just hope you make good contact, and I was just lucky enough to sneak it in by a yard or two.”
The 50 yard kick ended up the third longest kick in program history, and it is certainly a moment which will be remembered by Sullivan and his teammates. Sullivan’s confidence was aided by an end of practice routine which consistently tests his ability to connect on long range kicks.
“Every week, Nick Campbell and I kick field goals on Tuesdays and Thursday’s in a competition format at the end of practice,” Sullivan said. “We usually back the last field goal attempt to between 45 and 55 yards. Sometimes the entire team crowds the around the field goal unit and screams to add game-like pressure.”
With the Jays up 22-6, the Greyhounds mounted a 12 play, 70 yard drive. It would, however, ultimately stall after Moravian’s Mike Hayes’ strike to the end zone fell incomplete on fourth down. Hopkins would then go up 29-6 on the strength of a 87 yard drive that would take only four plays to complete. The possession was capped by a 49 yard scoring strike from Germano to junior Brett Caggiano that appeared to give the Jays an insurmountable lead heading into the fourth.
However, the Greyhounds displayed incredible resolve during the fourth quarter of the contest as they rallied back to cut the deficit. 29-6 quickly became 29-21 on the back of two long Moravian scoring drives sandwiched around a costly fumble by the Jays, giving Moravian excellent field position. Clinging to a single possession lead and with the Greyhounds seemingly possessing all the momentum of the game, it would ultimately be the Hopkins defense that stepped up and closed the game for the Jays.
Senior defensive back Marcus Spearman would step in front of a pass and corral it to give possession back to the Jays, who would pick up two additional first downs and run the clock out.
The Blue Jays defense was excellent all game long, playing a bend-but-not-break style, which would ultimately pay off in great dividends. The Jays ceded over 400 yards of total offense, but picked off Moravian’s standout Quarterback Mike Hayes four times in the contest, while holding him to a completion percentage below 50 percent on the day. Sophomore defensive back Michael Curry had two of the four picks for the Jays, and attributed the excellent defensive effort to the great intensity that the Jays displayed in practice in the week leading up to the game.
“All week we constantly pushed each other to practice hard and practice fast. I believe that showed on Saturday afternoon,” Curry said. “All the coaches did a great job putting a scouting report together and making sure we were in the right positions to make a play.”
Offensive standouts for the Jays included Germano, who totaled 331 passing yards on the day, tossing two touchdowns along with two interceptions. Standout senior wide receiver Bradley Munday recorded a Hopkins record of 16 receptions for 100 yards in the contest. Defensively, the Jays were paced by senior linebacker Garrett Spek, who recorded a career high 15 tackles, and senior defensive end Kyle Bonci, who led the team with two sacks.
Next week the Jays will return to the gridiron when they hit the road to face the Muhlenberg Mules, who also sit at 3-0 on the season.
