In the first three games of the 2016 season, the Hopkins football team went 3-0, outscoring opposing teams by a combined 115-57 margin and only trailing once, for a period of about eight minutes in the first half against Moravian. In the team’s fourth game, however, it would take a 60-minute, four-quarter effort to knock off Conference rival Muhlenberg 30-24 and remain undefeated in the young season.
The Hopkins offense, which has averaged 36.25 points per game this season, put up 20 in the first half, in large part due to the two touchdown passes by senior quarterback Jonathan Germano. However, the Mules kept up with the Hopkins offense, even taking the lead on a TD run by junior running back Nick Savant early in the second quarter. After a successful field goal by junior Jamie Sullivan with no time left in the first half, Hopkins trailed 24-20 heading into the locker room.
In the second half, the Jays came back with their defense ready to fight for their perfect record. Despite Muhlenberg’s nine second half possessions, the Blue Jay defense held strong and did not allow Muhlenberg to score in the half while forcing four turnovers, including two late-game interceptions by senior defensive back Jack Toner. Meanwhile, the offense netted 10 points on a touchdown run by junior Ryan Cary and field goal by Sullivan. After several defensive stops in the final minutes, the Blue Jays held on to win by six.
Germano finished the game with 23 completions on 42 attempts for 332 yards and two touchdowns as well as two interceptions, both in the third quarter. His first touchdown pass, which opened the scoring three minutes into the first quarter, went to junior wide receiver Brett Caggiano from 37 yards away. Sophomore Luke McFadden caught his other scoring pass, which came less than four minutes later.
Caggiano would finish as the leading receiver with 155 yards on the day. Senior wideout Bradley Munday also finished above the century mark with 103 yards on a team high of nine receptions. Standout running-back, junior Ryan Cary, was also a major component of the offense, rushing for 106 yards on 26 attempts.
After struggling in the first half, the Hopkins defense, which allowed nearly 500 offensive yards from Muhlenberg on the day, managed to hold the Mules completely scoreless in the final 30 minutes. After the game, senior linebacker Jack Campbell credited his team’s effort and intensity for the improved second half results.
“We didn’t really make any big adjustments at halftime,” Campbell said. “We just knew that we didn’t play Hopkins defense in the first half and made too many mistakes. Muhlenberg is a talented offense that will capitalize on these mistakes. In the second half, we started tackling better, forcing turnovers and playing with better intensity and concentration. It was a group effort in the second half. Everyone did their job and we came up with some big plays to help win the game.”
For the second consecutive week, the Blue Jays were narrowly outgained by their opponents. The Mules also finished with 31 first downs to the University’s 23. However, the Hopkins offense scored on all four trips inside the Muhlenberg 20 yard line, unlike the Mules, who failed to score on two of their five opportunities.
Defensively, Campbell turned in an excellent performance, finishing with 14 total tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and an interception in the third quarter. Only fellow linebacker and classmate Garrett Spek had more tackles in the game, finishing with 16 total and two sacks.
In spite of these efforts, the result was still in question in the final minutes, which saw Muhlenberg’s last two offensive chances thwarted by a pair of interceptions by Jack Toner in the end zone. Toner’s second interception came in the game’s final play, sealing the victory and the second half shutout.
Two Blue Jays received recognition for their performances in the win against the Mules. Linebacker Garrett Spek was named the Centennial Conference Defensive Player of the Week. In no small part due to his clutch interceptions, defensive back Jack Toner was named to the D3footall.com Team of the Week.
With the close victory, the Blue Jays improve to 4-0 on the season and are now in sole possession of first place in the Centennial Conference. On Saturday, they will face conference foe, 3-1 Juniata, at Homewood Field. Kickoff is scheduled for noon.
