The Hopkins Blue Jays scored in every single quarter against the visiting Gettysburg College Bullets last Friday, taking a 14-0 lead within the first five minutes of play. The Blue Jays never relinquished that lead, pouring on 48 points by the time Gettysburg was able to get on the board late into the fourth quarter.
Hopkins moves on to a 5-2 record and 4-2 in conference, while Gettysburg falls to a 1-6 overall record, placing them at the bottom of the division. In addition, Hopkins moved up in the polls, receiving 12 votes as they work their way back into the top 25.
The passing game was open all night for the Blue Jays as senior quarterback David Tammaro connected with sophomore wide receiver Harrison Wellmann twice in the opening drive, resulting in a two-play, 90-yard touchdown that only took 38 seconds off the clock.
Just over three minutes later, sophomore defensive back Bailey Finkelberg returned a blocked punt for a touchdown, setting the tone of the game early for the surging Blue Jays.
This tone would carry into the rest of the half, as Hopkins managed to score more in the first half than they have so far in any single game this season, marking the eighth time in school history that Hopkins scored more than 42 points in a half.
Hopkins also added a pair of passing touchdowns thrown by Tammaro on back-to-back drives. First he threw an 18-yard pass to senior wide receiver Jacob Yorh, followed by Wellmann’s second receiving touchdown of the night, this time from 38 yards out.
In the second quarter, sophomore quarterback Charlie Katz threw a pass to freshman running back Jonas Larson to extend the lead even further.
The Bullets failed to contain the Blue Jays’ offense, as multiple Blue Jay quarterbacks collectively threw for 502 yards and four touchdowns, marking the third-highest single-game total for passing yards in school history.
Defensively the Blue Jays shut down Gettysburg, dominating possession time. Hopkins held the Bullets to 1-of-22, passing for one yard and one interception. This marks the second-lowest total in school history.
Junior running back Luke Yakely also got involved, rushing for an impressive average of 5.2 yards per carry and also getting in for a score in the second quarter.
Freshman running back Danny Wolf and freshman quarterback Ryan Stevens both also scored rushing touchdowns in the second half. This game truly featured scoring from the entire Hopkins team.
Hopkins found themselves up 63-0 with less than five minutes left in the game, but Gettysburg saved face by scoring a rushing touchdown.
While only playing for one half, David Tammaro had a record-setting day for his career, throwing for 307 yards and running for 70 more, in addition to three touchdowns.
Tammaro also became the all-time leader in the category in career passing touchdowns by a Hopkins quarterback. Tammaro reflected on what breaking this record meant to him.
“The record means a lot to me. It’s a culmination of hours upon hours of hard work. There’s been so many great quarterbacks at Hopkins, so owning this record is something very special to me.”
Wellmann finished the game with nine catches, two touchdowns and a total of 224 yards. Like Tammaro, he did all of this in the first half. His performance set some personal bests, and for his success, Wellmann was honored as the Centennial Conference Offensive Player of the Week.
Tammaro also spoke toward what was different in this game compared to last week’s opponent Franklin and Marshall College (F&M), who handed Hopkins their second defeat of the season.
“Against Gettysburg we were able to finish drives and get the ball in the end zone,” Tammaro noted. “We moved the ball well against F&M, we just had trouble getting into the end zone.”
This Friday, Hopkins will travel to Allentown, Pa. to take on the Muhlenberg College Mules, who are sixth in the rankings and sit atop the Centennial Conference. Tammaro discussed preparations for the big upcoming matchup.
“Our preparation will be the same as it always is. No matter who the opponent is, we train and prepare the same way.”
Including Friday’s matchup against Muhlenberg, the Hopkins football team only has three regular-season games remaining. With a 71.4% win percentage, the team is hoping to finish the season strong going into the playoffs.
