Bugarinovic, Jays take home first place

Men’s, women’s XC earn D-III NCAA berth

The Hopkins men’s and women’s cross country teams qualified to race in the NCAA D-III Cross Country Championships this past Sunday afternoon. The Lady Jays secured a coveted spot in the championship by winning the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships, while the men’s team placed third in the same tournament. The men’s win left them eligible to win an at-large bid — a bid granted to 16 of the top 32 teams in the championship.

Football bests Diplomats to stay unbeaten

In the final nineteen minutes of Saturday’s game against Franklin and Marshall, the Hopkins football team not only saved its undefeated season, but secured the Centennial Conference title as well as a bid to the upcoming NCAA playoffs. Capturing the Centennial Conference Championship marks the sixth time the Blue Jays have managed to do so in as many years. The Jays scored 23 unanswered points in a come-from-behind victory that ended 33-14 for their sixth straight conference title and tenth all-time. The game started with a huge play from sophomore Bradley Munday who returned the opening Franklin and Marshall punt 80 yards all the way to the six-yard mark. Junior Brandon Cherry punched through the defense and into the end zone on a three-yard score two plays later to give the Jays an early lead. Diplomats quarterback Matt Magarity marched his offense efficiently down the field two drives later before handing off to Diplomat running back Scott LaValva who found an opening against a tough Hopkins goal line defense for a short yardage touchdown to tie the game at seven. Both offenses cooled off during the remainder of the half, failing to complete any play longer than 15 yards. Midway through the third quarter, Franklin and Marshall moved to gain its only lead of the day when LaValva again found enough daylight to score from one yard out, bringing the score to 14-10. Then senior Braden Anderson and the Hopkins offense took over to shock the Diplomats with their big play ability. Anderson found Munday on a 59-yard touchdown pass to begin the comeback. The play was Munday’s third 50 plus-yard touchdown reception in as many games as he accumulated a career high 183 all purpose yards. He attributed most of his success to his quarterback. “I have been fortunate to be in the right place at the right time to have the opportunity to make plays,” Munday said. “But it wouldn't be possible without the breakout performances of Braden and the rest of the offense.” With momentum on their side, the Hopkins defense forced a quick three and out, punctuated by a huge tackle for a loss by junior safety Brady Watts, which gave the offense the ball back late in the game. Sophomore running back Dionisio Roman had three rushes for 18 yards before Anderson took matters into his own hands, beating defenders for a 54-yard touchdown sprint that extended the Jay lead to 24-14. Senior Hani Annabi and junior Curtis Antrum created havoc for Magarity and the Diplomat offense, forcing a fumble and an intercepted pass that set up what would eventually become the final touchdown of the game. With good field position after the pick, the Jays worked their way 49 yards for sophomore running back Stuart Walters to convert on a third down run all the way to the end zone to secure their lead at 31-14. With two minutes remaining and time now working against Magarity and the Diplomats offense, senior Michael Rocca sacked the quarterback in the endzone for a safety and the victory. Anderson ended the day 15-30 with 165 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions, adding a career high 73 yards on the ground including his 54-yard score, which was the longest quarterback rush since 2010. On the other side of the ball, sophomore Jack Toner had another solid game on defense, adding seven tackles with a forced fumble and fumble recovery. Magarity ended the day 9-18 for 105 yards including 90 rushing yards, while LaValva accounted for the scoring with two touchdowns on 71 yards. According to Munday, facing adversity against Franklin and Marshall will help the team’s postseason aspirations. “To regain the momentum and finish the game strong was exactly what we needed going forward to increase our confidence going into the NCAA playoffs," Munday said. With their regular season winning streak at 20 games, the Jays look forward to their game next week at McDaniel where they close out the season at Homewood Field before the playoffs begin.

Are the Sacramento Kings playoff-bound?

The last time the Sacramento Kings played in a playoff game, Thunder forward Kevin Durant was still in high school. The Kings own the second longest active playoff drought of eight seasons, dating back to 2006. So any success the team finds is, with good reason, met with skepticism. But this season looks like it could be different. The Kings own a relatively impressive 5-3 record, good for the fifth seed in the brutally tough Western Conference. Until a strange loss against the injury-ridden Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday, the Kings managed to go on a five-game winning streak against some formidable opponents like the Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers and the Denver Nuggets. Last season, the Kings had an abysmal record of 28-54 despite some impressive individual statistics. DeMarcus "Boogie" Cousins, the erratic franchise centerpiece, was doing "Boogie" things, posting career highs in minutes, points, rebounds, assists, steals and field goal percentage. His stat line of 22.7 points and 11.7 rebounds was topped by just one player: Cavs forward Kevin Love. But he was still considered immature, with a league-high 16 technical fouls. Traded mid-season, forward Rudy Gay had a revival of sorts, averaging 20.1 points per game. Guard Isaiah Thomas was turning into a promising player, with 20.3 points and 6.3 assists per game. So when the team lost Thomas to the up and coming Suns, with just guard Darren Collison to replace him, they were expected to, if anything, just regress further. Now, they look to be once again in the running for the post-season. Cousins looks like he is maturing (finally) into the team leader. He has vowed that he will cut his technical fouls to just five for the season. During the FIBA World Cup, Cousins took a hard elbow from Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas, which he took exception to, and almost retaliated. Almost. A year ago, Valanciunas might have been holding a bag of ice over his eye. Cousins is celebrating for his teammates from the bench, and even calming the coach down over his foul call. Is this real life? Not to mention that he's also producing. He's been averaging 23.0 points and 11.1 rebounds over just 30 minutes of playing time. He's actually playing consistent defense, and has generally looked unstoppable. Gay, whose last two teams have thrived more in his departure than with him, is playing efficient basketball and simply sinking a lot of buckets. He's averaging 22.3 points, including an incredible 40-point performance over the greatly improved Blazers defense. He might just be able to play up to his $19 million contract. (Okay, maybe not.) Collison, unlike Thomas, is the pass-first point guard that the trigger-happy duo of Gay and Cousins need. Collison is playing the best basketball of his life, hitting clutch pull-up jumpers over Clippers guard Chris Paul and his old team. While his 40 percent field goal percentage still leaves much to be desired, his 14.7 points and 6.3 assists may be more than what even the Kings themselves were looking for. The team has a relatively nice mixture of young players like rookie Nik Stauskas and guard Ben McLemore, and veterans like forwards Reggie Evans and Carl Landry. Landry is coming into form after some disappointing seasons sitting on the bench with injuries. Stauskas has had a disappointing start but is a proven commodity who will find his place on the team. New owner Vivek Ranadivé and the front office want to win now. Ranadivé is an enthusiastic owner, sometimes to his own detriment; he's made suggestions of playing 4-on-5 defense with a cherry-picker. They've been trying to trade for Celtics guard Rajon Rondo and Pistons forward Josh Smith for some time, and recent rumors suggest Rondo might be going to the Kings in a mid-season trade. Any team that's trying to trade for Smith is a team that is desperate for some wins. And for Sacramento, that might not be all that bad. No one's saying the Kings are going to be the 2015 NBA Champions. They won’t be. But with the Thunder's misfortunes and a few under-performing teams, they just might be able to slip into the playoffs with the eight seed. Considering the disappointment that the Sacramento Kings have been over the last decade, that's better news than anyone could have hoped for.

Athlete of the Week: Hannah Kronick - Women’s Soccer

Few Hopkins athletes have ever earned the accolades or garnered the respect from teammates and opponents alike that senior Hannah Kronick, a star forward on the women's soccer team, has. As the all-time Lady Jay and Centennial Conference record-holder by a wide margin in both points and goals, Kronick is one of the best players the conference has ever seen. Kronick’s consistent excellence in her four years here has led opposing defenses to pay fastidious attention to her. And yet, Kronick has still managed to rack up 37 points this year in 20 games for the Lady Jays. Even more impressive, Kronick has shined brightest in the biggest moments for the Lady Jays throughout the season. Though Hopkins fell on penalty kicks to Swarthmore in the Centennial Conference Championship on Sunday, Kronick scored both goals and kept Hopkins in the game until the very end, displaying the flair for the dramatic that has characterized her Hopkins soccer career. Despite the loss on Sunday and the failure to earn an automatic bid, the Lady Jays’ 16-3-1 record for the season was good enough to earn them an at-large bid for the NCAA tournament, keeping Kronick’s legendary career alive.  The All-American was gracious enough to answer a few questions for The News-Letter as this edition’s Athlete of the Week.

Garnet fly past Jays in CC Championship

After suffering a heartbreaking loss to close out the regular season, the Hopkins women’s soccer team traveled north to Gettysburg, Penn. to participate in the Centennial Conference Playoffs. The Lady Jays earned a place in the semi-finals against the Ursinus Bears to begin their playoff run. On the heels of the tough home loss to Gettysburg to conclude regular season conference play, the team's first loss in 13 games, the Lady Jays entered the postseason hungry to regain their winning ways. They finished second place in their conference at an overall record of 15-3 and looked to capture the championship for consecutive years after winning handily last year. Building upon a nearly perfect history of performing the best when the stakes are the highest, the Lady Jays pulled out a close 2-1 victory over the Bears. Although the game took place within Ursinus’s own state of Pennsylvania, the Lady Jays owned a home field advantage of sorts. They had already won on the home turf of the Bears less than a month beforehand, and they also benefitted from being an hour closer to Gettysburg than their opponents. The Lady Jays, as they often have this year, started the game quickly. All-star senior forward Hannah Kronick initiated the scoring in the 25th minute after cutting through a group of Bears defenders on an unassisted, point-blank shot that found the back of the net. It was good enough for her 13th goal of the season, cementing her status as the top scorer within the conference for the season. The first half continued to develop in favor of Hopkins, as the team launched 13 shots on goal during the period. Ursinus keeper Courtney Sullivan was tested time and again, yet she held up valiantly besides allowing the lone first half goal by Kronick. The second half started in the same manner, as it only took roughly 10 minutes for the Lady Jays to put points on the board yet again. In the 56th minute, sophomore midfield facilitator Ana Bengoechea sent a pass to senior forward Amanda Masse near the Ursinus penalty box. Without much hesitation, Masse took the ball and ripped it past Sullivan to solidify the lead for the Lady Jays. Outside of these initial 10 minutes, however, proved much more competitive for both sides. Ursinus outshot Hopkins 7-5 and made junior goalie Sarah Benett work for another possible shutout on the season. This, however, would not be possible. In the 83rd minute, Bears freshman midfielder Katherine Bell snagged a failed Hopkins clearance on an Ursinus corner. Taking Benett and the defense slightly off guard, Bell scored from the top of the box and shrunk the Hopkins margin to just one. The freshman’s second goal of the season was not enough, though, and the Bears could not find an equalizer before the clock expired six minutes later. This victory paved the way for the 10th straight conference finals appearance for Hopkins and set the stage for a rematch with Swarthmore on the following day. In a match that came down to the wire, the Garnet came out victorious in a nerve-wracking penalty kick shootout. After failing to break the 2-2 tie through overtime, the Lady Jays were unable to solve Swarthmore goaltender Reba Magier during the penalty kicks, as she led the Garnet to victory and was eventually named MVP of the tournament. Kronick once again was the star for the Lady Jays, as she got the scoring started, taking a beautiful pass from sophomore midfielder Ana Bengoechea outside the top of the box and firing a dart past the outstretched arms of Magier. However, the Garnet responded shortly thereafter as forward Carolina Khanna boomed an arching shot past Benett to knot the teams at 1-1. The teams headed into their respective locker rooms tied at half time. The two sides wouldn't remain deadlocked for long, however, as Kronick broke the stalemate just eight minutes into the half, notching the seventh goal of her Centennial Conference playoff career and breaking the conference record for most career playoff goals. However, Kronick’s outstanding play was matched once again by the Garnet, who responded just 12 minutes later after a battle for possession in front of the Hopkins goal. As the teams struggled for possession, Swarthmore's Amanda Bosworth found the loose ball and slid a simple shot into the lower corner of the net to bring the game back even. Despite generating several more key scoring opportunities, the Lady Jays simply were unable to break the tie again during regulation. Benett stood tall in net once again for the Lady Jays, especially during the final 10-minute stretch where the junior goaltender made two unbelievable saves from point-blank range to keep the Lady Jays level. After an overall underwhelming overtime period that showcased strong defensive play from both sides, the championship match moved into penalty kicks. The two teams were once again tied at four goals each through five penalty kicks when the Garnet took a 5-4 lead after Clare O'Brien scored. With the game on the line, sophomore Vania Ludman had her shot blocked by Reba to secure the first conference championship in program history for Swarthmore, breaking the hearts of the Lady Jays. Despite the conference championship loss, the Lady Jays earned an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament. For the seventh consecutive season, Hopkins will host an NCAA Regional Tournament at Homewood Field. The appearance in the NCAA tournament marks the 10th straight and 14th overall for the Lady Jays, who will host Farmingdale State, SUNY Geneseo and Frostburg State this upcoming weekend. Hopkins is scheduled to face off against Farmingdale State at 5:30 p.m. at Homewood Field on Saturday with the hopes of advancing to the regional final on Sunday.

Fueling the Fire: The meaning of rivalries

Ever since the beginning of time, the existence of rivalries has fueled counterparts across various spectrums to achieve more than they thought possible in order to defeat their adversary. From the competition between Athens and Sparta to an ongoing competition that someone has with their next-door neighbor, rivalries span various times and magnitudes to give us an external fuel that cannot be generated through self-motivation. Sports rivalries stand as the most prevalent and consistent forms of competition in the modern world, and nothing creates more excitement than when your team faces off against its long-time foe. I was raised in Baltimore and was bred as a die-hard Ravens fan that bleeds black and purple. This definitely confused nurses ever since my first skinned knee on the playground. For all of those who don’t know, the mere mention of the word “Steelers,” no matter what the connotation, burns the ears of all Ravens fans and lights a fire in their stomachs. If you’re a fan of Harry Potter, just think of Ben Roethlisberger as synonymous with Lord Voldemort. I’ve attended multiple Ravens vs. Steelers games, offered my fair share of criticism and slander at the brave yet stupid Steelers fans who show their faces at M&T Bank Stadium, shouted at Troy Polamalu until I lost my voice, rejoiced in the sweet victories and cried at the treacherous defeats. The series between these two teams holds a special place in my heart, with an exclusive corner reserved for Torrey Smith’s game-winning touchdown catch to give us a 23-20 win in 2011 at Pittsburgh’s field. It’s true when people say that Ravens fans love to hate the Steelers and vice versa, but the real question here is where does that glorified hatred come from? In the so-called rivalries of old (Athens and Sparta, Britain and France, the U.S. and Soviet Union), these actors have always been complete opposites, conflicting as a result of varying ideologies and reverse societal structure. Even the “old” sports rivalries, like that of the Celtics and the Lakers, encompass complete opposite teams in terms of location, ethnicity and style of play. When I think of the Steelers, I automatically objectify them as an image of hatred and disgust, and I never really stop to think what it is about them that I truly despise. After thinking deeply about it, it’s almost a nauseating realization that I hate them so much because of their eerie similarities to the Ravens. Both teams are hard-nosed, defensive-oriented and tough as Hell; have run and gun offenses; are located on the east coast; have dark colors; have intense fans who go balls to the wall and are consistent playoff contenders. Not to mention both teams thrive on the leadership of their defensive leaders.  This seems like an anomaly, and it may be as a result of some progressive societal underpinning that represents our modern world as a whole, but I won’t delve too deeply into philosophical notions so as to save you the boredom. As much as I don’t like them, I have to respect their style of play and the culture of their fans. In the big picture, the Ravens wouldn’t be who they are without the Steelers constantly nipping at their heels and making them pursue greatness. It all seems like some kind of sick joke orchestrated by a divine football god, where an unstoppable force and an immovable object will clash over and over again until their legacies fade into eternity, leaving only the memories of emotions from each unique matchup. It’s a strange feeling hating a group so much like yourself, and I guess the old saying rings true: “This town ain’t big enough for the both of us.”

Wrestling battles for first win of season

After beginning the season with devastating losses in the Messiah Invitational and Terrapin Duels, the Hopkins wrestling team continued to remain optimistic heading into the John Reese Duels this past weekend at Wilkes University. The team entered the weekend with a 0-3 record, despite wrestling admirably against formidable opponents including Davidson and University of Maryland. Unfortunately for the Jays, the team was unable to generate a win in three matches as Hopkins lost to Oneonta, Wilkes and Messiah. The Jays fell to 0-6 on the season and were unable to find consistency in any of their matches. The Jays generated the most points of the day against Oneonta, falling 31-15, before falling to Wilkes by a final score of 38-6 and then Messiah 34-12. Messiah entered the Duels ranked second in the nation according to the National Wrestling Coaches Associations (NWCA). Two new faces on the team led the way for the Blue Jays throughout the entirety of the day, as freshmen Tommy Grifa and Christian Vallis both earned two victories in the Duels. Grifa generated a spark for the Jays with impressive wins against Wilkes and Messiah. The skilled freshman nearly pulled off a third victory but fell by a narrow margin of 7-5 in his match against Oneonta. Vallis defeated his opponent from Oneonta by a narrow margin of 3-2 before falling in the 133-pound weight class match against Wilkes. Despite the tough setback, Vallis regained his form against Messiah and earned a well-deserved 5-2 win by decision against Messiah. An additional highlight for the Jays was the return of senior captain Paul Bewak. Bewak, who wrestles in the 125-pound weight class, missed the opening weekend for the Jays at the Messiah Invitational, and his presence was sorely missed. In his first weekend back in action, Bewak went 1-1 on the day, scoring a victory against Oneonta and narrowly falling by a score of 2-1 in his match against Messiah. Bewak’s loss came against Lucas Malmberg, who entered the weekend ranked second in the nation in the 125-pound weight class. Bewak came into the match ranked fourth in the nation, and the matchup between the two superstars certainly did not disappoint as Malmberg came out victorious by the slim margin of 2-1. Sophomore Jared Forman noted that Bewak’s performance was a pinnacle of the tournament. “The match between our captain [Bewak] and Malmberg was a highlight of the weekend,” Forman said. “It was exciting to see Paul compete against the second-ranked wrestler in the nation.” The return of the senior captain was a lovely sight for the Blue Jay squad, as Bewak has been one of the most consistent wrestlers for Hopkins over his four-year career. Bewak currently holds an overall record of 101-19, making him the most successful wrestler in Hopkins program history and the only wrestler to earn over 100 wins. In addition to strong performances from Bewak, Grifa and Vallis, sophomore Kory Johnson managed two victories on the day, coming up with strong performances against Oneonta and Wilkes in the 197-pound weight class. The final Hopkins victory was captured by sophomore Jared Forman, who battled admirably in the 174-pound weight class matchup, picking up a big win against Messiah. Forman expects the team to rebound nicely when the team begins conference play. “Moving on toward conference play, our team expects to do well,” Forman said. “The goal every year is to win conferences. I personally feel that our team has the ability, the work ethic and the dedication to win it.” The Blue Jays will look to pick up their first victory of the season when they travel to Lexington, Va. this upcoming Sunday for matchups against Ohio Northern and Washington and Lee.

Ursinus bests Jays in semi-finals

The Lady Jays field hockey team took the field on Saturday to face off against the Ursinus Bears in the semi-finals of the Centennial Conference Tournament. The Lady Jays came into the game with a 10-8 record, while the sixth-ranked Bears came into the game with an overall 14-3 record. The Bears came out strong driving down the field with the first possession and scoring in the first two minutes. “They started off with the ball, and they took it immediately down to our end,” sophomore Abby Grant said. “Usually teams go back field first to collect and shape up in there own zone; however, they surprised us by attacking hard right out of the controlled possession.” It was only 86 seconds later when Ursinus crushed in their second goal of the game. Amber Steigerwalt of the Bears passed across the front of the cage to Danielle Strong, who tipped it in from the left side. The Lady Jays were down 2-0, and it had only been roughly four minutes. The Lady Jays were able to hold off the Ursinus offense for close to 12 minutes before Ursinus would once again tip in two quick goals to bring the score to 4-0. The Lady Jays were unable to halt the offensive push, though, as the Bears scored two more goals just three minutes apart from each other, bringing the score to 6-0 just before the half. The morale of the team was down as they came together at halftime, struggling to stay confident after a rough first half. “One of our senior captains, Danielle Thompson, calmed us down,” Grant said. “She told us that she was not going to let her career end like this. She told us that we were stronger than this individually, but especially as a team. She really pumped us up, and we wanted to go back out there in order to represent for our seniors and ourselves.” As the second half opened, the Bears would get one last goal in within four minutes, and then the Lady Jays shut them down. Hopkins stepped up its game and closed off all offensive advances by the Bears. “We changed our game plan,” Grant said. “We put only two defensive players up top, and it shut them down. We came together as a team and decided that we were going to end our season our way.” The Lady Jays kept the Bears from scoring any more in the game, but Hopkins was unable to score at all. The Lady Jays lost the game with a final score of 7-0. “Coach Fraser told us going into the game that this was a wonderful opportunity as a team,” Grant said. “She said that we have nothing to lose and to give it all that we had for the entire game. Coach wanted us to play better hockey by the second half, and she was very proud and excited for the work and effort we put in.” The Lady Jays finish their season with a winning record of 10-9, improving their overall record from the previous season. “We had a losing record last season, and this season we made it all the way to the semi-finals of the Centennial Conference tournament,” Grant said, “I am very proud of what we accomplished this season, and I am very excited for the future of our team.” The Lady Jays will be graduating four seniors, leaving a large veteran squad going into next season. “It will be extremely sad losing our seniors,” Grant said. “They made an extra effort this year to bring our team together, and we are closer than we have ever been before. There is a lot of respect held for every one of our seniors, and we will miss them.” The Lady Jays now look forward to a few weeks off before they start winter training sessions and move into spring ball. The field hockey team may be done for this season, but they are already preparing to come back even better for the next.

Water Polo secures playoff spot at CWPA

The Hopkins water polo team entered the CWPA Southern Championship this past weekend with the common goal of securing a spot in the CWPA Championship. With four matches on their plate, the Jays finished a solid 2-2. They started out hot for the weekend, knocking off George Washington and Salem International, their first two opponents, but fell in the semi-finals and the third-place matchup to Princeton and Navy. The first match of the weekend pitted Hopkins against beltway rival George Washington. Freshman Conor Hehir got the Jays off to a fast start with two quick goals in the first quarter. In the second, however, GW tied the game at five each with a little under five to play. With the game tied, Hopkins came roaring back and responded with five goals of its own, and the score stood at 10-5 in the third. In the end, Hopkins was too much for the Colonials, and the Jays took the match 16-11. Senior Johnny Beal was the engine behind the Hopkins machine that day, chipping in six goals and three assists. Sophomore Matt Fraser had himself a hat trick, and junior goalie Erik Henrikson made eight saves for the Jays. Game two of the weekend featured the Jays facing off against Salem International. Although close at first, the Jays flexed their muscle during one particular 10-minute span that saw them take control of the match. With the game knotted at two, Hopkins caught a hot hand. Nine goals later, Hopkins was sitting comfortably with an 11-2 lead. Coming out of the half, Hopkins kept pouring it on Salem International. With a 9-2 second half, the Jays kept control of the match to win 20-6. Freshman Jono Gillette led the scoring charge for the Jays with four goals, while fellow freshman Ryan Greenwald contributed with a hat trick. In total, 11 different Blue Jays scored goals in the match. The win versus Salem International propelled Hopkins into the semi-finals to face a formidable opponent: the Princeton Tigers. Princeton, the ninth-ranked team in the nation, jumped out to a hot start right from the get-go. The Tigers notched the first three goals of the match to take a 3-0 lead in the first quarter. With less than a minute left in the first half, Hopkins got on the board to cut the lead to two heading into the second frame. The second quarter was largely uneventful, with the teams' defenses showing their muscle. Princeton came out of the quarter with the only goal and took a 4-1 lead into the second half. With just over a minute to play in the second half, Hopkins chipped away at the Princeton lead and made it a 4-3 match. However, Princeton answered back with three goals of their own early in the fourth, and their lead stood at four. Senior Wes Hopkins and Gillette did their part to cut into the lead, each scoring a goal to make it a 7-5 match. However, Princeton notched one more goal that proved to be the end for Hopkins in the match. When the game was finally over, the Tigers were in the win column with an 8-6 victory. With the loss to Princeton, Hopkins was set to face a familiar opponent in the third place matchup: Navy. Unfortunately for the Jays, the Mids proved to be too much, and they lost 11-10 in a hard fought match. Coming out of the first half trailing 6-4, Hopkins was able to cut that lead to one heading into the fourth at a score of 9-8. Junior Langdon Froomer came up clutch for the Jays, tying the match at nine with 4:45 to play. Hopkins and Navy then traded goals for the next minute, and the match stood at 10 all with 3:47 to play. However, Navy was able to take the lead and hold onto it, winning the match 11-10. The fourth-place finish was a positive, though, as it was their best finish at the CWPA Southern Championship since 2011. After the matches, Henrikson shared his thoughts. “Well, I think we had a really great tournament,” he said. “Ultimately, we placed fourth for the tournament, which gives us the seventh seed going into playoffs. Our team seems to really be clicking well right now, and I am excited for Easterns weekend. It should be a great tournament for Hopkins water polo.” With the fourth place finish, Hopkins will head to the CWPA Championship at the Naval Academy, Nov. 21-23. The team hopes to carry this positive momentum forward as they prepare for another big tournament.

Donaldson, Blue Jays power past Ursinus

The Hopkins football team gained the number eight seed in both the AFCA and d3football.com polls with a 42-14 drubbing of Ursinus this past Saturday. The win was their 19th straight regular season victory and 17th straight in the Centennial Conference. The Jays are now on the precipice of a sixth consecutive conference championship. The win also gave head coach Jim Margaff his 175th career victory, making him the winningest college football coach in Maryland state history, surpassing Morgan State University legend Eddie Hurt, who won 174 games with the Bears from 1929-59. Hurt sent more than 30 players to the NFL in that span. Ursinus came into the game with a strong resumé, sporting a 6-1 record on the season, five conference victories and averaging nearly 350 yards and 32 points a game. However, it soon became clear that these Bears would be outclassed. The Blue Jays turned a pair of Ursinus mistakes on special teams into touchdowns and added a 55-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Braden Anderson to sophomore wide receiver Quinn Donaldson for good measure, jumping out to a 21-0 lead before the game was 12 minutes old. The two other scores were tallied by sophomore running back Stuart Walters, with eight and 14-yard scampers, the first coming on a muffed snap by Ursinus punter Eric Boyer and the second when Jays sophomore punter Matt Auran’s kick hit a Bears defensive player in the leg, allowing sophomore Jesse Poore to recover the loose ball. Ursinus broke through on its next possession when they took over at the Hopkins 31 yard line with running back Corey Kelly scoring from five yards out to cut the deficit to 14. The score would remain 21-7 until midway through the third quarter, when Anderson orchestrated a seven-play, 86-yard drive to put the Jays back up by three touchdowns. Anderson started the drive with a 30-yard toss to sophomore Bradley Munday, adding 25-yard throws to Donaldson and Munday again to set up sophomore Dionisio Roman’s one-yard touchdown run. Anderson would close out the scoring for Hopkins with fourth-quarter touchdown passes to Munday and Donaldson. On fourth and 10 on the 23 yard line with just over 13 minutes remaining, Munday made a miraculous diving catch at the pylon to reel in Anderson’s pass for the score. A few minutes later, Ursinus managed to score on a five-yard pass, making the score 35-14. Anderson answered again, this time slinging a 63-yard pass downfield to Donaldson. Defensively, Hopkins was able to control the line of scrimmage and thus the game. The Jays defense limited Ursinus to just 51 rushing yards on 40 carries, a meager 1.28 yards per carry, while sacking quarterback Kevin Monahan four times. Junior Keith Corliss had a team-high nine tackles, but the tone was set by senior Michael Rocca who had a career-high eight tackles, one sack, one fumble recovery and one pass breakup. Rocca was named the Centennial Conference Defensive Player of the Week for his performance, the first such honor of his career. Rocca credited his performance to his coaches and teammates. “Week in and week out, our coaches put us in the best situations to make plays and our goals is to do our jobs within the scheme to the best of our ability each play. When 11 guys are doing that, we can be special.” Anderson finished 13 of 21 for 265 yards and three touchdowns passes, giving him 16 over his last five games against just one interception. He also led the team with 68 rushing yards on eight carries. Donaldson hauled in five catches for 142 yards and two scores, while Munday snared four passes for 77 yards and a touchdown of his own. Walters rushed for 52 yards on 13 carries, while scoring the Jay’s other two touchdowns. The Blue Jays have won five consecutive conference titles and can clinch at least a share of their sixth with a victory in either of their last two games of the season. The Jays will travel to Franklin & Marshall (5-3, 4-3 Centennial) on Saturday, Nov. 8 before taking on McDaniel (1-7, 0-7 Centennial) on Homewood Field in the regular season finale on Nov. 15. A win against F & M coupled with a Muhlenberg loss against Ursinus would give Hopkins the outright conference championship. With this in mind, Rocca stressed that the Blue Jays take everything one step at a time. “It may be a bit cliché, but our goal is to focus on one game at a time,” he said. “We aim to get better as a team each and every day we are out there to always be improving. Our goal is to win the conference championship, and we have to bring the effort every day to accomplish that goal.”

Water Polo falls to Navy, 17-10

Hoping to build off of their final home victory of the season from a weekend ago, the Hopkins Water Polo team closed out their season on Saturday with a 17-10 loss handed to them by the Navy Midshipmen. Despite besting the resilient Midshipmen in their home pool a weekend ago, the Jays took a tough loss to Navy to close out regular season play. The Jays finished the regular season with a 10-9 overall record along with a 4-4 record in the CWPA Southern Division, East Region. The division record puts them in a three-way tie for second in their league. After opening the beginning of the match with each team alternating a goal, Navy scored three unanswered goals, with the last one coming with just seven seconds left on the clock in the first period. The Jays quickly cut into the deficit when junior Langdon Froomer scored with a single second left to make it a 4-2 game after one quarter. The second quarter brought another run by the Midshipmen as they strung together four straight goals, which pushed their lead to 8-2. Sophomores Bret Pinsker and Matt Fraser were able to get a small run going for Hopkins, scoring a goal apiece to make it 8-4 with three minutes and 38 seconds remaining in the quarter. Navy silenced the Jays in the following minutes as they scored two goals of their own before the break. This run continued early into the second half as the Midshipmen opened up the third quarter with an additional two goals, giving the home team a 12-4 lead. The Jays answered with a stretch of three straight goals to shorten Navy’s lead to five with goals from Pinsker, Froomer and freshman Jono Gillette. Yet the run for Hopkins was short-lived as Navy had another pair of scores in the final minute of the third quarter. Going into the fourth quarter at 14-7, the Jays needed a big swing in momentum to keep them in the game. This, however, was not the case as Hopkins and Navy traded off for three goals apiece as the Midshipmen took the game by a final score of 17-10. The Jays, playing without both of their captains who were inactive for the game, were unable to match Navy. “I think that as a team, we lacked the presences of our captains who had to sit out the game. This really hurt our team play in the pool,” Fraser said, in regards to the overall effort of the team. “It was a hard fought game, but in the end, we made too many mistakes and never had the energy needed to beat a team like Navy.” Hopkins was led by Froomer, who had a hat trick to go with his four points and four ejections drawn. Fraser, Pinsker and junior Blake Range each scored a pair of goals while Junior Kevin Yee tallied two assists, two steals and three ejections drawn. Junior goaltender Erik Henrikson made three saves on top of his two steals in two quarters, while freshman John Wilson made nine saves and had one save in the other two quarters. Co-captain and senior Wes Hopkins, who was inactive for the match, believes that the team is still in a good position heading into the playoffs. “We’re coming up on the last two weekends of games which will ultimately decide the fate of the season, so this week it’s really about fine-tuning the strategy, staying focused and staying healthy,” Hopkins said. “If we can do that, we will have a real chance to make some noise come Southern Championships.” Hopkins will be back in action by the time the team competes in the CWPA Southern Division Championships Nov. 7-9 in Princeton, NJ. The Jays still have an excellent opportunity to make a splash in the playoffs despite the loss and will look to bounce back in Princeton this upcoming weekend.

W. soccer win streak snapped

Entering their final game of the regular season riding a 13-game winning streak, the Hopkins women’s soccer team entered Homewood field this past Saturday for their last regular season game against the Gettysburg College Bullets. The Lady Jays had a strong warm up and there was a lot of excitement building in the stadium as the team was celebrating senior night. The Lady Jays hit the field with a force, connecting on almost all passes and pushing hard offensively. However, Gettysburg refused to allow Hopkins any room to work with as it matched the Lady Jays with strong defense and made it difficult for the Lady Jays to generate offensive pressure. The first goal came in the 23rd minute as senior Sydney Teng dribbled past two defenders before crushing a shot past the diving Gettysburg goalkeeper and hitting the upper left corner of the goal. The Bullets would not allow the Lady Jays to pull away as Bullet Lauren Schapiro kicked in the equalizing goal just two minutes later. Both teams fought hard in the remainder of the half but neither squad was able to score as the half came to a close leaving the score tied at one goal apiece. Hopkins came back onto the field after halftime determined to break the tie. However, similar to their strategy in the first half, the Bullets were determined to keep the Lady Jays from doing just that. “Gettysburg adjusted their game to cut off our offense,” Hopkins sophomore Adrienne Johnson said. “We were playing strong — we just struggled executing and capitalizing on big plays.” In the 62nd minute, Bullets forward Brigid Behan added a second goal for Gettysburg, which proved to be the ultimate game-winner. The Lady Jays dropped their first conference game with a final score of 2-1, which moves the team down to the second-ranked spot in the Centennial Conference. As the playoffs begin, the Lady Jays lost home field advantage due to the close loss to the Bullets and will have to travel for the tournament. “We always prefer to have home field,” Johnson said. “You lose time for rest and preparation when you are on the bus for hours. We are just upset that we were not able to pull out a win.” Loosing to Gettysburg also dropped the Lady Jays down in the national poll, putting pressure on the team to win the Centennial Conference with the threat of not making the NCAA Tournament a distinct possibility. The Lady Jays played hard in their loss and Head Coach Leo Weil was the first to have pride in his team. “Coach told us not to hang our heads because we did not play bad,” Johnson said. “He told us that we just need to work on capitalizing and that we are completely ready to face any opponent as we move forward.” The Lady Jays will play Ursinus in the first round of the Centennial Conference tournament this Saturday. This week leading up to the game, the team has been mentally preparing as well as shaking off the loss. “The biggest thing that we are working on as a team going into the tournament is our mental game,” Johnson said. “We are physically prepared to play any team, we have been prepared to play any team. At this point, the only thing that could stop us from winning and advancing, is ourselves. As long as we are mentally prepared, then we are ready to win.” Johnson is adamant that the team will be ready for the playoffs. “We know we are the best team,” she said. “And that is all that matters. As we prepare for this weekend’s game, there is an overall feeling of fight. Fight to win. Fight to continue to play. We believe that we can be national champions, and now we want to prove to the nation that we are a national championship caliber team.“ The Lady Jays will face off against Ursinus in Gettysburg, Pa. at 4 p.m. this upcoming Saturday with a conference championship and NCAA Tournament berth on the line.

Volleyball surges to CC playoff matchup

In one of the most remarkable finishes to what has been an overall great season, the Hopkins women’s volleyball team ended their regular season with a complete sweep of the Gettysburg College Bullets at their Saturday home game. The Lady Jays won in straight sets with ease, extending their overall winning streak to eight games and finishing out the season in great fashion. The motivation was clearly there for the Lady Jays after they pulled out a huge win in five sets against McDaniel College last Wednesday after coming back from two sets down. Before that, the Lady Jays won in three sets against Bryn Mawr College. The continuous momentum has propelled the team to one of their best finishes in recent history. The Bullets end their season with a 19-11 record. As a result of their loss, Gettysburg was eliminated from playoff contention, as only the top five teams in the conference qualify for playoffs. Although the Lady Jays started off a little slow, a timeout provided a moment for the team to refocus. Down in the first set at 10-4, the Lady Jays received a motivational speech from the coaching staff before returning to the court with a new mentality. Two aces from freshman Liz Wuerstle paved the way for a tremendous comeback to lead 18-17, topped off by another ace from the talented freshman. Kills from sophomore Ally Hirsch, junior Ali Cox, freshman Erica Johnston and freshman Mereze Visagie gave Hopkins the 25-21 set victory. The second set proved to be more unpredictable. Kills from Hirsch, Johnston and Visagie gave the Lady Jays a 16-12 advantage, but neither team developed a large edge. It then became tight as the Bullets then came back to tie at 18. Neither team backed down from there as the Lady Jays produced three kills by Wuerstle, Rhead and Johnston for a 21-19 edge. Hopkins went on to clinch the set 25-22. The Lady Jays came out firing at the beginning of the third set, quickly jumping to a commanding 14-3 lead. The Bullets narrowed the margin to 19-9, but the Lady Jays maintained their course with Wuerstle and Rhead playing a big role in earning the final six points of the set. The set ended 25-10 to give the Lady Jays their eighth straight victory. Strong awareness combined with a unique ability to overcome adversity have also played key roles in success throughout the season. “A large part of how we train during practice is to use our eyes and to pick up cues from the other team throughout each individual play,” junior Stephanie Yokoyama said. “Even with a detailed scouting report, we are still ready to adjust accordingly as the game progresses. We also work to fine-tune that silver lining between aggression and mindfulness.” The Lady Jays entered the first round of the Centennial playoffs riding their eight-game winning streak. The squad faced off against a familiar foe in Franklin & Marshall, one of the toughest teams in the conference. The Lady Jays bested the Diplomats in five sets earlier in the season and entered Goldfarb Gymnasium hoping for another key victory. To the dismay of the Lady Jays and the Hopkins faithful in attendance, F&M bested the Lady Jays in five sets, 3-2. The Diplomats took the final set by a score of 15-9 to snap the Lady Jays’ winning streak and effectively end the season for Hopkins. Hopkins finishes the season with a record of 17-11 overall and a 9-3 record in conference play. Wuerstle led the team with 281 kills on the season, while Rhead led the team in assists with a total of 489, 91 more than anyone else.

Athlete of the Week: Quinn Donaldson-Football

The Hopkins football team traveled to Ursinus College this past Saturday and defeated the Bears 42-14 in heavy wind and rain. The Blue Jays put their foot to the pedal and never looked back, maintaining their perfect overall record of 8-0 and improving to 7-0 in the conference. The win also marked Head Coach Jim Margraff’s 175th career victory, thus passing the former record holder Eddie Hurt for the most collegiate wins in Maryland state history. Sophomore Quinn Donaldson accounted for two of the Hopkins  touchdowns in the victory, both of which were receptions of over 50 yards. Although the Jays  played well as an entire unit, Donaldson truly stood out, and he carried the momentum for the team throughout the game. As a result of his stellar play and astounding contribution to the victory over the Bears, Donaldson has earned this week’s Athlete of the Week honors. The News-Letter: What were the keys to victory against Ursinus? Quinn Donaldson: When we prepared for Ursinus and every other team we’ve played so far, the coaches put a lot of emphasis on starting fast and getting on top early. We’ve had a good amount of success with jumping out to early two-to-three score leads. Specifically against Ursinus we knew we would have a lot of opportunities to take shots down the field and make big plays through the air offensively, and we were able to do that successfully on Saturday.

Men’s soccer suffers early playoff defeat

This past Saturday, the Hopkins men’s soccer team dropped a close 2-1 game to visiting Washington College Shoremen to close out regular season play. The loss dropped the Blue Jays to a 9-6-2 season with a Centennial Conference record of 3-5-1. Despite the losing record in conference play, Ursinus’s loss to Muhlenberg and a Haverford-Swarthmore tie propelled the Jays into the Centennial Conference Tournament as the fifth seed. Hopkins jumped to an early lead by scoring at the 2:40 mark in the first half when freshman forward Michael Swiercz converted on a chip from junior Ian Heinrich, placing a header into the bottom right corner for his first career goal. The Jays continued to put on the pressure, coming close to taking a two-goal lead when Heinrich hit the post after beating Washington College goalie Lin Robinson. The second half was a completely different story. In the 63rd minute, the Shoremen drew a penalty kick after a scrap in the one-yard penalty box. Drew Thompson converted on the kick leveling the game 1-1 with just over 25 minutes remaining. In the 83rd minute, the Shoremen jumped to a 2-1 lead after Joseph Fili sneaked past two Hopkins defenders and drove a shot into the bottom right corner past Hopkins senior goaltender Nick Cerrone, leaving the Jays on the wrong side of a 2-1 loss. Despite the late letdown, Swiercz attributed the hot start for the Jays to the fact that the game had playoff implications. “We started off with a lot of energy, which led to the early goal,” Swiercz said. However, with Washington College coming into the game at a lowly 6-9-1 record, Swiercz believed that the team became too complacent. “We kind of relaxed and didn’t keep the pressure on to see out the result,” he said. “We underestimated their ability to make a strong comeback.” Junior defender Kenny DeStefano also provided input on the loss, stating that the Shoremen capitalized more on their opportunities. “Soccer is a crazy sport in which most games are decided by just one or two goals,” DeStefano said. “So many things factor in to whether you can produce a goal at any one point, meaning you can be controlling the play but still fall short of achieving a result. It was an even match on both sides; they were just able to capitalize on their chances late in the game.” Swiercz expressed optimism moving forward into the CC playoffs. “The majority of our conference losses this season have been by one goal, so all of our games have been close,” Swiercz said. “We lost two games this season with less than a minute remaining. Obviously we can compete with all of the teams in the conference, so leading into the tournament we just need to regain our confidence.” DeStefano stated that the Blue Jays need to focus on their game plan and take everything one step at a time. “We need to be focusing on playing our style of play,” he said. “We have challenged the best teams in the country. It’s going to be a tough tournament, but with soccer especially the results could go either way.” With DeStefano’s sentiment in mind, the Blue Jays traveled to Haverford, Pa. to compete against the Haverford College Fords in the first round of the Centennial Conference playoffs. To the dismay of the Jays, the Fords came out victorious, scoring the only goal of the match in the 75th minute to defeat Hopkins by a final score of 1-0. Sophomore goaltender Matt Paris was excellent in goal for the Blue Jays by notching five saves on the day, but suffered his third loss of the season. The loss sends the Jays home for the season, finishing with a final record of 9-7-2 while Haverford advances to take on Franklin & Marshall College. Despite the difficult loss, the Jays have made the Centennial Conference playoffs for 14 straight years since the beginning of the tournament back in 2001. That being said, the taste of another one-goal defeat puts a damper on what has been a back-and-forth season for the Blue Jays. Sophomore Matt Williams nearly had the equalizer in the 87th minute but was thwarted by a beautiful stop from the Fords’ goaltender Sam Miller. At the end of the game the Fords outshot the Jays 9-6 and maintained possession of the ball for the majority of the game. The Blue Jays will head into the offseason looking to improve on another successful winning season.

XC battles at CC Championships

In their most anticipated weekend of the season, both the men’s and women’s cross country teams competed in the Centennial Conference (CC) Championship meet this past Saturday at Haverford College. The men, who came to the meet as the defending champions, took second place behind the host team of Haverford. The Lady Jays, who were missing last year’s two top runners due to injury, still claimed their seventh straight championship win. The conditions were far from ideal for the runners who were forced to compete on a muddy course with steady rain and 25 mile per hour winds. On the men’s side, senior co-captain Austin Stecklair led the Jays, finishing his eight-kilometer run in fifth place overall with a time of 25:50.3. Freshman Tyler Wolfe took seventh place with a time of 25:56.8. Wolfe, who was not in the team’s top five for his first season, was rewarded for his standout performance with the honor of Rookie of the Year in the conference. Stecklair was disappointed with the overall result of the race but encouraged by what he saw from the team overall. “We ran well as a team, and despite a somewhat disappointing loss to Haverford, we showed some promise with our ability to run in a tight pack,” Stecklair said. “Our new focus is to rebound at regionals and win the title and move onto nationals.” The Blue Jays totaled 48 points, second to host Haverford College’s 21 points. Behind them, in third place, the Dickinson Red Devils finished with 74 points. Stecklair and Wolfe were named First Team All-Conference for their top seven finishes. The Jays compete next in the Mideast Regional Championship at Dickinson College in two weekends. The Lady Jays were led by Haverford, Pa. native junior Sophia Meehan who finished the six-kilometer race in first place with a time of 21:37:0. She finished 25 seconds faster than the second place finisher Sarah Rutkowski of Dickinson College. Third, fourth and fifth place were all taken by Lady Jays. Freshman Bridget Gottlieb, sophomore Tess Meehan and senior Ashley Murphy cruised through the course as the Lady Jays dominated the top five. Gottlieb finished with a time of 22:19.9, while Meehan and Murphy both had times of 22:21.2. The Lady Jays collectively scored 20 points, besting the second-place finishers of Dickinson College by a margin of 32 points despite the Red Devils placing three runners in the top ten. Only one runner in the top ten was not a Lady Jay or a Red Devil, as tenth place-finisher Nora Weathers of Haverford College was the only highlight for the host school during the race. Overall the Lady Jays’ performance earned them the third best finish in the Championship’s history. Sophia and Tess Meehan, Gottlieb, Murphy and junior Caroline Powers earned First Team All-Conference recognition for their stellar performances. Graduate student Abby Flock, senior Grace Hancock, senior Gabi Drummond and sophomore Gabrielle Stephens were all named to the second team, which finished in the 8-14 slots. The Lady Jays will also be competing in Carlisle, Pa. at Dickinson College on Nov. 15 in the Mideast Regional meet. They’re looking to continue their dominance outside of the Centennial Conference. With both the men’s and women’s teams finishing the season with second and first place finishes, respectively, the Hopkins cross country programs continued their streak of dominance in conference playoffs and will look to build off of the positive momentum heading into the final weekends of the season.

Lady Jays soar into conference playoffs

The Hopkins women’s field hockey team needed a victory on Halloween against Gettysburg College to punch their ticket into the Centennial Conference Playoffs. On a night filled with candy, costumes and scares it was the trick pulled off by standout freshman forward Princess Sutherland that turned out to be the treat in this contest. The goalies on both sides played exceptionally well for the majority of the afternoon, and it was not until the 53rd minute that Hopkins would deliver the spark they needed in order to advance into the playoffs. Senior Danielle Thompson took the corner and sent the ball zooming toward the Bullet’s goal where it was deflected by a defender and sent careening toward the outstretched stick of Sutherland. She quickly fired the ball into the left corner of the net to give the Blue Jays a lead they would never relinquish. With the victory, Hopkins moves to 9-8 on the season, including an impressive 6-4 Centennial Conference (CC) record. Gettysburg fell to 4-12 for the season and 2-8 within the Centennial Conference. Junior goalkeeper Zoey Atabek was among the standouts for Hopkins as she tallied six saves and was awarded her third shutout of the season. Gettysburg had a chance to strike the equalizer in the final minute when the Bullet’s forward Samantha Wright intercepted a pass and took it all the way to the net, unleashing a shot that sped towards the right edge of the goal. It would have surely gone in if not for the athleticism of Atabek who lunged to her right and made an incredible save preserving the win for the Lady Jays. When asked to comment on the victory, Sutherland described the adversity the team had faced all season long dealing with injuries. “When I went into the game on Friday, two of our main players were hurt, including one of our captains, so I was just thinking to myself that I want to work hard to produce a goal not only for them but for what we have worked for all season,” she said. “It really came down to which team wanted it more, and even with the many injuries, we fought hard and got the victory we needed to take us to the playoffs.” Despite her lack of experience, Sutherland described how her senior teammates have served as mentors all season long and inspired her to perform at her best in the most critical moments. “Our team has been working very hard during practices all season, and we wouldn’t let that go to waste,” Sutherland said. “As a freshman on the team, I have been motivated so much by our enthusiastic senior captains. They push us to be our best, and we strive to be better everyday.” While the squad was beset with injuries and outshot 12-11 in the game, the Lady Jays managed to pull out a victory simply because they refused to let each other down. The hours of grueling practices starting in the summertime months had manifested in this opportunity, and there was no chance that the team wouldn’t capitalize. Now they are playoff bound. “Qualifying for the postseason as a freshman is really exciting because it reminds me of my high school playoffs and how hard we fought during each elimination round,” Sutherland said. “Playoffs truly show how much passion an athlete has for a sport. I can’t wait for Wednesday.” The Lady Jays were determined to come out firing on Wednesday against the Washington College Shorewomen, who held an impressive 13-4 record coming into the game. The Lady Jays stuck to their game plan and were eventually victorious after overcoming a two-goal deficit to win 3-2. Sutherland scored two goals for the Lady Jays as Hopkins stormed back in the second half, scoring three unanswered goals to best Washington College. Hopkins dominated on the offensive side of the ball for the entirety of the game, outshooting the Shorewomen 16-9 and capitalizing in critical moments throughout the second half. Sutherland got the scoring started for the Lady Jays just over seven minutes into the second half before senior Alexa Lantiere added a goal of her own to knot the game at 2-2. Just four minutes after Lantiere netted her goal, Sutherland provided the spark to power the Jays ahead, knocking home her own rebound in the 67th minute of the game. The Lady Jays’ defense remained stout for the rest of the game as Atabek finished with three critical saves to earn the victory. The Lady Jays will face off against the Ursinus Bears in the CC semifinals on Nov. 8.

Football flies by Gettysburg on Friday night

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.