Highlights and Interview with Head Coach Jim Margraff
BALTIMORE, MD -- Johns Hopkins senior quarterback Jonathan Germano threw for 326 yards and three touchdowns and also ran for a score to power the seventh-ranked Blue Jays to a 48-28 win over rival McDaniel in the regular season finale for both teams. The Blue Jays led 27-0 after 16 minutes and 41-7 at the half in knocking off the Green Terror for the 16th consecutive year.
The victory caps a fourth consecutive 10-0 regular season for Johns Hopkins, which locked up the outright Centennial Conference title for the sixth consecutive season and the seventh time in eight years. The Johns Hopkins seniors, who were honored prior to the game, will end their career with a perfect 40-0 regular season record.
Germano and the Blue Jays (10-0, 9-0 Centennial) were cooking early as they scored touchdowns on their first three drives, four of their first five and on six of their eight first-half possessions.
Germano wrapped a 12-yard touchdown pass to senior Bradley Munday and a 10-yard strike to classmate Boone Lewis, Jr.around a nine-yard scoring run by junior Ryan Cary in the first 9:42 of the game to stake the Blue Jays to a quick 20-point lead. When sophomore Tyler Messinger raced in from 17 yards out on the third play of the second quarter, Hopkins had its 27-0 lead.
McDaniel (3-7, 3-6 Centennial) got on the board six minutes after Messinger's touchdown as they turned a block punt into a quick, three-play, 15-yard drive that Will Koester capped with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Bamasa Bailor.
The Blue Jays pushed the lead to 34 at the half with a pair of long touchdown drives after Bamas's score. Germano fired his third touchdown pass of the opening 30 minutes to sophomore Luke McFadden to polish off a seven-play, 68-yard drive and freshman Dane Rogerson added a one-yard touchdown run in the final minute of the first half on the sixth and final play of a 66-yard drive; Hopkins had scoring drives of 66, 90, 68 and 66 yards in the first half.
While the Blue Jay offense was rolling up 41 points and nearly 350 first-half yards, the Blue Jay defense was equally efficient. The Green Terror managed just 65 yards on 27 plays, including zero rushing yards on 13 attempts, in the first half.
Working against many of the Blue Jay non-starters in the second half, the Terror made things interesting by scoring three straight touchdowns in a span of just over 19 minutes to pull within 41-28 with just under eight minutes remaining in the the game.
A 13-yard touchdown pass from Koester to Marquise Findley-Smith and a 10-yard run by Mat Cathey made it 41-21 early in the fourth quarter. When Cathey returned a blocked punt six yards for a touchdown less than two minutes after his scoring run, the Terror were within 41-28 with 7:52 to play.
Hopkins answered with its fifth scoring drive of 66 yards or longer on the day and Germano, who returned to the game for the final drive, iced it with a one-yard run to account for the final scoring.
Germano was 27-of-31 for the 326 yards and three scores and 11 different players had at least one reception for the Blue Jays. Munday had a game-high eight receptions -- the last of which was the 250th of his career. Senior Pat Runger posted a team-high seven tackles and Jack Toner, Michael Curry and Anthony Davidson all had interceptions for the Blue Jays.
Koester was 13-of-19 for 103 yards and the two scores, but the early surge by the Blue Jays was too much to overcome.
Johns Hopkins, which had already clinched a berth in the upcoming NCAA Playoffs, handed head coach Jim Margraff his 199th career victory with the win and improved to 42-3 since the current senior class arrived in 2013, the 42 wins are tied for the most by a class in Johns Hopkins and Centennial Conference history.
The bracket for the 2016 NCAA Division III Football Playoffs will be announced on Sunday, November 13 at 6 pm on NCAA.com.