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Hopkins Offense Rolls Past Hamden Hall
| 10/21/2007 |
| Hopkins offense rolls past Hamden Hall |
| By Chris Hunn , New haven Register Staff |
|
HAMDEN — For the Hopkins offense, the options seem to be limitless this football season. The Hilltoppers can air it out when necessary. They threw for three touchdowns against Fairchester League powerhouse Brunswick-Greenwich three weeks ago. They have displayed balance: 212 rushing yards and 146 passing in a win over Rye (N.Y.) Country Day. And Hopkins has pounded teams. It rushed for 384 yards against King & Low-Heywood Thomas-Stamford. A variety of alternatives has enabled Hopkins (5-0) to score by the bucketful. A 27-point outing is the Hilltoppers' lowest of the season. Hopkins junior quarterback John Powers credits coach Tom Parr. He said it's his knowledge, experience and lessons which make the offense so versatile. Talk to Gusberg or Parr, and whether by name or position, they will give a hefty list of reasons why the offense is so dangerous. Against the host Hornets (2-4), four Hilltoppers scored. "We've been trying to balance it out," Gusberg said. "We have so many weapons both running and passing." After Hamden Hall quarterback Grant Smith connected with Dante Brito on a 27-yard touchdown pass, Hopkins led by just one score entering the final quarter. But on the following drive, Gusberg ran for 35 yards and finished it with a 2-yard touchdown to give the Hilltoppers their final 14-point advantage. "Our biggest problem today was stopping them," Hamden Hall coach Ron Carbone said. "They're a very physical football team. They have good running backs, a good line, a good scheme, they're well-coached. They played very well." After a Powers 15-yard scramble brought Hopkins into the Hamden Hall red zone, he later found John Gudjohnsen for a 1-yard touchdown pass on the Hilltoppers' opening drive. Matt Zikaras' extra point gave them a 7-0 lead. Later, a drive that closed the opening quarter finished with senior Zach Nussbaum scoring on an 8-yard run to give Hopkins a 13-0 lead. Hamden Hall, however, responded on its next drive. A series of rushes by 5-foot-10, 210-pound Tyler Williams went for 34 yards. Williams capped the drive with a 3-yard score. "He runs hard, he's difficult to bring down," said Carbone of Williams, who finished with 124 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. "He expends a lot of energy through the course of the game. I don't know how he does it. He kept us in the game today." Williams' touchdown gave the Hornets momentum entering the second half. That quickly shifted though as Gusberg found a hole in the line, bounced off a handful of defenders and wound up with a 27-yard gain. After a string of Gusberg rushes, Earl Geyer scored on a 2-yard run. "We take what the defense gives us," Powers said. "We know we can throw the ball and run. Today, we depended on our line and let our running backs take care of the rest." |
| 10/21/2007 |
| Hopkins offense rolls past Hamden Hall |
| By Chris Hunn , New Haven Register Staff |
|
HAMDEN — For the Hopkins offense, the options seem to be limitless this football season. The Hilltoppers can air it out when necessary. They threw for three touchdowns against Fairchester League powerhouse Brunswick-Greenwich three weeks ago. They have displayed balance: 212 rushing yards and 146 passing in a win over Rye (N.Y.) Country Day. And Hopkins has pounded teams. It rushed for 384 yards against King & Low-Heywood Thomas-Stamford. A variety of alternatives has enabled Hopkins (5-0) to score by the bucketful. A 27-point outing is the Hilltoppers' lowest of the season. Hopkins junior quarterback John Powers credits coach Tom Parr. He said it's his knowledge, experience and lessons which make the offense so versatile. Talk to Gusberg or Parr, and whether by name or position, they will give a hefty list of reasons why the offense is so dangerous. Against the host Hornets (2-4), four Hilltoppers scored. "We've been trying to balance it out," Gusberg said. "We have so many weapons both running and passing." After Hamden Hall quarterback Grant Smith connected with Dante Brito on a 27-yard touchdown pass, Hopkins led by just one score entering the final quarter. But on the following drive, Gusberg ran for 35 yards and finished it with a 2-yard touchdown to give the Hilltoppers their final 14-point advantage. "Our biggest problem today was stopping them," Hamden Hall coach Ron Carbone said. "They're a very physical football team. They have good running backs, a good line, a good scheme, they're well-coached. They played very well." After a Powers 15-yard scramble brought Hopkins into the Hamden Hall red zone, he later found John Gudjohnsen for a 1-yard touchdown pass on the Hilltoppers' opening drive. Matt Zikaras' extra point gave them a 7-0 lead. Later, a drive that closed the opening quarter finished with senior Zach Nussbaum scoring on an 8-yard run to give Hopkins a 13-0 lead. Hamden Hall, however, responded on its next drive. A series of rushes by 5-foot-10, 210-pound Tyler Williams went for 34 yards. Williams capped the drive with a 3-yard score. "He runs hard, he's difficult to bring down," said Carbone of Williams, who finished with 124 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. "He expends a lot of energy through the course of the game. I don't know how he does it. He kept us in the game today." Williams' touchdown gave the Hornets momentum entering the second half. That quickly shifted though as Gusberg found a hole in the line, bounced off a handful of defenders and wound up with a 27-yard gain. After a string of Gusberg rushes, Earl Geyer scored on a 2-yard run. "We take what the defense gives us," Powers said. "We know we can throw the ball and run. Today, we depended on our line and let our running backs take care of the rest." |
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Hopkins is a private middle school and high school for grades 7-12. Located on a campus overlooking New Haven, CT, the School takes pride in its intellectually curious students as well as its dedicated faculty and staff.
