The Hilltoppers traveled over 2 hours to begin their season on a winning note, besting St. Dominic with a hard fought 14-6 victory. Under overcast skies the game began very even, both teams trading field position with no one fully in control. After a key 4th down stop towards the end of the first half, the Hilltoppers took over from their side of the field with under a minute to play. On 3rd and long, Jake Moscarelli took a carry 15 yards to put Hopkins on the opposing 40 yard line with 1 second on the clock. Nick Bailey used this opportunity to connect with Jacob Shrader for a touchdown strike as time expired to put Hopkins ahead 7-0 at the half!
Building off of the momentum of the first half, the Hilltoppers came out and recovered an onside kick as play resumed. The teams continued to trade possession before St. Dominic would score to put the game at 7-6 (after a failed 2-point attempt). Not to be defeated, the Hilltoppers would answer with a long touchdown connection on the following drive between Nick Bailey and Dave Barber to go ahead 14-6. St. Dominic's received the kickoff and mounted a drive that put them at the goal-line with under 40 seconds to play. Hopkins defense, which had been strong all day, would not let St. Dominic's score after stopping them on 4 straight plays to end the game.
As mentioned previously, Hopkins defense was ferocious forcing 2 fumbles and 3 interceptions (Jacob Shrader, Charlie Streator and Riley Smith). Hopkins also saw key pressure from Jackson Quinn, Doug Wardlaw and Corey Rispoli throughout the contest. This was a very exciting game to be a part of and a great first step as Hopkins looks to improve off of last year's disappointing season. The Hilltoppers will host their first home game this week as they face off against King on Saturday at 1pm. We hope to see our fans there supporting the team as they look to go 2-0!
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.