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Hilltoppers Battle Hard but Fall Just Short at Rye, 19–14
On Saturday, October 18, the Hopkins Hilltoppers hit the road down I-95 for their final away game of the regular season, taking on divisional rival Rye Country Day. Despite a delayed arrival, the Hilltoppers came ready to compete and nearly pulled off the upset, ultimately falling just five points short in a hard-fought 19–14 loss.
Hopkins struck first on its second offensive possession when quarterback Tommy C. ’27 connected with Dylan M. ’28 for a 45-yard touchdown down the sideline. Daniel H. ’28 added the extra point to give the Hilltoppers an early 7–0 advantage. Both defenses held strong for most of the half, with timely sacks from Nate L. ’26 and Chris L. ’26 stalling Rye’s drives. The Wildcats finally broke through late in the second quarter, tying the game at 7–7 heading into halftime.
Early in the second half, Hopkins looked poised to regain control when Tommy O. ’26 forced a fumble that Marcus R. ’26 recovered, setting up the offense with great field position. However, the Hilltoppers were unable to capitalize, and Rye answered on its next series with a 42-yard touchdown pass to take a 13–7 lead. The Wildcats added another score with just under four minutes to play, stretching the margin to 19–7.
Refusing to quit, Hopkins mounted one final rally. Tommy C. ’27 hit Marcus R. ’26 on a deep pass to move the Hilltoppers inside the red zone, and two plays later, Tommy powered into the end zone on a quarterback sneak to close the gap to 19–14. A last-chance “onside play” — a 4th-and-20 attempt under MIFL’s no-kickoff rules — fell short, allowing Rye to run out the clock and secure the win.
The Hilltoppers’ defense delivered another strong showing, racking up five sacks on the day — two apiece from Nate L. ’26 and Dillon C. ’28, and one from Chris L. ’26.
Hopkins (9th seed) now turns its attention to the postseason, as they prepare to host King School (11th seed) in an MIFL subdivision playoff rematch. The two teams last met just three weeks ago, when Hopkins pulled out a thrilling 19–18 victory. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:00 p.m., and the Hilltoppers will look to recapture that same spark as they begin their playoff run.
Go Hop!
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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.
Hopkins School admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.